artificial script

7.9

A writing system made by people instead of growing naturally

noun
/ˌɑːrtɪˈfɪʃəl skrɪpt/

Specialized

: escritura artificial

The linguist designed an artificial script to accompany her newly invented language.

Examples

Many fantasy novels include an artificial script for the fictional races depicted in their stories.
Learning an artificial script can be challenging due to its unfamiliar structure and symbols.
The artificial script was designed for a fictional world.
Many authors create an artificial script for their stories.
The linguist designed an artificial script to accompany her newly invented language.
Learning an artificial script can be challenging due to its unfamiliar structure and symbols.
Many fantasy novels include an artificial script for the fictional races depicted in their stories.

Synonyms

constructed script

vsartificial script

Specialized

8.4

A set of written signs that a person or group makes for use with a language, often for fiction

means the same but uses different wording to describe intentional creation

How Common

script

24 4.1

shorthand

Specialized

7 6.2

artificial script

Specialized

7.9

cipher

Specialized

28 8.8

Surface Forms

artificial script singular

artificial scripts plural

Morphology

artificial + script

Both constituents are semantically transparent—'artificial' means man-made and 'script' means a set of characters/rules for writing—so the adjective+noun composition straightforwardly yields 'a man-made writing system.' This compositional meaning is common across languages and would be inferable by a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

The term artificial script comes from the idea of a script that is artificial, meaning 'made by people on purpose' rather than developing naturally. That's why it means 'a writing system deliberately created by a person or group'.