As readers, we come across different types of texts every day, and increasingly, in other languages. By doing this, we are decoding the symbols that make up words and create meaning. This process is so automated that all the connections we make when reading are likely to be taken for granted. Texts, which can be […]
Since the arrival of the printing press in the middle of the fifteenth century, when Johannes Gutenberg’s invention ushered in the modern age, operators of the printing press the world over have had to use their creativity to put in writing what was on everyone’s lips. Clearly, the graphical representation of speech does not begin […]
The logogram on the left is ubiquitous and easily recognizable throughout the world; it’s “the and sign”. To professionals and lovers of linguistic trivia, it’s the “ampersand”. What is less known is how it got to be to the place it is today. Here’s a brief history recapitulating the most important areas: Its original form […]