EME 17 (4) pp. 393–409 Intellect Limited 2018 Explorations in Media Ecology Volume 17 Number 4 © 2018 Intellect Ltd Article. English language. doi: 10.1386/eme.17.4.393_1 www.intellectbooks.com 393 ABSTRACT The question of causality in the invention of the alphabet has long eluded the theo- ries of media scholars and linguists alike. In spite of the attention to the effects of the alphabet and literacy within the tradition of media ecology, not much work exists tracing the effects back to the causes and explaining why the alphabet emerged in the first place. By applying the principles of McLuhan’s understanding of Aristotle’s notion of formal cause, the author approaches the invention of the alphabet as a grammatical step in the evolution of written language. Most simply, this article proposes that the development of alphabetic writing was required as an unintended consequence of writing via inscription on clay and stone tablets (as opposed to writing via application on paper, papyrus or bamboo). The author then situates this claim within the broader context of the evolution of grammar and punctuation, demonstrating that the figure of writing and grammar has shifted and evolved notably with every transition of a new medium on which words are fixed, even up through the electric and digital ages. Finally, this article situates the evolution of emoji within the context of grammatical evolution, and not, as some have asserted, as the return to pictographic language. KEYWORDS formal cause emoji alphabet phonetic writing pictographic writing punctuation grammar MATTHEW S. LINDIA Georgetown University Colon. Hyphen. Closed parenthesis. Formal causes of figure and ground in punctuation and writing