grafías

Grafías is a term used in linguistics and semiotics to refer to the written symbols or characters that represent sounds or meaning in a language. In essence, grafías are the building blocks of written communication. They can encompass letters of an alphabet, ideograms, logograms, or any other visual sign system employed for transcription.

The concept of grafías is distinct from phonemes (the abstract units of sound) or morphemes (the smallest units of meaning). While grafías aim to represent these linguistic elements, the relationship between a grafía and the sound or meaning it conveys can vary significantly. For instance, in alphabetic systems like English, a single letter like "c" can represent different sounds (e.g., "cat" vs. "cent"), and conversely, a single sound can be represented by multiple grafías (e.g., the "s" sound in "sun," "cent," and "sugar").

In contrast, systems like Chinese characters, which are largely logographic, associate a grafía with a word or a morpheme, rather than a specific phoneme. The study of grafías involves examining their form, origin, evolution, and the principles governing their use within a given writing system. Understanding grafías is crucial for comprehending how languages are visually encoded and how written systems are structured and learned.