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A cognitive account of the puzzle of ideography

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 October 2023

Xerxes D. Arsiwalla*
Affiliation:
Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain x.d.arsiwalla@gmail.com Wolfram Research, Champaign, IL, USA

Abstract

We posit a cognitive account of the puzzle of ideography, which complements the standardization account of Morin. Efficient standardization of spoken language is phenomenologically attributed to a modality effect coupled with chunking of cognitive representations, further aided by multisensory integration and the serialized nature of attention. These mechanisms explain why languages dominate graphic codes for general-purpose communication.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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