Editing Etruscan language (section)

===Text===
Writing was from right to left except in archaic inscriptions, which occasionally used [[boustrophedon]]. An example found at [[Cerveteri]] used left to right. In the earliest inscriptions, the words are continuous. From the 6th century BC, they are separated by a dot or a colon, which might also be used to separate syllables. Writing was phonetic; the letters represented the sounds and not conventional spellings. On the other hand, many inscriptions are highly abbreviated and often casually formed, so the identification of individual letters is sometimes difficult. Spelling might vary from city to city, probably reflecting differences of pronunciation.{{sfn|Bonfante|Bonfante|2002|p=56}}