Hostname: page-component-77f85d65b8-lfk5g Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-04-22T12:32:15.602Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A cognitive account of the puzzle of ideography

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 October 2023

Xerxes D. Arsiwalla*
Affiliation:
Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain x.d.arsiwalla@gmail.com Wolfram Research, Champaign, IL, USA

Abstract

We posit a cognitive account of the puzzle of ideography, which complements the standardization account of Morin. Efficient standardization of spoken language is phenomenologically attributed to a modality effect coupled with chunking of cognitive representations, further aided by multisensory integration and the serialized nature of attention. These mechanisms explain why languages dominate graphic codes for general-purpose communication.

Information

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable