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LING1002 > Week 6 - Writing Systems > Flashcards

Week 6 - Writing Systems Flashcards

1
Q

What exactly is it that you know when you know a language?

A

Knowledge of a language is knowing how meaning is associated with linguistic form.

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2
Q

Writing system definition

A

a set of VISIBLE or TACTILE signs which REPRESENT Linguistic units.

  • NOT necessarily a rep of the SPOKEN LANG
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3
Q

Two basic types of writing system

A

Logographic

Phonographic

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4
Q

Logographic definition

A

symbols represent whole words or morphemes

(morpheme: a meaningful morphological unit of a language that cannot be further divided (e.g. in, come, -ing, forming incoming)

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5
Q

Phonographic definition

A

symbols represent sounds or sound sequences

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6
Q

“Sign” definition & 3 types

A

‘sign’ = relation between SIGNIFIER and what it SIGNIFIES

ISI = 3 types

ICON
SYMBOL
INDEX

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7
Q

Icon

(iconic sign) def

A

‘Fit to signify’ by virtue of a PHYSICAL RESEMBLANCE between the sign and what it stands for.

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8
Q

Index

(indexical sign) def

A

directly “POINTS” to what it signifies, as a
PHYSICAL CONSEQUENCE

  • animal track = index of animal
  • smoke = index of combustion

There is a casual link btwn indexical sign + its source (NOT ARBITRARY)

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9
Q

Symbol

(symbolic sign) def

A

fit to signify ONLY by virtue of some AGREEMENT it doesn’t signify
- i.e. ARBITRARY + CONVENTIONAL

Spoken Lang mostly symbolic (arbitrary link btwn Phonetic [dɔg] + what it signifies).
[bɐz] tho, iconic component?

Complex. ISI components.

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10
Q

Historical Pre-cursors to writing SUMMARY

A

iconic:

  • PETROGLYPHS carved in rock (40k BP)
  • ROCK PAINTING (30k BP)

symbolic:

  • ISHANGO BONE (math tool?)
  • Le Placard bone markings (13-15k BP)
  • MESO CLAY TOKENS (>10k BP)
  • abstract symbols for numbers may be crucial aspect
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11
Q

Proto-Writing

A

Early graphic systems - restricted set of symbols (LIMITED FUNCTIONS - i.e. not tru writing system)

  • PROPERTY MARKS
  • TALLY
  • PICTOGRAMS

Not necessarily REP specific words/other ling. expressions

(NOT ALWAYS CLEAR DISTINCTION btwn PROTO- and WRITING)

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12
Q

TRUE writing system definition

A

TRUE WRITING SYSTEM

- can REP graphically ANY utterance which can be PRODUCED by a LANGUAGE

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13
Q

Pictograms/Pictographs

A

ICONIC.
communication, not art

  • images that RESEMBLE objects/situations. REP those or related obj/sit
  • unsystematic, variable
  • MAY be INDEPENDENT of word/Ling expression
  • INTERPRETED, not READ

pic of glass = glass

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14
Q

Ideograms

A

Character REPRESENTS IDEA/CONCEPT of a thing rather than LINGUISTIC EXPRESSIONS (words to say it)

a character symbolizing the idea of a thing without indicating the sounds used to say it. Examples include NUMERALS and CHINESE CHARACTERS

pic of glass = beer, glass in general, the glass industry, or intoxication,

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15
Q

Where are ideograms in modern writing systems?

A

Limited places.

  • NUMERALS
  • MATH SYMBOLS

x, =
not 1 to 1 correspondence w specific words/expressions

eg10x2=20
‘ten times two equals twenty’
‘ten multiplied by two makes twenty’
‘ten twos are twenty’

So ‘x’ REP CONCEPT, NOT SPECIFIC EXPRESSION

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16
Q

When was writing invented ?

A

Invented only about THREE TIMES, INDEPENDENTLY

  • Fertile Crescent, Middle east (MESOPOTAMIA,EGYPT) 3200BCE
  • China (SHANG DYNASTY) 1500BCE
  • Mesoamerica (OLMEC, ZAPOTEC, MAYA)
17
Q

Logograms

A

Graphic sign, DIRECTLY REPRESENTS a Ling element, esp, WORD or MORPHEME
withOUT REP FORM (sounds)

  • ‘&’ REP the word ‘and’ without separately representing the individual phonemes /æ/ /n/ /d/.
  • © REP the word copyright
18
Q

DEVELOPMENT OF WRITING (early)

A

Pictograms –> Logograms

Part of “LINGUISTIC LEAP” which prod. TRUE WRITING

some logograms (eg. abstract numbers) may have been DE NOVO

iconic –> Symbolic

19
Q

Describe Iconic –> Symbolic change

A

happens in 2 types of changes:

FORM –> highly iconic –> less iconic –> symbolic.
change to ARBITRARY RELATIONSHIP between FORM and LING ELEMENT

MEANING may inc. NON-RESEMBLED OBJECTS + RESEMBLED OBJECTS

  - Lips = Mouth, inc, teeth, lips
  - legs = walk
20
Q

Phonogram

A

sign DIRECTLY REPS 1 or more SOUNDS of a lang

- used in COMBO to rep SEQUENCE of SOUNDS in words of that lang

21
Q

Examples of Writing systems using logograms

A
  • Chinese characters
    • Egyptian hieroglyphics
      (< Greek hiero ‘sacred’ glyph ‘carve’)
    • Mesopotamian cuneiform (Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite)
    • Mesoamerican hieroglyphics (Olmec, Zapotec, Maya)

NO SYSTEM EXCLUSIVELY OR PREDOMINANTLY USES LOGOGRAMS

22
Q

The Phonographic Leap

A

Logograms correspond to word of language but NOT SOUND
Phonograms are symbols which DO REPRESENT SOUND

Phonographic Rep developed from Logographic Rep thru RECOG of PHONOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS btwn diff words.

  • Homophones (phonologically identical to all or part of a word)
  • (systematic) phonological correspondence
  • (unsystematic) phonological similarity
23
Q

the REBUS PRINCIPLE definition

A

A word is represented by the sign used to represent an identical sounding or similar-sounding word.

HAIR symbol, also rep HARE
SUN symbol, also rep SON

24
Q

Rebus Principle in development of writing systems

A
  • 1st developed 3000 BCE in SUmerian
    - “Ti” for arrow = “Ti” for Life
    - “Mu” for tree = “mu” name + “mu” my suffix
    Symbol then rep sequence of sounds rather than word
25
Q

Rebus and Syllables

A

Syllable = grouping of sounds in word
- Vowel + Surrounding Consonants CVC

Dog = Monosyllabic
Au-to-mo-bile = Polysyllabic

Polysyllabic word can be represented by multiple signs of Monosyllabic words

26
Q

consonant-only Rebus

A 
"leaf" rep consonant sequence /lf/ 
so, also use for:
     - life
     - loofah
     - loaf
     -elf

Egyptian consonantal phonograms:
mono-consonantal
Bi-consonantal
tri-consonantal

27
Q

ACROPHONIC PRINCIPLE

A

Logogram re-interpreted to represent JUST first sound(s) of a word
-  ‘apple’ could be used to represent /æ/
CONTROVERSIAL BUT WIDELY ACCEPTED

EG
Egyptian: “fVt” for horned viper also used for “fVn” for pleasant
- gave rise to abjad (alphabet representing (mostly) consonant phonemes)

28
Q

COMBINED SYSTEMS:

Phonological and Semantic components?

A

Some systems combine

  • Logogram
  • Semantic indicator (determinative)
  • phonetic indicator

Chinese writing PHONO-SEMANTIC to a large degree
character for ya - ‘duck’ 鴨 composed of
- 甲 jiaˇ ‘carapace’ as a merely similar phonological indicator
- 鳥 niaˇo ‘bird’ as a semantic indicator

LING1002 (14 decks)

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