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Functional ideographies are composite semiotic systems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 October 2023

Stephen Chrisomalis
Stephen Chrisomalis*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA chrisomalis@wayne.edu; https://clasprofiles.wayne.edu/profile/dz6179
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Abstract

All sufficiently large functional notations (ideographic or otherwise) are composites of discrete, structured elements (e.g., phonemes, morphemes, numerals). We must consider not only the modality but also the structure of the existing, workable ideographic/semasiographic systems we know (e.g., musical and numerical notation) to establish the cognitive limitations militating against humans memorizing and standardizing domain-general ideographies that would parallel written language.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 46 , 2023 , e238
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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