ideographic script
- noun
- /ˌaɪdiəˈɡræfɪk skrɪpt/
- Specialized
:
escritura ideográfica
- What he finds is a close correspondence between the ostensibly abstract decoration on many of the archaeological vessels and the ideographic script known as nsibidi.
Examples
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In an ideographic script like nsibidi, symbols can express various meanings depending on their context.
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It is an ideographic script whose symbols refer to abstract concepts, actions, or things, and whose use facilitates communication among peoples speaking different languages.
Academic text (2007) -
Masks worn in Nigeria by members of a powerful men's association are embellished with signs from its specialized ideographic script, nsibidi (Fig. 13).
Academic text (2007) -
Chinese characters are an example of an ideographic script, as they represent concepts rather than sounds.
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The use of an ideographic script allows writers to convey complex ideas without relying on specific words.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A way of writing that uses symbols to show ideas instead of sounds
A way of writing that uses signs to show ideas for all languages
A way that uses pictures to show words, ideas, or sounds
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is directly compositional: 'ideographic' denotes symbols that convey concepts and 'script' denotes a set of characters or a writing system, so their combination yields a writing system made of idea-symbols. This adjective+noun pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically paralleled, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent meanings should be able to infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Ideographic script comes from the idea of writing with little pictures that stand for whole 'ideas' instead of letters or sounds. So, an ideographic picture in a script shows an idea at once, and that's why the phrase means 'a writing system that uses symbols for ideas rather than sounds'.