Re: Non-linear / full-2d writing systems?

On Sunday, May 8, 2005, at 04:59 , Remi Villatel wrote:

[snip]
> Our linear writing system already gives us directions to set the semagrams
> the ones relative to the others: from top to bottom, with a secondary axis
> from left to right for the supplementary semagrams.
In other words, the semagrams have *linear* arrangement, the ones relative
to one another along the linear vertical axis, and the secondary axes are
linear along a horizontal axis.

> When you write with such a system, you describe the main elements as
> semagrams in the first left column. It's the timeline of your story or
[etc snipped ]

A column is a linear construct.

> When you read, you can start anywhere. If you go to the left, you get
> closer
> from the main elements of the text. If you go to the right, you get
> details
> about the semagram you just read. If you go down, you follow the timeline
> of
> the story or the reasoning of the writer. If you go upward, you do the
> same
> but backward. (Maybe lines should be added to separate the different
> branches of semagrams.)
Maybe the *lines* - it's linear!

This was precisely the point I was making an email or two back. At some
point, linearity kicks in. What are dealing with is the amount of
information conveyed by a symbol in the linear arrangement (irrespective
of whether the lines are columns, rows or columns-and-rows). In alphabetic
writing, each symbol conveys, in theory, a segment off sound; in a
syllabary, it conveys, in theory, a whole syllable; with logograms we have,
  in theory, whole morphemes etc. I say "in theory" because it is rarely
100% perfect. And there are interesting systems like Korean.

With semagrams each symbol conveys a (complex) meaning.

[snip]
> I wrote a little 2D fairytale to illustrate my purpose. (I hope that the
> list allows an attachment. It's only HTML.)
I like it - but then, I like crossword puzzles   :-)

Please, don't get me wrong. I think your idea is an interesting one - and
unlike most systems, your lines do go in different directions and do make
more use of 2d space than most writing systems. Egyptian hieroglyphics
(and, I believe, the Mayan glyphs) certainly made use of both rows and
columns - but not in the ingenious way that you do  :)

However something tells me it's not what Sai has in mind. I would call
this a 'full-2d linear writing system'.

Ray
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