Logosyllabary

From Free net encyclopedia

A Logosyllabary is a type of writing system whose symbols (or graphemes) function as both logograms and as phonetic syllables. A third class of symbols called determinatives sometimes also occur; these are silent ideograms which clarify the meaning of words written out phonetically. Logosyllabaries may contain anywhere between several hundred and several thousand symbols.

Examples of logosyllabic systems

• Maya glyphs
• Chinese characters
• Egyptian hieroglyphs
• Cuneiform

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