Writing {writing system} can use pictograms in pictography, logograms in logography, or abstract signs in linear writing. Alphabet letters or characters have basic shapes.
Logograms can denote sounds {rebus principle}|. Added symbols can indicate intended words.
Lines can alternate direction {boustrophedon}, always go left, always go right, go up and down, or always go down.
First word sounds can be alphabet letters {acrophony, writing} {acrophonetic writing}. The first alphabet, Semitic, is an example.
People study writing {grammatology}.
People study writing systems {graphemis}.
People study phonetic, syllabic, logographic, or ideographic alphabets {orthography}|.
People study old writing systems {paleography}.
People can list written syllables {syllabary}.
Machine-typing methods {stenography}| can reduce number of letters for common words, to speed recording.
Handwriting methods {tachygraphy} {shorthand} can reduce number of letters for common words, to speed recording.
Smooth flowing simplified handwriting {cursive writing}| is for everyday use.
Metal, stone, and clay have writing {epigraphy}.
Writing {monumental writing} can be on buildings and in official documents.
Writing systems {alphabet, writing} use units that depend on sounds {phonetic alphabet, writing system}, syllables {syllabic alphabet, writing system}, or words {ideographic alphabet, writing system}.
Arabic language uses a cursive alphabet {Arabic alphabet}, with words written right to left. Persian language uses Arabic alphabet plus four characters.
Aramaic language developed an early alphabet {Aramaic alphabet}.
In Bulgaria, Cyril and Methodius derived a new alphabet {Cyrillic alphabet} from Greek, as they translated Bible from Greek into local languages in 9th century. Russia, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Ukraine use Cyrillic alphabet.
In India, Sanskrit and Hindi in India use a script {Devanagaii script}.
Ethiopian language has a distinctive alphabet {Ethiopian alphabet}.
German language uses Roman alphabet {Germanic alphabet} plus special letters, such as ß.
Early Slavic languages used an alphabet {Glagolitic alphabet}.
In Bulgaria [300 to 400], bishop Ulfilas invented an alphabet {Gothic alphabet}.
Alphabet {Greek alphabet} letters [-800] can be alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, zeta, eta, theta, iota, kappa, lambda, mu, nu, xi, omicron, pi, rho, sigma, tau, upsilon, phi, chi, psi, omega. Letters have uppercase and lowercase. Though a non-Indo-European language, Etruscan used Greek alphabet.
Hebrew language uses a distinctive alphabet {Hebrew alphabet}.
Minoan syllabary {Linear A alphabet} had syllable symbols.
Mycenae syllabary {Linear B alphabet} symbols were syllables with one consonant and one vowel. Mycenaeans introduced Linear B writing after they conquered Crete.
In Ireland [300 to 400], alphabet {ogham} was linear.
Old Persian [-200] used a script {Pehlevi alphabet}.
Phoenicia had first linear alphabet {Phoenician alphabet} {West-Semitic alphabet} [-1700].
In Italy [-700 to -600], alphabet {Roman alphabet} {Etruscan alphabet} was linear.
Early Germanic tribes developed signs {rune, letter}|. First six runic-alphabet letters are f, u, th, a, r, and k {futhark}.
Sequoia or Sequoyah invented a syllabary {Cherokee alphabet} in North Carolina [1820].
Easter Island had logograms {Easter Island alphabet}.
Hittite language had hieroglyphic logograms {Hieroglyphic Hittite}.
In Egypt [-3000], ideograph logograms {hieroglyphics, alphabet} were for consonants.
In Indus Valley [-2200], alphabet {Indus Valley alphabet} had logograms, not yet deciphered.
In Mexico, alphabet had logograms {Mayan glyphs}.
In Elam, alphabet had logograms {proto-Elamite alphabet}.
In south Mexico, Zapotec language had logograms {Zapotec alphabet}.
In Korea [1446], king Sejong invented script {han'gul}.
Chinese can use cursive ideography {hiragana}.
Japanese can use formal syllable-writing system {kana}.
Japanese can use syllable-writing system {kana majiri}. Because it comes from hiragana, Chinese-ideogram translations use kana majiri.
Japanese syllable-writing systems {kanji} can have logograms.
Japanese syllable-writing system {katakana}, derived from Chinese ideograms, is for official documents and science.
Writing systems {ideographic alphabet, writing}| can use units about objects, not sounds.
Writing systems {linear writing} can use sound-sign series.
Writing systems {logography} can use logograms.
Writing systems {phonetic alphabet, sounds}| can use units about sounds.
Writing systems {pictography}| can use pictograms.
Writing systems {syllabic alphabet, linguistics} can use logograms about syllables.
Alphabets can have word-like signs {glyph, sign}|.
In ancient Egypt, pictographs {hieroglyph, picture}| represented words or syllables.
Figures {ideogram}| {ideograph} can be for objects or symbols, not sounds. Ideograms can have added unpronounced semantic signs to denote categories.
Writing can have non-phonetic signs {isotype} of universal meaning.
Pictured objects {logogram}| can represent objects or sounds. Logograms can represent first word sounds {acrophony, logogram}.
Pictograms {petroglyph}| can be on rocks.
In Chinese, symbols {phonetic, symbol} {phonetic complement} within compound ideographs can suggest pronunciation.
Pictures {pictogram}| can denote objects and sounds.
Letters can be full-size {uppercase} or smaller {lowercase} {case, writing}.
Words can use apostrophe to show letters that were left out {contraction, word} {word contraction}.
Two letters can link {ligature, writing}| to improve appearance: ae, fi, ff, fl, oe, and tt.
Two letters {digraph} {diphthong, letter}| can represent one sound.
Three letters {triphthong} can represent one sound.
Z {zed}.
Letters can have additions {diacritical mark}| to basic shapes.
A Russian letter {hard sign}, replaceable by apostrophe, is mute and is only in word middles. Bulgarian pronounces hard sign in word middles but not at word ends.
Russian, Ukrainian, and Bulgarian have mute sign {soft sign}, with preceding consonant palatalized.
& {ampersand}|.
& {and symbol}.
* {asterisk}|.
@ {each symbol} {at symbol}|.
> {broad arrow}.
% {care of}| {account of}.
¢ {cents}|.
(c) {copyrighted}|.
+ {cross symbol}|.
† {dagger}|.
-- {dash symbol}|.
$ {dollar}|.
‡ {double dagger}|.
"..." {double quotation mark}|.
&c. {etc.} {and so on}.
hand with pointing index finger {index symbol}|.
# {number symbol}|.
% {percent symbol}|.
| {pipe symbol}|.
(R) {registered trademark}|.
§ {section symbol}|.
Tilde can have position like dash {swung dash}.
(TM) {trademark}|.
' {apostrophe symbol}|.
Virgule can slant in opposite direction {backward slash} {backslash}|.
Brackets can be curly {brace symbol}|.
[] {bracket symbol}| {square bracket symbol}.
: {colon symbol}|.
... {ellipsis symbol}|.
! {exclamation point}|.
Statements can end with a mark {full stop} {period symbol}.
- {hyphen}|.
paragraph {paragraph symbol}|.
() {parentheses}|.
Questions end with ? {question mark}|.
"" {quotation mark}|.
; {semicolon}|.
' {single quotation mark}|.
/ {virgule} {slant bar}.
/ {slash}| {solidus, slash} {shilling, symbol}.
Half-circle above space and half-circle below space {close space sign} mean close space.
/ {delete sign} means delete character struck through.
^ {insert sign} means insert above caret.
Signs {move sign} mean move farther to left or right: [ ].
paragraph {paragraph sign} means start new paragraph.
# {pound sign} means insert space.
´ {accent aigue}.
` {accent grave}.
´ {acute accent}|.
Symbols {breve} over vowels can indicate shortened sound.
^ {caret}|.
ç {cedilla}|.
^ {chevron}|.
^ {circumflex}|.
Marks {diacritic}| added to basic letters can change phonemes.
` {grave accent}|.
Long line {macron} over vowel indicates lengthened sound.
Diacritical marks {quantity mark} can show quantitative accents. Macron is long. Breve is short.
~ {tilde}|.
¨ {umlaut}| {diaeresis} {trema}.
_ {vinculum symbol} {underscore}|.
Good luck charms {good luck charms} include shaking hands with chimney sweeps, rolling 7 on two dice, crossing fingers, and finding four-leaf clovers. Charms include horseshoes, horseshoe nail rings, Kewpie dolls, rabbit's feet, three monkeys, 4's, 7's, teddy bears, toadstools, and wishing wells.
Ribbons {ribbons, contests} for contests are blue ribbon for first place, red ribbon for second place, white ribbon for third place, and other color ribbon for fourth place.
3 {three of completion} is for beginning, middle, and end.
eternity {8 symbol}.
evil {9 symbol}.
quality {A-1 symbol}.
distress signal {SOS symbol}.
victory {V sign}.
Eye {all-seeing eye} in triangle in circle is for vigilance.
beginning and end {alpha and omega symbol}.
cross with top loop {ankh}|.
bondage {ball and chain symbol}.
democracy {ballot box symbol}.
nihilism or terrorism {bomb symbol}.
knowledge {book and candle symbol}.
unity {bundle of arrows symbol}.
knowledge {burning torch symbol}.
Medicine symbol has two snakes around pole {caduceus}|.
peace {calumet symbol}.
eternity {circle symbol}.
socialism {clasped hands symbol}.
abundance {cornucopia symbol}.
monarchy {crown and scepter symbol}.
domesticity {distaff symbol}.
thoughtfulness {eye and nose symbol}.
unity {fasces symbol}.
war {fire and sword symbol}.
quality {five stars}.
papal authority {flabellum}.
vigilance {gargoyle symbol}.
democratic government {gavel symbol}.
beginning {gong symbol}.
safety {green cross}.
Nazism {hakenkreuz} {swastika}.
Communism {hammer and sickle}.
time {hourglass symbol}.
eternity {infinite cross}.
beginning and end {Janus symbol}.
nurse {lamp symbol}.
democratic government {mace symbol}.
Masks {comedy mask} {mask of comedy}| can have smiles.
Masks {tragedy mask} {mask of tragedy}| can have frowns.
precision {micrometer symbol}.
truth {mirror symbol}.
pharmacology {mortar and pestle symbol}|.
evil {nine gates of hell symbol}.
monarchy {orb with top cross symbol}.
painting {palette symbol}|.
freedom {Phrygian cap symbol}.
thriftiness {piggy bank symbol}.
stability {pillar symbol}.
threat {raised fist symbol}.
freedom {raised gun}.
truth {raised torch}.
barber {red and white striped pole}.
first aid {red cross}.
take medicine {Rx symbol}|.
justice {scales with sword}|.
poison {skull and crossbones}|.
threat {skull and dagger symbol}.
time {sundial symbol}.
pawnbroker {three balls symbol}.
theocracy {tiara and keys symbol}.
stability {tower symbol}.
progress {triskellion}.
divine power of Oriental leader {umbrella symbol}.
inconstancy {weathervane symbol}.
inconstancy {whirlagig symbol}.
cowardice {white feather symbol}.
idealism {windmill symbol}.
bondage {yoke symbol}.
epilogue {Amor}.
peace {angel, symbol}.
Germany {Cousin Michael}.
fame {Fama}.
New York City {Father Knickerbocker}.
transience {Father Time}.
death {Grim Reaper}.
Russia {Ivan symbol}.
England as cartoon person {John Bull}.
justice {Justitia}.
seduction {Lorelei}.
France {Marianne}.
devil {Mephistopheles}.
prologue {Pagliacci}.
prohibition {parson with umbrella symbol}.
USA revolution {Spirit of '76}.
courage {St. George symbol}.
USA as cartoon person {Uncle Sam}.
diligence {ant symbol}.
strength {bear symbol}.
diligence {beaver symbol}.
industry {beehive symbol}.
tenacity {bulldog symbol}.
strength {bull symbol}.
inconstancy {butterfly symbol}.
vigilance {Cerberus symbol}.
perseverance {crab symbol}.
falsity {crocodile symbol}.
peace or innocence {dove symbol}.
vigilance {dragon}.
courage {eagle symbol}.
slyness {fox symbol}.
courage {Gallic cock symbol}.
vigilance {griffin symbol}.
innocence {lamb symbol}.
courage {lion symbol}.
stubbornness {mule symbol}.
wisdom {owl symbol}.
vanity {peacock symbol, vanity}.
eternity {Serpent Ouroboras biting tail to make circle}.
evil {serpent symbol}.
thriftiness {squirrel symbol}.
courage {tiger symbol, courage}.
virginity {unicorn symbol, virginity}.
magnitude {whale symbol}.
perfection {white swan symbol}.
vigilance {wivern}.
virginity {almond symbol}.
victory {laurel symbol}.
virginity {lily symbol}.
victory {oak branch symbol}.
peace {olive branch symbol}.
peace {palm leaf symbol}.
achievement {palm symbol}.
fame {wreath symbol}, with or without trumpet.
piracy {Jolly Roger}.
explosives or revolution {red flag symbol}.
truce or surrender {white flag symbol}.
quarantine {yellow flag symbol}.
invisibility {hand of glory}.
stylized alphabet {magic alphabet}.
invulnerability {mandrake symbol}.
{Satan's ram}.
augury {birds symbol}.
gastromancy {crystal ball symbol}.
pyromancy {fire symbol}.
chiromancy {palms symbol}.
augury {serpents symbol}.
capnomancy {smoke symbol}.
necromancy {spirits of the dead symbol}.
astrology {stars symbol}.
future {tea leaves symbol}.
hydromancy {water symbol}.
aeromancy {wind symbol}.
Alchemic substances have symbols {alchemic symbols}.
{crucified rose}.
{crucified serpent}.
{dragon of elements}.
{fountain of youth}.
{hermetic citadel}.
{hermetic sigil}.
Cards {Tarot cards} can add to the ordinary 52 to make 78 cards. Trump cards are for human attributes, desires, or events in life, such as Love trump, Devil trump, and Star trump. Four aces include rods for action, swords for struggle, cups for family, and pences for money. The Fool or Matto is the wild card. Tarot began in Milan, Italy, and Ferrara, Italy [1400 to 1500].
longevity and happiness {bat symbol}.
longevity {cranes symbol}.
good fortune and royalty {dragon symbol}.
{geomancer's compass}.
eight diagrams {geomantic diagrams}.
sixty-four hexagons {geomantic hexagons}.
Symbol against evil has a symbol {pah-kwa} on one side, a symbol {Monade} on other side, and yin-yang in middle.
peace and prosperity {phoenix symbol}.
longevity {pine tree symbol}.
creation {serpent symbol for creation}.
fortune and wealth {three-legged toad symbol}.
good gambling luck {tiger symbol, China}.
long life {tortoise symbol}.
long life and fecundity {unicorn symbol, China}.
creation-principle {yin-yang symbol}.
wheel of good law {horin-rimbo}.
sacred knot of longevity {nade-takara-nusubi}.
Japan {rising sun symbol}.
love, health, and wealth {three keys symbol}.
Shinto universe-revolution symbol {tomoye}.
Shinto purification symbol {torii symbol}.
Outline of Knowledge Database Home Page
Description of Outline of Knowledge Database
Date Modified: 2022.0225