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comradesmithtoday at 1:30 AM1 replyview on HN

The fact you’ve got to learn them doesn’t negate the statement that they communicate without words.

All language has to be learned


Replies

Muskwalkertoday at 2:35 AM

True, though I think the point they're aiming at is that symbols like [new driver mark] contrast with literal pictograms like [symbol of person in wheelchair]. You can infer/guess the meaning of [symbol of person in wheelchair] 'without words' in a way that you can't with [new driver mark], because [symbol of person in wheelchair] is communicating with a picture instead, while [new driver mark] appears to be purely convention. (At least, the article doesn't seem to suggest otherwise.)