Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Representing a word by means of the logogram of another which is phonetically similar or homophonous, for instance using the sign for ‘son’. The rebus principle played an important role in the development of writing as the cardinal strategy for increasing the expressive power of logographic systems. In the beginning, word writing relied heavily on pictographic signs representing concrete objects. Words which cannot be represented easily by means of a picture, such as proper names and function words, were difficult to write. The rebus provided the means to overcome this limitation. It is found in all ancient writing systems. Examples in early S umerian writing include the sign ti ‘arrow’ for ti(l) ‘life’, íb ‘hip’ for íb ‘wrath’, and gi ‘reed’ for gi ‘to reimburse’ ( Figure 3 ). In the E gyptian writing system wr ‘swallow’ was used for wr ‘big’. The C hinese writing system has a whole class of characters known as ‘phonetic loans’, of which ləg ‘grain’ for ləg ‘to come’ is an early example. Maya writing, too, is essentially based on the rebus principle, although this has been recognized only recently. A glyph consisting of a pair of fish fins illustrates the transformation from pictographic I con to P honography accomplished by the application of the rebus principle. It was first used as the sign of Maya xoc ‘fish’ and then also for xoc ‘to count’. The ... log in or subscribe to read full text