A Computational Approach to Deciphering Unknown Scripts
Kevin K. Knight, Kenji Yamada · 1999
We propose and evaluate computational techniques for deciphering unknown scripts. We focus on the case in which an unfamiliar script encodes a known language. The decipherment of a brief document or inscription is driven by data about the spoken language. We consider which scripts are easy or hard to decipher, how much data is required, and whether the techniques are robust against language change over time. 1 Introduction With surprising frequency, archaeologists dig up documents that no modern person can read. Sometimes the written characters are familiar (say, the Phoenician alphabet), but the language is unknown. Other times, it is the reverse: the written script is unfamiliar but the language is known. Or, both script and language may be unknown. Cryptanalysts also encounter unreadable documents, but they try to read them anyway. With patience, insight, and computer power, they often succeed. Archaeologists and linguists known as epigraphers apply analogous techniques to ancient...