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Single Glyphs {MG: mediaMG: glyph; ideogram; logogram; hieroglyph; pictogram; icon}

Understanding Glyphs

Relationships inside a glyph

The glyphs can be classified according to the way in which the meaning is conveyed:
  1. 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:
    MG: foot; feet MG: bell MG: umbrella MG: hear MG: walk MG: blue MG: seven MG: pyramid MG: leave; depart; go away (from); part MG: go; travel; move; locomote

  2. 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:
    MG: symbol; sign; token; mark; symbolisation; symbolic representation MG: reptile MG: shape; form MG: curve; bend MG: letter; character; grapheme MG: ride MG: wave; moving ridge MG: segment; section; part; division

  3. 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:
    MG: mother; female parent MG: father; male parent; begetter MG: arc MG: eyebrow; brow; supercilium MG: winter; wintertime MG: autumn; fall
    ( MG: family; family unit; household; menage; house (as family); home (as family) ) ( MG: season; time of year )

  4. 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:
    MG: big; large; great MG: loose; baggy; loose-fitting; sloppy MG: positive MG: parallel MG: joined; united MG: similar; alike; like MG: numerous; many

  5. Combination of Opposition

    When both parts of an Opposition glyph are enhanced, the meaning expressed is the quality that distinguishes the two parts.

    Examples:
    MG: size MG: length

See also: glyph creation strategies

Relationships between glyphs

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:
MG: I; me MG: you MG: it; she; he
MG: majority MG: minority
MG: four MG: five
MG: before; in front; ahead MG: behind; in back of; to the rear of MG: above; over; supra; on top of; higher up; in a higher place; to a higher place
MG: blue MG: black MG: white; whiteness MG: green; greenish; light-green; grass green; greenness; viridity
MG: daughter; girl MG: father; male parent; begetter MG: husband; hubby; married man
MG: same; identical; selfsame MG: other; another; some other
MG: from; out of MG: to; towards; toward
MG: how many; how much MG: which MG: when
MG: line MG: curve; bend MG: rectangle MG: square; foursquare
MG: year; yr; twelvemonth MG: day; twenty-four hours; solar day; twenty-four hour period; 24-hour interval; mean solar day


 
 
What is MG?

First appearance: Wed Dec 18 17:29:17 GMT 2002 - | - Last modified: Mon Jul 20 23:32:30 CEST 2009