- Home
- e-Journals
- Written Language & Literacy
- Previous Issues
- Volume 14, Issue, 2011
Written Language & Literacy - Volume 14, Issue 1, 2011
Volume 14, Issue 1, 2011
-
Comparative graphematics
Author(s): Rüdiger Weingartenpp.: 12–38 (27)More LessThis paper seeks to outline comparative graphematics as a linguistic approach within writing systems research and typology. In addition to providing a general outline of the approach and its benefits, it is exemplified through a discussion of the relation between the gemination of consonant letters and the graphemic representation of long consonants. Two different approaches within comparative graphematics are applied, one that asks about the meaning or function of the units of writing systems and one that starts with linguistic (e.g. phonological or morphological) units or structures and looks at whether they are represented (and, if so, how) in various writing systems. Consequently, two different typological matrices are presented. Moreover, through a combination of historical and comparative perspectives, the paper investigates the diachronic transitions in the functions of a graphemic construction, as observed within the history of a single writing system or in its adoption within several systems. It is shown that an inherited construction, such as the germination of consonant letters, can be reanalysed; if it loses its former representational function during the course of language change, it may subsequently be utilized for different purposes. A construction may also remain as an ‘evolutionary vestige’ within a writing system, at least for some time. Similar forms of reanalysis can be found if a construction is applied to a new language. Keywords: graphematics; orthography; writing system; script; comparative linguistics; cross-linguistic studies; typology; germination
-
Similarities among the shapes of writing and their effects on learning
Author(s): Rebecca Treiman and Brett Kesslerpp.: 39–57 (19)More LessWriting systems are usually studied in terms of the level of language that they represent, with little attention to the shapes that are used to do so. Those shapes are not random or accidental, however. They tend to be similar to one another within a script. Many of the Latin letters have a roughly vertical stem or hasta with an appendage or coda to the right. This arrangement is more common than one with the coda on the left of the hasta. We present data to show that young children are generally better at copying and writing from memory shapes such as and, which have the typical arrangement with the coda on the right, than those such as and , which do not. The results suggest that children start to learn about the statistics of the letter shapes before they know how or that these shapes represent language. Keywords: letter shapes; letters; statistical learning; Latin alphabet; reversal; left-right orientation; directionality; hasta-coda-structure
-
The significance of the morphographic principle for the classification of writing systems
Author(s): Terry Joycepp.: 58–81 (24)More LessThe significance of the morphographic principle – by which the orthographic units of a writing system primarily represent morphemes – has been seriously undervalued within the study and classification of writing systems in general and in comprehending kanji within the Japanese writing system in particular. This paper argues for a re-evaluation of the importance of the morphographic principle and suggests that the shift in focus that comes with fully acknowledging that the term morphographic is more precise than the widely (mis)used term logographic has profound consequences for how we think about writing systems and writing, as well as for the kinds of questions that we ask about the nature and organization of the mental lexicon in literate language users. Keywords: morphographic principle; logographic; writing system classification; Japanese writing system; kanji; psycholinguistics; mental lexicon
-
A tone orthography typology
Author(s): David Robertspp.: 82–108 (27)More LessDiscussions about tone orthography have long been hampered by imprecise terminology. This article aims to bring clarity by means of an explicit typology composed of six parameters. Each parameter is defined by a choice: domain, target, symbol, position, density, and depth. The orthographer assesses each typological aspect individually, while always bearing in mind that the six parameters together generate a complex matrix of responses. The result is a precise and informative character profile for any Roman script tone orthography. Keywords: typology; tone; orthography; orthographic depth
-
Measuring graphematic transparency: German and Italian compared
Author(s): Martin Neef and Miriam Balestrapp.: 109–142 (34)More LessIn this article, a quantitative method to calculate the graphematic transparency of an alphabetic writing system is suggested. Graphematic transparency is a part of the traditional concept of orthographic depth, dealing with the direction from written representation to phonological representation only. Based on a thorough analysis of German graphematics given in Neef (2005a) and a tentative analysis of Italian graphematics, the respective gt-values are calculated in a constant theoretical framework. As expected, the gt-value for Italian is lower than that for German. For assessing the relevance of these calculated gt-values, further analyses of other writing systems are necessary. Keywords: orthographic depth; graphematic transparency; graphematics; typology; correspondence rule; phonological filter; geminate; German; Italian
-
Writing in Portuguese chats :): A new wrtng systm?
Author(s): Cláudia Silvapp.: 143–156 (14)More LessThis paper aims at determining the relationship between writing in chats and features from different writing systems. Although net users do not realise it, they recreate features mainly from morphographic systems and consonantal scripts and, consequently, they seem to be searching for a more economical way of conveying meaning through writing. When carrying out a corpus-based study, involving 90 minutes of real-time conversations in a Portuguese chat programme, we observed tendencies concerning spelling changes: the syllable onset is usually preserved, which resembles consonantal scripts; the number of syllables is frequently maintained, in common with syllabaries; the use of emoticons reminds us of morphographic systems, and spelling words as they are heard imitates phonemically transparent orthographies. This paper aims to reflect on the phenomenon that net users unconsciously recreate features which make spelling more efficient. Tracing the deviations occuring in chats may be seen as a way of accessing the speakers’ intuitive knowledge. Keywords: chat; writing system; spelling; deviation; syllable; corpus study; Portuguese
Volumes & issues
-
Volume 26 (2023)
-
Volume 25 (2022)
-
Volume 24 (2021)
-
Volume 23 (2020)
-
Volume 22 (2019)
-
Volume 21 (2018)
-
Volume 20 (2017)
-
Volume 19 (2016)
-
Volume 18 (2015)
-
Volume 17 (2014)
-
Volume 16 (2013)
-
Volume 15 (2012)
-
Volume 14 (2011)
-
Volume 13 (2010)
-
Volume 12 (2009)
-
Volume 11 (2008)
-
Volume 10 (2007)
-
Volume 9 (2006)
-
Volume 8 (2005)
-
Volume 7 (2004)
-
Volume 6 (2003)
-
Volume 5 (2002)
-
Volume 4 (2001)
-
Volume 3 (2000)
-
Volume 2 (1999)
-
Volume 1 (1998)
Most Read This Month
Article
content/journals/15706001
Journal
10
5
false
