Grapheme
A Grapheme is a linguistic symbol within a writing system (functioning as the fundamental written unit of language representation).
- AKA: Writing System Character, Written Linguistic Symbol, Orthographic Unit, Script Element.
- Context:
- It can typically be a member of a Language Grapheme Set with grapheme inventory characteristics specific to that language.
- It can typically be used by a Linguistic Agent to compose Written Utterances through grapheme combination patterns.
- It can typically convey Linguistic Information through grapheme interpretation processes in reading activity.
- It can typically form Grapheme Sequences that encode language structure and meaning.
- It can typically be distinguished from other graphemes by its visual form and functional role.
- ...
- It can often be represented by different Glyphs through grapheme visualization in various fonts and typographic styles.
- It can often correspond to a Phonological Unit in spoken language through grapheme-phoneme correspondence.
- It can often vary across Writing Cultures with different grapheme classification systems.
- It can often be part of a Grapheme String, such as an Orthographic Word, through grapheme sequencing.
- It can often undergo Historical Evolution through grapheme development in writing traditions.
- ...
- It can range from being an English Language Character to being a Chinese Language Character to being a German Language Character, depending on its language system.
- It can range from being a Simple Grapheme to being a Complex Grapheme, depending on its structural composition.
- It can range from being a Phonetic Grapheme to being a Logographic Grapheme, depending on its representational function.
- It can range from being an Ancient Grapheme to being a Modern Grapheme, depending on its historical period.
- It can range from being a Standard Grapheme to being a Variant Grapheme, depending on its orthographic status.
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- It can have a specific position in a Character Encoding System through grapheme digitization for computational representation.
- It can follow specific Orthographic Rules in grapheme usage within a writing convention.
- It can facilitate Written Communication through grapheme recognition by readers.
- It can be analyzed in Linguistic Research through grapheme identification methodologies.
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- Examples:
- Grapheme Categories, such as:
- Alphabetic Letter (member of a Language Alphabet), such as:
- Latin Alphabetic Graphemes, such as:
- Any Member of: {a, b, c, ..., y, z}, in English Writing System for phoneme representation.
- Any Member of: {ä, ö, ü, ß}, in German Writing System for specific sound indication.
- Greek Alphabetic Graphemes, such as:
- Any Member of: {α, β, γ, δ, ..., ψ, ω}, in Greek Writing System for letter sound encoding.
- Arabic Alphabetic Graphemes, such as:
- Any Member of: {ب,., ة, ..., ج, ظ, نً}, in Arabic Writing System for consonant and vowel marking.
- Latin Alphabetic Graphemes, such as:
- Punctuation Graphemes, such as:
- Punctuation Marks, such as:
- Whitespace Graphemes, such as:
- Numeral Graphemes, such as:
- Arabic Numeral Graphemes, such as:
- Any Member of: {0, 1, 2, ..., 9} for decimal number representation.
- Roman Numeral Graphemes, such as:
- Any Member of: {I, V, X, L, C, M} for classical number notation.
- Arabic Numeral Graphemes, such as:
- Math Symbol Graphemes, such as:
- Operator Graphemes, such as:
- Addition Symbol Grapheme like "+" for mathematical operation.
- Subtraction Symbol Grapheme like "-" for value reduction.
- Relation Graphemes, such as:
- Equality Symbol Grapheme like "=" for value equivalence.
- Inequality Symbol Grapheme like "<" for value comparison.
- Operator Graphemes, such as:
- Economic Symbol Graphemes, such as:
- Currency Graphemes, such as:
- Dollar Symbol Grapheme like "$" for monetary unit.
- Euro Symbol Grapheme like "€" for European currency.
- Legal Symbol Graphemes, such as:
- Registered Trademark Grapheme like "®" for legal protection indication.
- Copyright Grapheme like "©" for intellectual property marking.
- Currency Graphemes, such as:
- Logographic Graphemes, such as:
- Chinese Character Graphemes, such as:
- Simplified Chinese Grapheme like "人" for person concept.
- Traditional Chinese Grapheme like "語" for language concept.
- Chinese Character Graphemes, such as:
- Alphabetic Letter (member of a Language Alphabet), such as:
- ...
- Grapheme Categories, such as:
- Counter-Examples:
- Computer Character, which functions as a computational encoding unit rather than a linguistic symbol in a natural language.
- Phoneme, which exists as a sound unit in spoken language rather than a visual unit in written language.
- Pictogram, which directly represents an object or concept through visual resemblance rather than through conventional symbol system.
- Typeface, which provides a visual style for graphemes rather than being a grapheme itself.
- Character Encoding, which is a computational representation of a grapheme rather than the grapheme itself.
- See: Alphanumeric Character, HTML Character, Letter (Alphabet), Typographic Ligature, Numerical Digit, Graphemics, Writing System, Orthography, Typography, Unicode Standard.
References
2020
- (Wikipedia, 2020) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/grapheme Retrieved:2020-3-8.
- In linguistics, a grapheme is the smallest unit of a writing system of any given language. [1] An individual grapheme may or may not carry meaning by itself, and may or may not correspond to a single phoneme of the spoken language. In other words, a grapheme is a letter or a set of letters that represent a sound (more correctly, phoneme) in a word. [2] Graphemes include alphabetic letters, typographic ligatures, Chinese characters, numerical digits, punctuation marks, and other individual symbols. A grapheme can also be construed as a graphical sign that independently represents a portion of linguistic material. [3]
The word grapheme, coined in analogy with phoneme, is derived , and the suffix -eme by analogy with phoneme and other names of emic units. The study of graphemes is called graphemics.
The concept of graphemes is abstract and similar to the notion in computing of a character. By comparison, a specific shape that represents any particular grapheme in a specific typeface is called a glyph. For example, the grapheme corresponding to the abstract concept of "the Arabic numeral one" has a distinct glyph with identical meaning (an allograph) in each of many typefaces (such as, for example, a serif form as in Times New Roman and a sans-serif form as in Helvetica).
- In linguistics, a grapheme is the smallest unit of a writing system of any given language. [1] An individual grapheme may or may not carry meaning by itself, and may or may not correspond to a single phoneme of the spoken language. In other words, a grapheme is a letter or a set of letters that represent a sound (more correctly, phoneme) in a word. [2] Graphemes include alphabetic letters, typographic ligatures, Chinese characters, numerical digits, punctuation marks, and other individual symbols. A grapheme can also be construed as a graphical sign that independently represents a portion of linguistic material. [3]
- ↑ Coulmas, F. (1996), The Blackwell's Encyclopedia of Writing Systems, Oxford: Blackwells, p.174
- ↑ What is a grapheme?. Phonic books.
- ↑ Altmann, G., & Fengxiang, F. (Eds.). (2008). Analyses of script : properties of characters and writing systems. https://www.degruyter.com/view/product/34314