Are Emojis and Logograms the Future of Our Writing System

Despite writing systems being the cornerstone of our communication, languages and dialects, they only have to satisfy three criteria.

Each system must have a purpose and meaning, for example, while also utilising specific symbols that are legible and recorded. Writing systems must feature elements that correspond to an associated spoken language too.

Because of this, there are approximately 294 known writing systems that have evolved through the ages, many of which emerged prior to the first century AD. 

Below, you can learn about some of the most influential historical systems, while we’ll also look at how emojis and logograms are shaping future communications.

Early Writing Systems - A Look Back Through History

Proto-cuneiform is considered to be the first known writing system, with this emerging in the Middle East between 33 and 29 BC. Cuneiform scripts were definitely active and in use during the early Bronze Age, and renowned for their wedge-shaped impressions which formed individual symbols.

Initial Greek and Latin writing systems also emerged during the first century BC, shortly before the Ogham alphabet (which originated between the fourth and sixth centuries). This was used to write early Irish, while these scripts were carved into standing stones and read from the bottom upwards.

Approximately 400 Ogham inscriptions have survived to this day, although most discuss mundane content such as the name of a man or their tribal affiliation.

Of the writing systems that originated in the first century BC, only Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Ethiopic, Samaritan and Sinhala remain in use today. However, many systems and language variations have survived from the first century AD, including a particularly large number in South Asia and the Middle East.

The Influence of Latin and Logograms on Modern European Systems

Latin is perhaps the most influential of all historic writing systems, having formed the basis of most contemporary European languages. These include English, which despite being classified as a Proto-Germanic dialect, actually draws a significant amount of its vocabulary from Romance and Latinate sources.

Modern writing systems are quite sophisticated, and developed in a way that is fully capable of recording spoken language. This provides a stark contrast with older systems, which relied heavily on ideographic and mnemonic symbols and could only convey basic and often imprecise data.

However, symbols such as emojis and logograms are becoming increasingly prevalent in modern European writing systems. Emojis are particularly commonplace across both commercial and conversational communications, and used to convey a range of emotions and set the tone of an interaction.

Logograms include symbols such as the pound and percentage signs, and may be used to present a single unit of data. However, there’s a broad and diverse range of logograms used in modern writing systems, including ampersands, plus and minus signs. Often, these symbols provide short-form versions of specific words.

Both emojis and logograms are examples of morphemes, which can be described as units of language that cannot be divided further. As a result, each one conveys a single unit of meaning or value, so they must be used alongside other letters and numbers to create meaningful and comprehensive messages.

Will Emojis and Logograms Become Increasingly Dominant in Writing Systems?

Emojis can be categorised as a subset of logograms, while both symbols can trace their roots back to older Asian writing systems. The increase in their usage has been especially pronounced during the last decade, since the ‘Face with Tears of Joy’ (😂) emoji was classed as the Oxford English Dictionary’s Word of the Year in 2015.

This has seen modern writing and language systems evolve rapidly, into entities that now more closely resemble earlier scripts and alphabets.

There have even been attempts to combine emojis and logograms within an independent language, but such efforts have remained limited in the Western world. Interestingly, emojis and logograms are used far more frequently in Japan and other Asian nations, where they have a much stronger heritage.

Here, people regularly use emojis and logograms to replace words directly in sentences. Conversely, Westerners will add such symbols throughout or at the end of messages, in order to convey or reinforce a particular emotion. 

This trend shows no sign of abating, so while emojis and other logograms are now utilised with increased frequency, it’s unlikely that they’ll replace nouns or verbs any time soon. However, the influence of emojis and similar symbols will only grow in the longer-term, so who knows precisely what the future holds?