Madison Moore

August 4, 2018
ANTH 354
Lois Johnston

End of Chapter 10 Exercises

1. The text mentions numerous types of logographic symbols used

alongside of English alphabetic writing. How many additional
logographic symbols can you think of? List them.

I can think of additional logographic symbols that are right here on my keyboard,
such as @, #, $, &, %, ^, +, =, ?, /, <, >, !, and -. Also, the Arabic number symbols 1, 2, 3,
4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0 are logographic symbols that are commonly used around the
world and are on my keyboard as well. Some really popular logograms right now are
emojis or emoticons.

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2. Phonemically transcribe ten abbreviations. How do these transcriptions

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show that English maintains syllabic symbolism in some contexts?

o.
1. etc.: ˌɛtˈsɛtərə
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2. ASAP: ˈeɪˈɛˈseɪˈpi
3. RSVP: ɑr-ɛs-vi-pi
4. BYOB: bi-waɪ-oʊ-bi
5. ATM (Automated Teller Machine OR At The Moment): eɪ-ti-ɛm
o

6. e.g.: i.ʤi.
aC s

7. i.e.: aɪ.i.
vi y re

8. FBI: ɛf-bi-aɪ
9. R.I.P.: ɑr.aɪ.pi.
10. FAQ: ɛf-eɪ-kju
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These transcriptions show that English maintains syllabic symbolism in some

contexts as the pronunciation holds up for each of the phonemes in each
abbreviation. Syllabic writing has fewer symbols than logographic writing. Syllabic
symbols also tell us HOW words/phonemes are pronounced and have specific
is

phonemic value.
Th

3. Invent a logographic symbol to stand for a syllable other than /bi/.

Then, make as many words using that syllable and other syllables (also
represented by logograms). How do these illustrate the rebus principle?
sh

/ɪŋ/ = ⦽

walking: ˈwɔk⦽
running: ˈrʌn⦽

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 talking: ˈtɔk⦽
rewarding: rɪˈwɔrd⦽
swimming: ˈswɪm⦽
eloping: ɪˈloʊp⦽
ring: r⦽

These illustrate the rebus principle (the process by which symbols, which one stood
for whole one-syllable words, became symbols for those syllables, not the words
they once represented) as I have created ⦽ to stand for the common English syllable
‘ing’ or /ɪŋ/.

4. What advantages do the alphabetic principle of writing have over logo-

syllabic and syllabic writing?

The alphabetic principle of writing is more advantageous than the logo-syllabic and
syllabic writing systems because it is more specific than the other 2 systems. In

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alphabetic writing, each symbol ideally represents one specific phoneme, while in

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logographic writing, the symbols represent whole words or morphemes, and in

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syllabic writing, each symbol ideally represents one specific phoneme. Additionally,
any new words can be added to the language by analyzing and using the individual

o.
rs e
speech sounds. Writers of the alphabetic language can misspell words but still get
ou urc
their idea across (for the most part).

5. The same grapheme may be used to represent different sounds … list 2

other grammatical distinctions where the same grapheme is used to
o

mark the distinction, but where the grapheme is pronounced differently

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in different contexts. Explain why this phenomenon occurs.

vi y re

/o/: only, hot, noodle, book, opposite

/a/: car, cat, what, play, father
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ar stu

This phenomenon occurs because it does not make sense for English to have every
sound produced orally to also be represented alphabetically.

6. Would it be more efficient to spell zoos as zooz or even zuz? Explain.

is
Th

It would probably not be more efficient. Although children may learn the English
writing system and how to read it at a quicker pace if alphabetic principles were
followed more exactly, it would mean that numerous extra symbols would have to be
added to the English writing system if it were to be followed in its pure state. In
sh

zoos, the /s/ is pronounced as a /z/, but functions as an /s/ due to plurality. Thus, it
is part of the speaker’s morphophonemic competence to decipher the proper
meaning and pronunciation of the phoneme, and when they read aloud will
automatically pronounce the word properly.

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 7. What is the difference between homophones, homographs, homonyms,
and heteronyms? List 5 sets of each.

HOMOPHONES: words that sound the same but have different meanings and
spelling.
1. made / maid
2. one / won
3. plain / plane
4. where / wear
5. pare / pear / pair

HOMOGRAPHS: words that differ in meaning but are spelled the same. They may or
may not differ in how they are pronounced.

1. tear (to rip) / tear (water from the eye)

2. rose (flower) / rose (got up)

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3. bass (fish) / bass (instrument)

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4. bat (animal) / bat (used in baseball)

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5. close (to shut) / close (near)

o.
rs e
HOMONYMS: words that differ in meaning are pronounced the same and may or
ou urc
may not be spelled the same.

1. meat / meet
2. ore / or / oar
o

3. pair / pare
aC s

4. I / eye
vi y re

5. do / dew

HETERONYMS: homographs that are not pronounced the same.

ed d
ar stu

1. tear (water in the eye) / tear (to rip)

2. bow (used to shoot arrows) / bow (lower head in respect)
3. content (satisfied) / content (meaning)
4. desert (to leave) / desert (sandy and dry region)
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5. does (plural/present tense ‘do’) / does (multiple female deer)

Th

8. Explain the logographic function of homophones.

The logographic function of homophones is that they help in processing and

sh

distinguishing words from one another, especially in languages such as Japanese or

Chinese (Han). For example, Japanese syllabic writing uses Chinese logograms to
distinguish between homophones. In speech, the meaning of homophones must be
extracted entirely on the basis of context, however different spellings for
homophones can indicate grammatical function and word usage. Logographic
symbols are also used to clarify homophones in Japanese and Chinese.

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 9. Explain the term spelling pronunciation. Can you find examples of
spelling pronunciation not used in the book?

Spelling pronunciation is the process by which a word in pronounced as it is spelled,

even if that pronunciation was not the original or intended pronunciation. It often
occurs for foreign words that enter a language. Some examples of spelling
pronunciation are hour, herb, honest, honor (words borrowed from the French
language).

10.List as many differences as you can think of in the form, structure, and
function of writing as compared to speech.

- hands are used instead of articulatory structures such as the tongue, teeth,
throat, etc.
- Age: writing is relatively recent, whereas speech dates back to the beginning

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of humanity

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- Acquisition: learning to write typically builds upon the foundation of

eH w
speaking, in which you learn in the first couple years of life
- Universality: humans all over the globe can speak, but not everyone can

o.
rs e
write, or have the resources to learn to write or even be able to write. Before
ou urc
the Sumerian invention, most people were nonliterate.
- Change: spoken language is constantly evolving due to culture, however
written language remains fairly permanent due to standardization, spelling,
form, prestige, and permanence.
o

- Formality: speaking is typically more casual, while writing is typically more

aC s

formal, and these two styles can be very distinct.

vi y re

- Retrievability: speech is typically not captured or preserved, while written

language can be preserved for long periods of time.
- Interdependence: speech typically conveys more explicit information that
ed d

writing. For example, Chinese symbols may only correspond to words that
ar stu

give no indication of pronunciation, but only partial cues.

11.What are the 2 views of writing origins and development mentioned in

the book? Which one sounds more believable to you? Justify your
is

answer.
Th

Two of the views of writing origins and development are as follows:

a. Abstract marks and symbols made on bone and other materials that were
sh

believed to be the roots of writing, calendrics, and mathematics (clay tokens,

tablets, and rock envelopes)
b. Inca quipu and Abenaki sticks

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 The view that sounds more believable to me is view A. This is because there is more
evidence to support it, and began the general practice of writing, whereas view B
was just forms of nonlinguistic communication, but not writing.

12.Some people say that Phoenicians invented the alphabet; we have said it
was the Greeks. Why are there 2 views on this? Go beyond the material
in the book to answer the question.

There are two views on this because, although the Greeks did invent the alphabet
(the word alphabet is derived from Greek letters ‘alpha’ and ‘beta’), they borrowed
from the abjad (Phoenician syllabic script) particularly consonant symbols to
represent vowels and reducing other syllabic symbols to represent Greek
consonants. The Greek alphabet spread very widely very quickly. Technically, it was
a combination of both Greek and Phoenician writing systems that has lead to our
modern writing system or alphabet.

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o.
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o
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vi y re
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