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Visual languages and the problems with ideographies: A commentary on Morin

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 October 2023

Neil Cohn Open the ORCID record for Neil Cohn [Opens in a new window]  and
Joost Schilperoord Open the ORCID record for Joost Schilperoord [Opens in a new window]
Neil Cohn
Affiliation:
Department of Communication and Cognition, Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands neilcohn@visuallanguagelab.com; www.visuallanguagelab.com j.schilperoord@tilburguniversity.edu
Joost Schilperoord
Affiliation:
Department of Communication and Cognition, Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands neilcohn@visuallanguagelab.com; www.visuallanguagelab.com j.schilperoord@tilburguniversity.edu
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Abstract

Morin argues that ideographies are limited because graphic codes lack a capacity for proliferating standardization. However, natural graphic systems display rich standardization and can be placed in sequences using complex combinatorial structures. In contrast, ideographies are not natural, and their limitations lie in their attempts to artificially force a graphic system to behave like a writing system.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 46 , 2023 , e240
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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