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| izografia [2025/07/26 11:00] – created havoc_crow | izografia [2025/07/26 11:07] (current) – havoc_crow |
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| //Izografia// ("isography") is a writing system devised by the Polish logician Tadeusz Wójcik (1917-1975). | //Izografia// ("isography") is a writing system devised by the Polish logician Tadeusz Wójcik (1917-1975), designed as an improved writing system to supersede existing alphabets. |
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| This summary is based on Wójcik's article "Wspólne pismo dla ludzi i maszyn" ("A common writing system for humans and machines"), published in the December 1971 issue of the Polish periodical "Młody Technik" ([[https://ia800508.us.archive.org/view_archive.php?archive=/33/items/Mody.Technik.rocznik.1971/Młody.Technik.1971.zip&file=MИody.Technik.1971.12.pdf|page 36 here]]); and a brief follow-up article, which appeared in the April 1972 issue ([[https://ia800509.us.archive.org/view_archive.php?archive=/21/items/Mlody.Technik.rocznik.1972/Młody.Technik.1972.zip&file=MИody.Technik.1972.04.pdf|page 59 here]]). | This summary is based on Wójcik's article "Wspólne pismo dla ludzi i maszyn" ("A common writing system for humans and machines"), published in the December 1971 issue of the Polish periodical "Młody Technik" ([[https://ia800508.us.archive.org/view_archive.php?archive=/33/items/Mody.Technik.rocznik.1971/Młody.Technik.1971.zip&file=MИody.Technik.1971.12.pdf|page 36 here]]); and a brief follow-up article, which appeared in the April 1972 issue ([[https://ia800509.us.archive.org/view_archive.php?archive=/21/items/Mlody.Technik.rocznik.1972/Młody.Technik.1972.zip&file=MИody.Technik.1972.04.pdf|page 59 here]]). Wójcik also wrote a number of scientific publications, which I have not read. |
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| == Purpose == | == Purpose == |
| - Because the glyphs are composed of simple geometric elements based on a rigid grid, izografia writing is well-suited for optical character recognition. (This idea is similar to bespoke OCR typefaces, which had already existed since the 1960s.) | - Because the glyphs are composed of simple geometric elements based on a rigid grid, izografia writing is well-suited for optical character recognition. (This idea is similar to bespoke OCR typefaces, which had already existed since the 1960s.) |
| - The script is more space-efficient (no digraphs, smaller vowels) and thus printing and writing requires less ink and paper. | - The script is more space-efficient (no digraphs, smaller vowels) and thus printing and writing requires less ink and paper. |
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| | In the two aforementioned articles, Wójcik provided examples of Izografia texts in Polish, Russian and English (although he noted that proper notation for English vowels was yet not complete.) |
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| == Characteristics == | == Characteristics == |
| == Example == | == Example == |
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| {{:izografia_english_example.png|An example of English sentences written in the Izografia writing system devised by Tadeusz Wójcik. Based on an example paragraph provided by Tadeusz Wójcik in "Młody Technik", issue 4/1972, p. 63; redrawn from scratch by User:Havoc Crow. | {{:izografia_english_example.png}} |
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| | An example of English sentences written in the Izografia writing system devised by Tadeusz Wójcik. Based on an example paragraph provided by Tadeusz Wójcik in "Młody Technik", issue 4/1972, p. 63; redrawn from scratch by Havoc Crow. |
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| The black symbols are English sentences written in Izografia, as originally drawn by Tadeusz Wójcik. | The black symbols are English sentences written in Izografia, as originally drawn by Tadeusz Wójcik. |
| Incidentally, Wójcik's Izografia text does not faithfully represent English pronunciation; in particular, 'has' is written as if the vowel was elongated (although it might be Wójcik's attempt at representing the schwa, ə; Wójcik writes in the caption that notating English vowels was still a work in progress as of 1972). | Incidentally, Wójcik's Izografia text does not faithfully represent English pronunciation; in particular, 'has' is written as if the vowel was elongated (although it might be Wójcik's attempt at representing the schwa, ə; Wójcik writes in the caption that notating English vowels was still a work in progress as of 1972). |
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| Note that in the original example, the word "goes" was written with the glyph "∠", which according to the author's attached explanation stands for 'eu'. I assume it's a mistake, so I have replaced it with its mirror image "⦣", which stands for "ou".}} | Note that in the original example, the word "goes" was written with the glyph "∠", which according to the author's attached explanation stands for 'eu'. I assume it's a mistake, so I have replaced it with its mirror image "⦣", which stands for "ou". |
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| | == Reception == |
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| | In the end, Izografia did not find any success (the author's death in 1975 probably didn't help), and today is one of many forgotten utopian ideas. |
