Graphic symbols, rock scratches of meaning, also condense from perception and fall to mark the Earth in a lasting way. Another level of verbal condensation hits, as written history begins. Spoken words are now tethered to pages, like kites to Earth. They may be laborious, gloriously illuminated religious texts. They may be early scientific theories soon disproven.
Every year leaves a mark now, an indelible written stain.
Chapter 4 Industrial technology, rising much as language did, assists invaluably in making the written word ubiquitous. The printing press integrates the bound form of language as deeply into humanity as thought itself. Words are no longer primarily thought of as a sound, but as a written mark, precisely captured and defined. It's the dictionary which has the authoritative say on what a word is. Reading becomes an essential skill.