ISSN: 2534-5192 (electronic) – 2681-8566 (print)

◀ Florian Coulmas▲ ProceedingsMary C. Dyson; David Březina ▶



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e-ISBN: 978-2-487055-11-7

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The Visual-Cultural Fit of Writing Systems
Philippa M. Steele
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Abstract. Writing systems have sometimes been evaluated in terms of their “linguistic fit” to the language written in them, a concept that has pervaded a good deal of literature on writing typology. Here I argue, building on the idea that writing systems also have a broader sociolinguistic fit (Meletis 2020), that the visual-cultural fit of a writing system in its sociolinguistic context should also be considered. This reveals an important principle of writing system development, namely visual distinctiveness. Following an introduction to the concepts discussed in the paper (§1), the ancient writing systems known as Linear B and the Cypriot Syllabary are used as a comparative case study illustrating that linguistic and visual-cultural fit need not and often do not have a strong correlation (§2). Different types of visual distinctiveness in writing are then presented, with a particular focus on systems used for minoritised languages and groups in the modern day, where visual distinctiveness may be particularly important to the community of users (§3). Finally the conclusion acknowledges further practical problems that affect minority writing systems, particularly digital disadvantage and issues related to dissemination (§4). The paper demonstrates that visual aspects of writing deserve further attenion in and beyond grapholinguistic study.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36824/2024-graf-stee


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   YEAR = {2020},
   PAGES = {3--22},
}

@ARTICLE{Mikulska2022,
   AUTHOR = {Mikulska, K.},
   TITLE = {Homo alphabeticus, la definición de la escritura y las escrituras mesoamericanas},
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}

@ARTICLE{Mitford1953,
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@ARTICLE{MkhizeNdimande2014,
   AUTHOR = {Mkhize, N. and Ndimande-Hlongwa, N.},
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}

@INPROCEEDINGS{MorpurgoDavies1979,
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   TITLE = {Terminology of power and terminology of work in Greek and Linear B},
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   PAGES = {87--108},
}

@BOOK{Mutwa1965,
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   YEAR = {1965},
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@INPROCEEDINGS{Ngom2018,
   AUTHOR = {Ngom, F.},
   EDITOR = {Albaugh, E. A. and de Luna, K. M.},
   TITLE = {Ajami literacies of west Africa},
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   PUBLISHER = {Oxford University Press},
   ADDRESS = {Oxford},
   YEAR = {2018},
   PAGES = {143--164},
}

@ARTICLE{Pellicer2004,
   AUTHOR = {Pellicer, A.},
   TITLE = {The orthographic contrast between two languages: Mayan and Spanish},
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   VOLUME = {7},
   NUMBER = {1},
   PAGES = {35--48},
}

@ARTICLE{PerfettiHarris2013,
   AUTHOR = {Perfetti, C. A. and Harris, L. N.},
   TITLE = {Universal Reading Processes Are Modulated by Language and Writing System},
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   VOLUME = {9},
   PAGES = {296--316},
}

@ARTICLE{Pestarino2025,
   AUTHOR = {Pestarino, B.},
   TITLE = {“I see wonderful things!” Socio-cognitive experience of Cypriot graffiti in ancient Egypt},
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   YEAR = {2025},
   PAGES = {1--24},
}

@MASTERSTHESIS{Rebin2024,
   AUTHOR = {Rebin, B.},
   TITLE = {Paving Future Pathway for Disconnected Voices to Unbalanced Digital World: An analysis of multi-stakeholder perspective on improving the digital support for digitally-disadvantaged languages},
   SCHOOL = {Uppsala University},
   YEAR = {2024},
}

@INPROCEEDINGS{Rogers1995,
   AUTHOR = {Rogers, H.},
   EDITOR = {Taylor, I. and Olsen, D. R.},
   TITLE = {Optimal orthographies},
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   PAGES = {31--43},
}

@BOOK{RovenchakGlavy2011,
   AUTHOR = {Rovenchak, A. and Glavy, J. M.},
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   YEAR = {2011},
}

@MISC{RovenchakEtAl2016,
   AUTHOR = {Rovenchak, A. and Pasch, H. and Riley, C. and Wazi, N. R.},
   TITLE = {Proposal for encoding the Mandombe script in the {SMP} of the {UCS} (revised)},
   YEAR = {2016},
   URL = {https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2016/16019-mandombe-rev.pdf},
}

@ARTICLE{SalomonHyland2010,
   AUTHOR = {Salomon, F. and Hyland, S.},
   TITLE = {Introduction},
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@ARTICLE{Sarro2018,
   AUTHOR = {Sarró, R.},
   TITLE = {Between writing and art: The invention of Mandombe},
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   VOLUME = {70},
   URL = {http://journals.openedition.org/terrain/17289},
}

@BOOK{Sarro2023,
   AUTHOR = {Sarró, R.},
   TITLE = {Inventing an African Alphabet: Writing, Art, and Kongo Culture in the {DRC}},
   PUBLISHER = {Cambridge University Press},
   ADDRESS = {Cambridge},
   YEAR = {2023},
}

@ARTICLE{SchilloTurin2020,
   AUTHOR = {Schillo, J. and Turin, M.},
   TITLE = {Applications and innovations in typeface design for North American Indigenous languages},
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   VOLUME = {10},
   NUMBER = {1},
   PAGES = {71--98},
}

@ARTICLE{Schmidt2024,
   AUTHOR = {Schmidt, D.},
   TITLE = {{NLP} for Readability, Graded Literature, \& Materials Development in Tibetan},
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   YEAR = {2024},
   VOLUME = {72},
   PAGES = {70--85},
}

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   AUTHOR = {Seidenberg, M. S.},
   EDITOR = {McCardle, P. and Ren, J. and Tzeng, O. and Miller, B.},
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   PUBLISHER = {Paul H. Brookes Publishing},
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   PAGES = {146--168},
}

@BOOK{Selvelli2021,
   AUTHOR = {Selvelli, G.},
   TITLE = {The Alphabet of Discord: The Ideologization of Writing Systems on the Balkans since the Breakup of Multiethnic Empires},
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   ADDRESS = {Stuttgart},
   YEAR = {2021},
}

@INPROCEEDINGS{Selvik2001,
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   EDITOR = {Cuyckens, H. and Zawada, B. E.},
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   BOOKTITLE = {Polysemy in Cognitive Linguistics: Selected papers from the International Cognitive Linguistics Conference, Amsterdam, 1997},
   SERIES = {Current Issues in Linguistic Theory},
   YEAR = {2001},
   VOLUME = {177},
   PAGES = {161--184},
}

@INPROCEEDINGS{ShahBrenzinger2021,
   AUTHOR = {Shah, S. and Brenzinger, M.},
   EDITOR = {Olko, J. and Sallabank, J.},
   TITLE = {Writing our language},
   BOOKTITLE = {Revitalizing Endangered Languages: A Practical Guide},
   PUBLISHER = {Cambridge University Press},
   ADDRESS = {Cambridge},
   YEAR = {2021},
   PAGES = {220--234},
}

@ARTICLE{Sherratt2003,
   AUTHOR = {Sherratt, E. S.},
   TITLE = {Visible writing: questions of script and identity in Early Iron Age Greece and Cyprus},
   JOURNAL = {Oxford Journal of Archaeology},
   YEAR = {2003},
   VOLUME = {22},
   PAGES = {225--242},
}

@ARTICLE{Simpson2024,
   AUTHOR = {Simpson, L.},
   TITLE = {From Icons to Identities: Analysing Visual Cultural Elements in Emerging Scripts},
   JOURNAL = {Visible Language},
   YEAR = {2024},
   VOLUME = {58},
   NUMBER = {2},
   PAGES = {42--81},
}

@MISC{Souag2010,
   AUTHOR = {Souag, L.},
   TITLE = {Ajami in West Africa},
   JOURNAL = {Afrikanistik online},
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}

@BOOK{Steele2013,
   AUTHOR = {Steele, P. M.},
   TITLE = {A Linguistic History of Ancient Cyprus: The Non-Greek Languages, and their Relations with Greek, c. 1600-300 {BC}},
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   ADDRESS = {Cambridge},
   YEAR = {2013},
}

@BOOK{Steele2018,
   AUTHOR = {Steele, P. M.},
   TITLE = {Writing and Society in Ancient Cyprus},
   PUBLISHER = {Cambridge University Press},
   ADDRESS = {Cambridge},
   YEAR = {2018},
}

@BOOK{Steele2023,
   AUTHOR = {Steele, P. M.},
   TITLE = {Exploring Writing Systems and Practices in the Bronze Age Aegean},
   PUBLISHER = {Oxford University Press},
   ADDRESS = {Oxford},
   YEAR = {2023},
}

@INPROCEEDINGS{SteeleBoyes2023,
   AUTHOR = {Steele, P. M. and Boyes, P. J.},
   EDITOR = {Bultrighini, I. and Anglicker, E. M.},
   TITLE = {A comparative approach to methods of inscribing clay tablets: interaction and innovation in Cyprus and Ugarit},
   BOOKTITLE = {Current Approaches to the Materiality of Texts in Greco-Roman Antiquity},
   PUBLISHER = {Brepols},
   ADDRESS = {Turnhout},
   YEAR = {2023},
   PAGES = {35--52},
}

@INPROCEEDINGS{SteeleMeissner2017,
   AUTHOR = {Steele, P. M. and Meißner, T.},
   EDITOR = {Steele, P. M.},
   TITLE = {From Linear B to Linear A: The problem of the backward projection of sound values},
   BOOKTITLE = {Understanding Relations Between Scripts: The Aegean Writing Systems},
   PUBLISHER = {Oxford University Press},
   ADDRESS = {Oxford},
   YEAR = {2017},
   PAGES = {93--110},
}

@INPROCEEDINGS{Thompson2024a,
   AUTHOR = {Thompson, R. J. E.},
   EDITOR = {Killen, J.},
   TITLE = {The Mycenaean Language},
   BOOKTITLE = {The New Documents in Mycenaean Greek},
   PUBLISHER = {Cambridge University Press},
   ADDRESS = {Cambridge},
   YEAR = {2024},
   PAGES = {232--254},
}

@INPROCEEDINGS{ThompsonMeissner2024,
   AUTHOR = {Thompson, R. J. E. and Meißner, T.},
   EDITOR = {Killen, J.},
   TITLE = {The Mycenaean Writing System},
   BOOKTITLE = {The New Documents in Mycenaean Greek},
   PUBLISHER = {Cambridge University Press},
   ADDRESS = {Cambridge},
   YEAR = {2024},
   PAGES = {95--136},
}

@BOOK{TournadreGsangbdag2003,
   AUTHOR = {Tournadre, N. and Gsang-bdag-rdo-rje},
   TITLE = {Manual of standard Tibetan: Language and civilization: Introduction to standard Tibetan (spoken and written) followed by an appendix on classical literary Tibetan},
   PUBLISHER = {Snow Lion Publications},
   ADDRESS = {Ithaca, N.Y.},
   YEAR = {2003},
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@ARTICLE{Unseth2005,
   AUTHOR = {Unseth, P.},
   TITLE = {Sociolinguistic parallels between choosing scripts and languages},
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   YEAR = {2005},
   VOLUME = {8},
   NUMBER = {1},
   PAGES = {19--42},
}

@ARTICLE{Unseth2008,
   AUTHOR = {Unseth, P.},
   TITLE = {The sociolinguistics of script choice: An introduction},
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   VOLUME = {192},
   PAGES = {1--4},
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@INPROCEEDINGS{Unseth2011,
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   BOOKTITLE = {The Handbook of Language and Ethnic Identity. Volume 2: The Success-Failure Continuum in Language and Ethnic Identity Efforts},
   PUBLISHER = {Oxford University Press},
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   YEAR = {2011},
   PAGES = {23--32},
}

@BOOK{Zulu2014,
   AUTHOR = {Zulu, Z.},
   TITLE = {The sacred knowledge of the desert: African philosophical transcendence},
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   YEAR = {2014},
}

Philippa M. Steele (2024), “Thoughts on the visual-cultural fit of writing systems, and its intersections with linguistic fit,” in Proceedings of Grapholinguistics in the 21st Century, 2024 (Yannis Haralambous, Ed.), Grapholinguistics and Its Applications, Vol. 11, Brest: Fluxus Editions, 15–46.


@INPROCEEDINGS{gla11-stee,
   AUTHOR = {Philippa M. Steele},
   EDITOR = {Haralambous, Yannis},
   TITLE = {{Thoughts on the visual-cultural fit of writing systems, and its intersections with linguistic fit}},
   BOOKTITLE = {{Proceedings of Grapholinguistics in the 21st Century, 2024}},
   SERIES = {{Grapholinguistics and Its Applications}},
   VOLUME = {11},
   PUBLISHER = {Fluxus Editions},
   ADDRESS = {Brest},
   YEAR = {2024},
   PAGES = {15--46},
   DOI = {https://doi.org/10.36824/2024-graf-stee},
}