5 thoughts on “Q1) What might be a contemporary example (or example from another culture) of each of the four categories?”

  1. An example of a modern day pictograph might be a meme, as it’s usually portrayed by larger images and may also require prior context as to explain its meaning.

    An example of a modern day ideograph might be an emoji, as it’s represented by small symbols to illustrate thought.

    The only immediate reference I can draw back to in examining Phoenician texts are what remains of native or indigenous languages in the North American continent. An example would be Inuktitut which is a language primarily spoken by the remaining Inuit villages in Northern Canada.

    As for Greek lettering, I would argue that it’s still very much used today for Greek life, i.e. sororities and fraternities, but in a very different context.

  2. Contemporary examples of a pictograph could be warnings for floor signs or directions, such as “Caution–Wet Floor” or the “No” symbol, or signs designating wheelchair accessibility.

    Contemporary examples of ideographs could symbols that convey ideas, such as human rights and visibility of underrepresented groups (flags, fists, etc.), graffiti, iconic symbols, religious symbols, sign language, and masks.

    Phoenician (sign representing sound) could be modern diacritical marks or pronunciation keys.

  3. An example of pictographs in todays world would be emojis, memes, and stickers which show the emotion the person is trying to portray. Ideographs are more like signs we see today like in highways, comics, and everyday life. Signs that are known what they mean just by looking at their shape. For Phoenician i would say chines writing or past writings like hieroglyphics.

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