LATIN LOGOGRAPHIC

nt @M

The Latin Logographic script (nt @M) was created by Lourenço Menezes
D’Almeida as an alternative evolution of the Latin script used in many parts
of the world today. Inspired by the Japanese writing system, this script uses
a combination of logographic, syllabic and phonetic symbols for the
formation of words in a sentence.
LOGOGRAMS
The main part of the script are its logographic particles, which can be used
either as entire words and word-compounds, or as stems in verbs, adjectives
and adverbs. Like the current Latin alphabet used today, these logograms are
ultimately derived from Egyptian hieroglyphs, but their use as conveyors of
entire units of thought is conserved.
This means Latin Logograms will encode a whole meaning in them. This
meaning can be transmitted in whatever language the logogram is being
employed, granted the appropriate grammatical and morphological
structures for that language are properly used. For example:
q will mean ‘person’ in whatever language it is used, and derivatives of this word
in that language will also all use the logogram q (such as ‘personal’, ‘personally’,
‘personification’, etc.).

While this usage is reminiscent of the Japanese use of kanji, the number of
Latin logograms available is far reduced. There are only 96 logograms in
total, meant to represent the most basic concepts found in every language,
inspired by the classic Swadesh list. All other concepts are expected to be
derived from these basic units, so the whole script can be learned and used
with much more ease than other logographic systems. For example:
8 means ‘plant’ or ‘vegetable’;
t means ‘land’ or ‘place’;
Therefore, 8t can be used to write the logographic term for ‘park’. No need for
an extra logogram is needed in this case.

In order for such a reduced number of symbols to be able to encompass the

most diverse range of terms possible, some logograms can also have more
than one meaning depending on their use in a word or sentence.
 For example:
¨ on its own means ‘bundle’, but in a compound it can mean ‘near’ or ‘close-
by’.
6 alone means ‘way’ or ‘road’, but compounded it can mean ‘far’ or ‘away’.
B means ‘surface’ and g means ‘sky’, but they can also mean ‘below’ and
‘above’ or ‘lower’ and ‘upper’ respectively.

Logograms by themselves can input almost any grammatical idea, and

theoretically could be used alone in order to write any language. This form
of writing can be called ‘True Latin Logographic’ (j nt @M), and it
employs the different logograms in a variety of roles inside the sentence.
Like this:
The man took his dog for a walk in the park yesterday.
Z (q)m Fx FW (b)i H w v 5 Z 8t x=.
The symbols contained in parentheses are meant to clarify the meaning of the following
logograms but can be removed if the context makes it clear enough.

In this example, we can see the logogram x (before) used after F

(possession) to provide a meaning of simple past, from ‘take’ to ‘took’. The
verbal nature of this set is implied from both the position of the word in the
sentence, as well as the combination itself (the symbols x, a and # in front
of others will often transmit a sense of verbal tenses: past, present and
future).
True Latin Logographic can be considered very refined and perhaps even
poetic, but it is particularly cumbersome for common use. The need to
employ solely logograms for every single word makes it inevitable that some
possibly arbitrary pairings will be formed, such as nt for ‘Latin’ (from the
popular etymology for ‘Latium’ as “broad-land”).
SYLLABARY & ALPHABET
In order to make the script more practical for daily use, two secondary
systems are meant to accompany it. Those are the Latin Syllabary and Latin
Alphabet. When used together, they will function similarly to Japanese
hiragana and katakana respectively, with some variations. This form is called
‘Mixed Latin Logographic’ (2¨ nt @M).
The Syllabary deviates from the other two sets by being derived not from
Egyptian hieroglyphics but instead from the Mycenaean Linear B script. The
Alphabet however is just the same traditional Latin script used around the
globe today.
These symbols are meant to be used for verbal and nominal declensions, as
well as prepositions. They can also be added to stem-logograms purely as a
way to convey clarity to the intended word (in case it cannot be discerned
directly by context).
While hiragana and katakana have a very strict differentiation regarding
which words can be written with each system, in Mixed Latin Logographic
these will ultimately boil down to different sound structures in the language
employing the script. Lighter syllables (having less morae, or phonological
units) will benefit from using the Syllabary, while heavier ones should use
the Alphabet. For example:
c can mean both ‘mind’ and ‘think’.
To differentiate it in Italian, one can write cg (mente) and cf (pensare), using
the Syllabary.
But in English it is best to write cD and cK, using the Alphabet, to better
accommodate the phonetic structures present.
Similarly, “I thought” can be written [! cp'] (io pensavo) in Italian, but it’s best
to write it [! cT] in English.

It is also possible to combine all three systems in a single word, if that helps
clarify the intended pronunciation. To keep with Italian:
In order to differentiate the present [voi pensate] from the past historic [voi
pensaste], we can write them as [1 cg] and [1 cSg] respectively.
The 1 in this case does not need any additional symbol to indicate its plurality as that is already apparent in
the verbal declension. But 1U (pure) could be used for this purpose, as well as 1i (mixed).

The letters in the Alphabet can be equated with katakana in the sense that
they’ll be used in order to write any word demanding an exact reading, such
as technical or scientific terms. So ‘Homo sapiens’ and ‘quark’ will still be
spelled with the alphabet. That is the only case where the vowels in the
Alphabet can be employed in the Mixed form, as otherwise the Syllabary
will be prioritized (q e i o u).
Using the ‘Mixed’ variety, our previous example would be written like this:
The man took his dog for a walk in the park yesterday.
g" Mq FK WS iG /'R q v iN g" 8t x=.

This form of the script allows for some elusive logograms to be clarified
without the need of extra logograms, like the sequence [Mq FK WS iG],
which can be made out with the addition of simple alphabet letters. The other
words, 8t and x=, were left as composite logograms since these convey
more complex ideas than their individual constituents.
The third way the script can be employed is by using a combination of just
the Logographic and Alphabetic sets, called ‘Simple Latin Logographic’
(&w nt @M). This style is ideal for casual texts, where the implementation
of all three sets might be too cumbersome.
It the Simple variety, Logograms are used only for conveying nouns and
verbal roots, while all other parts of the sentence are written using the
standard Alphabet. Copular verbs such as [to be] and [ser/estar] (Port. &
Spanish) can be written using the Alphabet as well to make for a "cleaner"
look. To continue with our previous example:
The man took his dog for a walk in the park yesterday.
The m Fk his i for a v in the 8t x=.
Lower-case will be used in this style for the Alphabet, as the Logograms can
stand out this way and contribute for the text's comprehension.
SYLLABIC TABLE
Finally, it's important to cover the A E I O U
diacritic marks present in g" and /', in Ø q e i o u
the previous example. As previously B Q a A z M'
C T' g' G' b' B'
stated, the Syllabary is derived from D E d D c C
Linear B, which lacks some F P' ;' :' /' ?'
phonemes in its syllable sets. G I' k' K' ,' <'
H q' e' i' o' u'
Because of that, the ' / " diacritics are J O' l' D' .' >'
employed in order to differentiate K I k K , <
syllabograms when they have L R' f' F' v' V'
M U j J m M
distinct readings.
N Y h H n N
In the example above, 'the' is written P P ; : / ?
Q Q' a' A' z' Z'
using the symbol g (te), with "
R R f F v V
indicating it's the fricative (the). The S W s S x X
word 'for' is written with the symbol Š W' s' S' x' X'
/ (po), having ' to indicate it's the T T g G b B
fricative (fo). V t' y' L' p' ?"
W t y L p M"
'C' in the following table is meant to indicate the X I" k" K" ," <"
sound /tsh/ or /ts/, hence its derivation from the T Y O l J' . >
set as well.
Z Z w S" r X"
 LOGOGRAPHIC TABLE
Main Derived Main Derived Main Derived
Symbol Symbol Symbol
Meaning Meanings Meaning Meanings Meaning Meanings
I (me) ! ego, agent event $ occasion,
situation
head k leader, capital
object,
you 1 recipient (of
action)
vessel 5 inside,
bound
face 0 profile,
appearance

self 2 reflection,
image
horizon T outside,
free
name ( title, identity
different, 3th
other W person
(he/she/they)
place t earth, land egg 9 seed,
beginning

form Q body,
structure
hill G high, tall skin O cover,
clothing
person q human, people sky g above, up fight L struggle,
battle
thing A stuff, subject
(of speech)
surface B table, flat,
down
house l building,
enclosure
this a current,
present
side b part, divide filth > feces,
derogatory
that Z away, def.
article
bundle ¨ near, crop,
domestic
bone . internal,
organ
unit w alone, indef.
article
way 6 road, far hair ) strand, line

kind z family, group,

species
not Y refusal,
stop
blade P weapon,
knife, sharp
sound S music, noise power y authority,
force
tool p device,
machine
total s every, all gift H offer,
proposal
breast : nourishment,
milk
time X season, age,
hour
doubt h question,
ponder
middle ; through,
cross
before x past, back loss N forget,
discard
sun _ year, summer

after # future,
progress
size n broad, wide moon - week, month

want 3 desire,
attraction
technique & art, system star ` constellation,
space
mind c think,
imagination
small 7 few, precise water o liquid, fluid

action e make, build big U many,

diverse
mineral ´ stone, solid,
hard
knowledge D wisdom, study error u failure,
wound, evil
fire + hot, energy,
plasma
mouth @ speech,
language
correct J health,
good
air ~ gas, flux,
blow
eye d vision, look truth j genuine,
whole
justice ^ same,
decision
ear C hear, attention writing M book,
record
light = day, white,
clear
heart E feeling, love male m phallus,
husband
red { blood,
colorful
arm V receive, add female * uterus, wife green [ paper, leaf,
grass
foot 4 stand, step plant 8 vegetable,
flora
yellow } beverage,
alcohol
hand F grasp,
possession
animal i beast, pet blue ] ash, grind

finger % touch,
interaction
bird K flying,
lightweight
black | night, dark

life R nature,
organism
insect < bug, small
animal
cold \ stream, flux,
wave
death r end,
conclusion
fish , aquatic,
marine
seat " rest, office

being f existence,
substance
child I young, new city ? nation, urban

movement v walk, shift old / elder,

ancestor
god ' spirit, soul
 KEYMAPPING
Logograms
Symbol Key Symbol Key Symbol Key Symbol Key Symbol Key Symbol Key

! ! $ $ k k 3 3 & & ` `

1 1 5 5 0 0 c c 7 7 o o

2 2 T T ( ( e e U U ´ ´

W W t t 9 9 D D u u + +

Q Q G G O O @ @ J J ~ ~

q q g g L L d d j j ^ ^

A A B B l l C C M M = =

a a b b > > E E m m { {

Z Z ¨ ¨ . . V V * * [ [

w w 6 6 ) ) 4 4 8 8 } }

z z Y Y P P F F i i ] ]

S S y y p p % % K K | |

s s H H : : R R < < \ \

X X h h ; ; r r , , " "

x x N N _ _ f f I I ? ?

# # n n - - v v / / ' '

Syllabary
Sy K Sy K Sy K Sy K Sy K Sy K Sy K Sy K Sy K Sy K
q q Q Q w w W W e e E E r r R R t t T T

a a A A s s S S d d D D f f F F g g G G

z z Z Z x x X X c c C C v v V V b b B B
Sy K Sy K Sy K Sy K Sy K Sy K Sy K Sy K Sy K Sy K
y y Y Y u u U U i i I I o o O O p p P P

h h H H j j J J k k K K l l L L ; ; : :

n n N N m m M M , , < < . . > > / / ? ?

There is no underlying logic behind the keymapping for the Logographic set unfortunately, as the
pronunciation of every single logogram will vary with the language using it, making any
association with individual letters in the common keyboard impossible.
The Syllabic set however is laid out in a logical manner so that the writer can easily pick up which
keys will type out the desired symbol most of the times. Every row in the keyboard will encompass
a consonant set, so the logic behind this keymapping should be rather intuitive. For example, the
row containing the letter T will have the syllabograms for [ta] (T), [te] (g), [ti] (G), [to] (b) and
[tu] (B).
 AUXILIARY VERBS, MARKERS & PREPOSITIONS
Symbol Verb Symbol V. Marker Symbol Prep.
f be (j)+V+TENSE Indicative3 F of

4 be (transient)1 h+V+TENSE Subjunctive 5 in

F have hZ+V+TENSE Conditional Z to, that

e do Z+V+TENSE Imperative4 H for

Z will MOOD+V+a Present ¨ with

y can MOOD+V+x Past g on

3 need2 MOOD+V+# Future V from

v go 4+V+a Gerund ; by

$ happen $+V+x Participle 2 as

1 This sense of this verb is meant to convey momentary states of being, like 'estar' in Portuguese/Spanish.
2 This verb can also be exchanged for 'have to' [F Z] to differentiate from 'want', which uses the same symbol.
3 The indicative mood does not need to be marked every time, as seen in the previous examples.
4 While the tense is often dropped in imperative verbs, it is written here in order to differentiate it from the English

future auxiliary formation.

EXAMPLES
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are
endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in
a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)
True Logographic
s jq fU fa $9x QT b W^ 5 2J b ?^. W fa $VQx ¨ c^ b 5D b
hZx e .Z w Ww 5 w '~ F 29z.
Mixed Logographic
s jq fGS ff 9N QT & W^ iN 2J & ?^S. WY ff VQD LTH c^
& 5D & yLD eT .Z w Ww iN q '~ oF 29u'D.
Simple Logographic
All jq fgs are 9rn QT and W^ in 2J and ?^s. W are VQd with c^ and
5D and yld et towards w Ww in a '~ of 29hood.

Aside from the main symbols and compounds presented here, there is no single definitive orthography for
this script's logograms. While it is to be expected that certain standard spellings would be popularized and
made "official" over the centuries as this script evolved, it was not my intention to have them already
developed while elaborating Latin Logographic.

Instead, I think it is far more interesting to have anyone who wishes to use this script make their own
"canonical" orthographies for nouns and verbs. Maybe something resembling a written standard can arise
in the future, if the script gets more use.