The Graphic-Linguistic Distinction Exploring Alternatives

摘要

What properties, if any, distinguish graphical representations from linguistic representations? This paper looks for answers in the literature of philosophy, logic, artificial intelligence, and cognitive psychology, and extracts seven alternative binary classifications of representations that may characterize the graphic-linguistic boundary. We assess each alternative by two standards: (a) whether it extensionally fits the graphic-linguistic distinction, and (b) how far it explains the properties commonly attributed to graphic representations but not to linguistic ones.