Grammar: Logogram

Posted December 18, 2015 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Grammar Explanations, Self-Editing, Writing

They say a picture speaks 1,000 words, and the logogram’s function proves it. Think of the corporate logos that you instantly recognize: McDonald’s golden arches, the bite out of Apple’s apple, Shell Oil’s bright yellow shell, the male/female silhouette that instantly indicates which bathroom to use, a circle with the silhouette of a knife and fork to indicate a place to eat along the highway, the ampersand, a peace symbol, the smiley face (!), and the list goes on . . . 😉

Grammar Explanations is . . .

. . . an evolving list of the structural rules and principles that determines where words are placed in phrases or sentences as well as how the language is spoken. Sometimes I run across an example that helps explain better or another “also known as”. Heck, there’s always a better way to explain it, so if it makes quicker and/or better sense, I would appreciate suggestions and comments from anyone on an area of grammar with which you struggle or on which you can contribute more understanding.

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Logogram
Definition: A word is replaced by a symbol, sign, or character. Shorthand and some writing systems also use logograms.

A.k.a. symbol

Word Symbol
Ampersand &

Interesting bit of history from Crystal on the ampersand’s evolution into this logogram as simply a collapsed version of et

At @
Dollar sign $
Euro sign
Index finger, pointing
Numbers 1, 2, 3 . . .
Paragraph
Per cent %
Plus sign +
Pound sign #
£

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Grammar Explanations by exploring its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Word Confusions, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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Resources for Logogram

Crystal, David. Spell It Out: The Curious, Enthralling, and Extraordinary Story of English Spelling. New York: St. Martin’s Press: 2013. <https://amzn.to/3jWiYKO>. Ebook.

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Pinterest Photo Credits:

“Twitter and Its Logogram.”

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