A species developing writing but not (yet) speech

I am not a writer. I have never written any story and I have no idea of what it takes to get this idea into any meaningful narrative. It's more of a thought experiment for me and I formally give the go ahead to anyone who wants to steal the idea for anything creative :)

However, I was thinking that it would be cool to imagine a species (on an independent world where they are bound to be the only dominant species) that somehow lacks the physical ability to emit (or perceive?) sounds, yet through ambient manipulation and social collaboration manages to develop a writing system.

• How slower or faster would they be, compared to humans, in developing a civilization?
• Would they try to accelerate communication using technology? Would "gifted" individuals able to emit guttural sounds be considered to the likes of the scribes in our past?
• Would that over time become speech?
• Can mathematics be developed?
• Would religious thinking emerge, with any difference from Earthly myths?

posted over 9 years ago

Michael Sacchi‭

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