THE FUTURE « In Which We Live Entirely In The Realm of the Semiotic »
Sunday, June 14, 2009 at 10:11AM 
spring, summer, autumn, winterBlissymbols
by MOLLY LAMBERT
Today we begin again.
Originally called Semantography, Charles K. Bliss invented a language that makes ideograms out of seven hundred basic icons. Now known as Blissymbols, it is not widely used and it's still debated whether an entirely logographic language is possible. I like it because it reminds me of rebuses and the sample sentences sounded like Talking Heads lyrics.
In the future, This Recording will be written entirely in Blissymbols.
This is my house.
This is my life.
Please come here today.
I want to go to the cinema.
She is my friend.
It is made of wood.
I lost my hat while at sea.
On icy stairs.
We learn by teaching.
I think, therefore I am.
Who can help us now?
I doubt what the government says.
Whose book is that?
Her boyfriend is jealous of her work.
Their relationship won't last.
How did they like the giraffe?
She has beautiful teeth.
I like the music from these headphones.
Your wife said she was in the hospital because of depression.
That nonsense must stop.
Happy to help!
Molly Lambert is the managing editor of This Recording. She tumbls here. She twitters here.
"Summertime Clothes (live on Letterman)" - Animal Collective (mp3)
"Summertime Clothes (Zomby's Analog lego mix)" - Animal Collective (mp3)
"Summertime Clothes" - Animal Collective (mp3)
"Summertime Clothes (Leon Day aka L.D. remix)" - Animal Collective (mp3)
"Summertime Clothes (Dam Funk remix)" - Animal Collective (mp3)
Reader Comments (1)
Chinese/Japanese wasn't close enough for this guy? They're a bit abstracted from being as clear cut ideograms as these, but if you just changed the building blocks, it's basically the same. Swap 心 for the heart sign, 日 for the clock or the day, 人 for person, etc, and these sentences would almost be normally readable in kanji countries.