Ideogram

Ideograms are symbols that represent ideas or concepts independently of language, differing from logograms, which denote specific morphemes. Examples include numerals, mathematical notation, and typographical symbols like emojis. They can be pure signs, relying solely on convention for meaning, such as traffic lights.

Historically, ancient Greeks misunderstood Egyptian hieroglyphs as purely ideographic due to their lack of knowledge about the phonetic elements. This view persisted until Jean-François Champollion deciphered hieroglyphs in 1823, revealing their linguistic nature. The text also explores attempts at creating universal ideographic languages, such as John Wilkins' "Essay Towards a Real Character" and Charles K. Bliss' Blissymbols.

The summary highlights the evolution of understanding ideograms, from ancient metaphysical conceptions to modern insights, critiquing myths surrounding their universality and meaning.