Fluxus Editions

Abstract. In this essay, I discuss the challenges of (engaging in) grapholinguistics, a young field that focuses on writing, a topic mostly marginalized within ‘mainstream’ linguistics to this day. Issues that are raised include the lack of writing-related classes in linguistic study programs, institutionalization (e.g., departments or chairs for grapholinguistics), and pertinent publication and presentation outlets. Furthermore, the essay highlights problems caused by the interdisciplinarity of grapholinguistics, including linguistic, theoretical, methodological, and terminological boundaries that must be crossed. These issues are partially addressed through a personal lens, i.e. my own ‘journey’ in the field thus far. This allows me to speak from (some) experience not only about the risks of focusing on a topic at the periphery of many disciplines and some of the setbacks this entails but also about my motivation behind proposing a (sketch of a) theory of writing in my PhD thesis that—based on linguistic Naturalness Theory—aims to offer a unified descriptive and explanatory framework for studying writing systems and writing in general. It also gives me a chance to argue that writing, which can be studied with many of the concepts firmly established in other fields of linguistics (as well as additional writing-specific concepts), is central to every language that is spoken, signed and written in literate language communities and should therefore be an integral rather than an optional part of linguistic theories and paradigms in general. Essentially, this essay highlights why doing research in grapholinguistics should be embraced rather than justified.

References References in BIB How to cite How to cite in BIB

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: _____________ (2016). “Constraint interaction and writing systems typology.” In: Dossiers d’HEL, SHESL 9, pp. 290–303.
: Coulmas, Florian (2003). Writing systems: an introduction to their linguistic analysis. Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
: Daniels, Peter T. (1991). “Is a structural graphemics possible?” In: LACUS Forum 18, pp. 528–537.
: _____________ (2017). “Writing systems.” In: The handbook of linguistics. Ed. by Mark Aronoff and Janie Rees-Miller. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 75–94.
: _____________ (2018). An exploration of writing. Bristol: Equinox.
: Daniels, Peter T. and William Bright (1996). The world’s writing systems. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
: Davidson, Andrew (2019). “Writing: the re-construction of language.” In: Language Sciences 72, pp. 134–149.
: Donegan, Patricia and David Stampe (2009). “Hypotheses of Natural Phonology.” In: Poznań Studies in Contemporary Linguistics 45.1, pp. 1–31.
: Dressler, Wolfgang U. et al. (1987). Leitmotifs in Natural Morphology. Vol. 10. Studies in Language Companion Series. Amsterdam, Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
: Dürscheid, Christa (2016). Einführung in die Schriftlinguistik. 5th ed. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.
: Gelb, Ignace J. (1952). A Study of Writing. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
: Gnanadesikan, Amalia E. (2009). The Writing Revolution. Cuneiform to the Internet. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
: Günther, Hartmut (1988). Schriftliche Sprache: Strukturen geschriebener Wörter und ihre Verarbeitung beim Lesen. Vol. 40. Konzepte der Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter.
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: Haspelmath, Martin (2010). “Comparative concepts and descriptive categories in crosslinguistic studies.” In: Language 86.3, pp. 663–687.
: Joyce, Terry and Susanne R. Borgwaldt (2011). “Typology of writing systems: special issue introduction.” In: Written Language & Literacy 14.1, pp. 1–11.
: Linell, Per (1982). The written language bias in linguistics. Linköping: University of Linköping.
: Meletis, Dimitrios (2015). Graphetik: Form und Materialität von Schrift. Glückstadt: Verlag Werner Hülsbusch.
: _____________ (2018). “What is natural in writing? Prolegomena to a Natural Grapholinguistics.” In: Written Language & Literacy 21.1, pp. 52–88.
: _____________ (2019). “The grapheme as a universal basic unit of writing.” In: Writing Systems Research 11.1, pp. 26–49.
: _____________ (2020a). The Nature of Writing. A Theory of Grapholinguistics. Vol. 3. Grapholinguistics and Its Applications. Brest: Fluxus Editions.
: _____________ (2020b). “Types of allography.” In: Open Linguistics 6, pp. 249–266.
: _____________ (accepted). “Universality and diversity in writing systems.” In: LACUS Forum 46.
: Munske, Horst H. (1994). “Ist eine “natürliche” Graphematik möglich?” In: Probleme der Graphie. Ed. by Otmar Werner. Vol. 57. Script Oralia. Tübingen: Gunter Narr, pp. 9–24.
: Myers, James (2019). The grammar of Chinese characters: productive knowledge of formal patterns in an orthographic system. London: Routledge.
: Nerius, Dieter (1988). “Einleitung.” In: Probleme der geschriebenen Sprache. Beiträge zur Schriftlinguistik auf dem XIV. internationalen Linguistenkongreß 1987 in Berlin. Ed. by Dieter Nerius and Gerhard Augst. Vol. 173. Linguistische Studien. Berlin: Akademie der Wissenschaften der DDR, pp. 1–3.
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: Pae, Hye K. (2020). Script Effects as the Hidden Drive of the Mind, Cognition, and Culture. Vol. 21. Literacy Studies. Cham: Springer.
: Rogers, Henry (2005). Writing systems: a linguistic approach. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
: Routledge, Taylor and Francis (2019). “Note from the publisher.” In: Writing Systems Research 11.2, p. 239.
: Sampson, Geoffrey (2015). Writing systems: a linguistic introduction. 2nd ed. Bristol: Equinox.
: Share, David L. (2008). “On the Anglocentricities of current reading research and practice: the perils of over-reliance on an “outlier” orthography.” In: Psychological Bulletin 134.4, pp. 584–616.
: _____________ (2014). “Alphabetism in reading science.” In: Frontiers in Psychology 5.752.
: Watt, W.C. (1998). “The old-fashioned way.” In: Semiotica 122.1–2, pp. 99–138.

@ARTICLE{baroni2011a,
   AUTHOR = {Baroni, Antonio},
   TITLE = {Alphabetic vs.\ non-alphabetic writing: linguistic fit and natural tendencies},
   JOURNAL = {Rivista di Linguistica},
   YEAR = {2011},
   VOLUME = {23},
   NUMBER = {2},
   PAGES = {127--159},
}

@ARTICLE{baroni2016a,
   AUTHOR = {Baroni, Antonio},
   TITLE = {Constraint interaction and writing systems typology},
   JOURNAL = {Dossiers d'HEL, SHESL},
   YEAR = {2016},
   VOLUME = {9},
   PAGES = {290--303},
}

@BOOK{coulmas2003a,
   AUTHOR = {Coulmas, Florian},
   TITLE = {Writing systems: an introduction to their linguistic analysis},
   SERIES = {Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics},
   PUBLISHER = {Cambridge University Press},
   ADDRESS = {Cambridge},
   YEAR = {2003},
}

@ARTICLE{daniels1991a,
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   TITLE = {Is a structural graphemics possible?},
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   PAGES = {528--537},
}

@INPROCEEDINGS{daniels2017a,
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@BOOK{daniels1996a,
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   TITLE = {The world's writing systems},
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@ARTICLE{Davidson2019,
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   TITLE = {Writing: the re-construction of language},
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@ARTICLE{donegan2009a,
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   TITLE = {Hypotheses of Natural Phonology},
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   YEAR = {2009},
   VOLUME = {45},
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@BOOK{dressler1987a,
   AUTHOR = {Dressler, Wolfgang U. and Mayerthaler, Willi and Panagl, Oswald and Wurzel, Wolfgang U.},
   TITLE = {Leitmotifs in Natural Morphology},
   SERIES = {Studies in Language Companion Series},
   PUBLISHER = {John Benjamins},
   ADDRESS = {Amsterdam, Philadelphia},
   YEAR = {1987},
   VOLUME = {10},
}

@BOOK{duerscheid2016a,
   AUTHOR = {Dürscheid, Christa},
   TITLE = {Einführung in die Schriftlinguistik},
   EDITION = {5},
   PUBLISHER = {Vandenhoeck \& Ruprecht},
   ADDRESS = {Göttingen},
   YEAR = {2016},
}

@BOOK{gelb1952a,
   AUTHOR = {Gelb, Ignace J.},
   TITLE = {A Study of Writing},
   PUBLISHER = {University of Chicago Press},
   ADDRESS = {Chicago},
   YEAR = {1952},
}

@BOOK{gnanadesikan2009a,
   AUTHOR = {Gnanadesikan, Amalia E.},
   TITLE = {The Writing Revolution. Cuneiform to the Internet},
   PUBLISHER = {Wiley-Blackwell},
   ADDRESS = {Malden, MA},
   YEAR = {2009},
}

@BOOK{guenther1988a,
   AUTHOR = {Günther, Hartmut},
   TITLE = {Schriftliche Sprache: Strukturen geschriebener Wörter und ihre Verarbeitung beim Lesen},
   SERIES = {Konzepte der Sprach- und \mbox{Literaturwissenschaft}},
   PUBLISHER = {De Gruyter},
   ADDRESS = {Berlin, Boston},
   YEAR = {1988},
   VOLUME = {40},
}

@BOOK{guenther1994a,
   EDITOR = {Günther, Hartmut and Ludwig, Otto},
   TITLE = {Schrift und Schriftlichkeit/\hskip0ptWriting and its use},
   SERIES = {Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science},
   PUBLISHER = {De Gruyter},
   ADDRESS = {Berlin, Boston},
   YEAR = {1994},
   VOLUME = {10.1, 10.2},
}

@ARTICLE{haspelmath2010a,
   AUTHOR = {Haspelmath, Martin},
   TITLE = {Comparative concepts and descriptive categories in crosslinguistic studies},
   JOURNAL = {Language},
   YEAR = {2010},
   VOLUME = {86},
   NUMBER = {3},
   PAGES = {663--687},
}

@ARTICLE{joyce2011a,
   AUTHOR = {Joyce, Terry and Borgwaldt, Susanne R.},
   TITLE = {Typology of writing systems: special issue introduction},
   JOURNAL = {Written Language \& Literacy},
   YEAR = {2011},
   VOLUME = {14},
   NUMBER = {1},
   PAGES = {1--11},
}

@BOOK{linell1982a,
   AUTHOR = {Linell, Per},
   TITLE = {The written language bias in linguistics},
   PUBLISHER = {University of Linköping},
   ADDRESS = {Linköping},
   YEAR = {1982},
}

@BOOK{meletis2015a,
   AUTHOR = {Meletis, Dimitrios},
   TITLE = {Graphetik: Form und Materialität von Schrift},
   PUBLISHER = {Verlag Werner Hülsbusch},
   ADDRESS = {Glückstadt},
   YEAR = {2015},
}

@ARTICLE{meletis2018a,
   AUTHOR = {Meletis, Dimitrios},
   TITLE = {What is natural in writing? Prolegomena to a Natural Grapholinguistics},
   JOURNAL = {Written Language \& Literacy},
   YEAR = {2018},
   VOLUME = {21},
   NUMBER = {1},
   PAGES = {52--88},
}

@ARTICLE{meletis2019a,
   AUTHOR = {Meletis, Dimitrios},
   TITLE = {The grapheme as a universal basic unit of writing},
   JOURNAL = {Writing Systems Research},
   YEAR = {2019},
   VOLUME = {11},
   NUMBER = {1},
   PAGES = {26--49},
}

@BOOK{meletis-a,
   AUTHOR = {Meletis, Dimitrios},
   TITLE = {The Nature of Writing. A Theory of Grapholinguistics},
   SERIES = {Grapholinguistics and Its Applications},
   PUBLISHER = {Fluxus Editions},
   ADDRESS = {Brest},
   YEAR = {2020},
   VOLUME = {3},
}

@ARTICLE{unknown2020b,
   AUTHOR = {Meletis, Dimitrios},
   TITLE = {Types of allography},
   JOURNAL = {Open Linguistics},
   YEAR = {2020},
   VOLUME = {6},
   PAGES = {249--266},
}

@ARTICLE{meletis-lacus,
   AUTHOR = {Meletis, Dimitrios},
   TITLE = {Universality and diversity in writing systems},
   JOURNAL = {LACUS Forum},
   YEAR = {accepted},
   VOLUME = {46},
}

@INPROCEEDINGS{munske1994a,
   AUTHOR = {Munske, Horst H.},
   EDITOR = {Werner, Otmar},
   TITLE = {Ist eine “natürliche” Graphematik möglich?},
   BOOKTITLE = {Probleme der Graphie},
   SERIES = {Script Oralia},
   PUBLISHER = {Gunter Narr},
   ADDRESS = {Tübingen},
   YEAR = {1994},
   VOLUME = {57},
   PAGES = {9--24},
}

@BOOK{myers2019a,
   AUTHOR = {Myers, James},
   TITLE = {The grammar of Chinese characters: productive knowledge of formal patterns in an orthographic system},
   PUBLISHER = {Routledge},
   ADDRESS = {London},
   YEAR = {2019},
}

@INPROCEEDINGS{nerius1988a,
   AUTHOR = {Nerius, Dieter},
   EDITOR = {Nerius, Dieter and Augst, Gerhard},
   TITLE = {Einleitung},
   BOOKTITLE = {Probleme der geschriebenen Sprache. Beiträge zur Schriftlinguistik auf dem XIV. internationalen Linguistenkongreß 1987 in Berlin},
   SERIES = {Linguistische Studien},
   PUBLISHER = {Akademie der Wissenschaften der DDR},
   ADDRESS = {Berlin},
   YEAR = {1988},
   VOLUME = {173},
   PAGES = {1--3},
}

@BOOK{nerius1988b,
   EDITOR = {Nerius, Dieter and Augst, Gerhard},
   TITLE = {Probleme der geschriebenen Sprache. Beiträge zur Schriftlinguistik auf dem XIV. internationalen Linguistenkongreß 1987 in Berlin},
   SERIES = {Linguistische Studien},
   PUBLISHER = {Akademie der Wissenschaften der DDR},
   ADDRESS = {Berlin},
   YEAR = {1988},
   VOLUME = {173},
}

@BOOK{pae2020a,
   AUTHOR = {Pae, Hye K.},
   TITLE = {Script Effects as the Hidden Drive of the Mind, Cognition, and Culture},
   SERIES = {Literacy Studies},
   PUBLISHER = {Springer},
   ADDRESS = {Cham},
   YEAR = {2020},
   VOLUME = {21},
}

@BOOK{rogers2005a,
   AUTHOR = {Rogers, Henry},
   TITLE = {Writing systems: a linguistic approach},
   PUBLISHER = {Wiley-Blackwell},
   ADDRESS = {Oxford},
   YEAR = {2005},
}

@ARTICLE{routledge2019a,
   AUTHOR = {Routledge, Taylor and Francis},
   TITLE = {Note from the publisher},
   JOURNAL = {Writing Systems Research},
   YEAR = {2019},
   VOLUME = {11},
   NUMBER = {2},
   PAGES = {239},
}

@BOOK{sampson2015a,
   AUTHOR = {Sampson, Geoffrey},
   TITLE = {Writing systems: a linguistic introduction},
   EDITION = {2},
   PUBLISHER = {Equinox},
   ADDRESS = {Bristol},
   YEAR = {2015},
}

@ARTICLE{share2008a,
   AUTHOR = {Share, David L.},
   TITLE = {On the Anglocentricities of current reading research and practice: the perils of over-reliance on an “outlier” orthography},
   JOURNAL = {Psychological Bulletin},
   YEAR = {2008},
   VOLUME = {134},
   NUMBER = {4},
   PAGES = {584--616},
}

@ARTICLE{share2014a,
   AUTHOR = {Share, David L.},
   TITLE = {Alphabetism in reading science},
   JOURNAL = {Frontiers in Psychology},
   YEAR = {2014},
   VOLUME = {5},
   NUMBER = {752},
}

@ARTICLE{watt1998a,
   AUTHOR = {Watt, W.C.},
   TITLE = {The old-fashioned way},
   JOURNAL = {Semiotica},
   YEAR = {1998},
   VOLUME = {122},
   NUMBER = {1--2},
   PAGES = {99--138},
}

Dimitrios Meletis (2020), “On Being a Grapholinguist,” in Proceedings of Grapholinguistics in the 21st Century, 2020 (Yannis Haralambous, Ed.), Grapholinguistics and Its Applications, Vol. 4, Brest: Fluxus Editions, 125–141.


@INPROCEEDINGS{gla4-mele,
   AUTHOR = {Dimitrios Meletis},
   EDITOR = {Haralambous, Yannis},
   TITLE = {{On Being a Grapholinguist}},
   BOOKTITLE = {{Proceedings of Grapholinguistics in the 21st Century, 2020}},
   SERIES = {{Grapholinguistics and Its Applications}},
   VOLUME = {4},
   PUBLISHER = {Fluxus Editions},
   ADDRESS = {Brest},
   YEAR = {2020},
   PAGES = {125--141},
   DOI = {https://doi.org/10.36824/2020-graf-mele},
}