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When a glyph appears in a
Composite
then it becomes part of the concept conveyed by the combinations of all the glyphs forming the composite.
Glyphs use images to express concepts.
Every glyph is "clickable" and gives access to an explanation page where the images can appear animated or complemented with sounds. The explanation pages also include translations in many languages of the glyph's meaning.
Understanding Glyphs
Relationships inside a glyph
The glyphs can be classified according to the way in which the meaning is conveyed:
Depiction
The simplest concepts can be conveyed by showing them directly. All the objects and very uniquely understandable actions are rendered in this way.
In this case it's just a matter of recognizing the image depicted. Sometimes this is not immediate, expecially for abstract concepts, and requires some prior learning.
Examples:
Generalization
Various instances of the same concept are shown in the same glyph, and the meaning conveyed is the abstract generalization of those instances.
The reader should grasp the concept as the common element between the examples shown. In order to understand the glyph, one needs to answer: "What is common between the elements present in this image?"
Examples:
Contextualization
A part of the glyph is shown in its context. This part is enhanced against the background/context (using colours, arrows, transparencies).
To understand the glyph one needs to think about the relationship between the enhanced element and the context in which it is placed, singling the concept out of the background.
Often there are other glyphs having the same context but enhancing different elements. And usually another glyph with just the context (without any enhanced element). (See below for relationships between glyphs).
Examples:
Opposition
Two opposite concepts are shown and one of them is enhanced (with coloured background). Understanding the difference between the two parts of the glyph, the characteristic setting them apart, is the key to the meaning. Most of the adjectives were created in this way.
Examples:
Combination of Opposition
When both parts of an Opposition glyph are enhanced, the meaning expressed is the quality that distinguishes the two parts.
The best way to learn glyphs is to learn them in groups, since often they make more sense in relationship to each other (e.g. the colours, the family relationships, the shapes...).
The approaches just outlined above ("Contextualization", "Opposition"..) are now to be applied between different glyphs, rather than between elements inside a glyph.
Examples:
First appearance:
Wed Dec 18 17:29:17 GMT 2002
- | - Last modified:
Mon Jul 20 23:32:30 CEST 2009