Symbols: An Evolutionary History from the Stone Age to the Future by Richard Spr

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eBay item number:365956519997
Last updated on Nov 10, 2025 17:14:07 SGTView all revisionsView all revisions

Item specifics

Condition
Brand New: A new, unread, unused book in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages. See all condition definitionsopens in a new window or tab
ISBN-13
9783031268083
Book Title
Symbols
ISBN
9783031268083
Category

About this product

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Springer
ISBN-10
3031268083
ISBN-13
9783031268083
eBay Product ID (ePID)
25058615973

Product Key Features

Number of Pages
Xiii, 235 Pages
Publication Name
Symbols : an Evolutionary History from the Stone Age to the Future
Language
English
Publication Year
2023
Subject
Intelligence (Ai) & Semantics, Probability & Statistics / General, Computer Simulation, Library & Information Science / General, Linguistics / General, Speech & Audio Processing
Type
Textbook
Subject Area
Mathematics, Computers, Language Arts & Disciplines
Author
Richard Sproat
Format
Hardcover

Dimensions

Item Weight
19.3 Oz
Item Length
9.3 in
Item Width
6.1 in

Additional Product Features

Reviews
"The book is the first systematic study of graphical symbol systems, ranging from the imagery found in Paleolithic cave paintings, through ancient and contemporary writing systems employing both phonetic and logographic symbols, to modern language-independent symbols such as meteorological icons and emoji." (Andrew Robinson, Science, science.org, Vol. 382 (6669), October 27, 2023)
Dewey Edition
23
Number of Volumes
1 vol.
Illustrated
Yes
Dewey Decimal
302.2223
Table Of Content
1. Introduction.- 2. Semiotics.- 3. Taxonomy.- 4. Writing Systems.- 5. Symbols in the Brain.- 6. The Evolution of Writing.- 7. Simulations.- 8. Misrepresentations.- 9. The Future.
Synopsis
For millennia humans have used visible marks to communicate information. Modern examples of conventional graphical symbols include written language, and non-linguistic symbol systems such as mathematical symbology or traffic signs. The latter kinds of symbols convey information without reference to language. This book presents the first systematic study of graphical symbol systems, including a history of graphical symbols from the Paleolithic onwards, a taxonomy of non-linguistic systems - systems that are not tied to spoken language - and a survey of more than 25 such systems. One important feature of many non-linguistic systems is that, as in written language, symbols may be combined into complex "messages" if the information the system represents is itself complex. To illustrate, the author presents an in-depth comparison of two systems that had very similar functions, but very different structure: European heraldry and Japanese kamon . Writing first appeared in Mesopotamia about 5,000 years ago and is believed to have evolved from a previous non-linguistic accounting system. The exact mechanism is unknown, but crucial was the discovery that symbols can represent the sounds of words, not just the meanings. The book presents a novel neurologically-inspired hypothesis that writing evolved in an institutional context in which symbols were "dictated", thus driving an association between symbol and sound, and provides a computational simulation to support this hypothesis. The author further discusses some common fallacies about writing and non-linguistic systems, and how these relate to widely cited claims about statistical "evidence" for one or another system being writing. The book ends with some thoughts about the future of graphical symbol systems. The intended audience includes students, researchers, lecturers, professionals and scientists from fields like Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, Archaeology and Semiotics, as well as general readers interested in language and/or writing systems and symbol systems.
LC Classification Number
QA76.9.N38

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