Doug_Ewell@... wrote:

>
> Peter T. Daniels <grammatim@...> wrote:
>
> >> 4. logosyllabary: structural units represent syllables and/or
> >> morphemes (e.g. Chinese ideographs)
> >
> > There are no "ideographs" in Chinese!!!!!!!!!!!! (Even the numerals,
> > which in most other scripts _are_ ideograms.)
>
> Are we supposed to call these things "logographs" instead? Everyone I have
> talked to or read agrees that there is no perfect term for them. Each of:
>
> * ideographs
> * logographs
> * Han characters
> * CJK characters
> * Kanji, Hanja, etc.
>
> has some degree of historical or contemporary inaccuracy, or cultural
> insensitivity, associated with it.

The best word is "morphogram," but in practice "logogram" will do. Of
course I wouldn't use a language-specific term like the last 3 lines,
since they wouldn't do for Sumerian or Egyptian or Maya!
--
Peter T. Daniels grammatim@...