Here's a breakdown:
The most well-known users of ideographs are:
* Speakers of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean: These languages use a writing system called logographic writing, where each character represents a whole word or concept. While these languages also use phonetic components in their writing, ideographic characters play a significant role.
* Ancient civilizations: Many ancient civilizations like the Egyptians, Sumerians, and Mayans used ideographic writing systems in various forms.
Other uses of ideographs:
* Mathematical symbols: Symbols like +, -, =, and < are ideographic, representing mathematical operations and relations.
* Scientific symbols: Chemical symbols like H, O, and Na are ideographs representing specific elements.
* Road signs: Traffic signs use ideographic symbols for clear and universal communication.
* Emoji: Many emojis are ideographs, representing emotions, objects, or actions.
Important to Note:
* The term "ideograph" can be used broadly, encompassing various types of symbols, so it's important to be mindful of the context.
* While languages like Chinese, Japanese, and Korean heavily rely on ideographs, they also employ other types of symbols, including phonetic ones.
* The use of ideographs has evolved over time, with some systems shifting from purely ideographic to more phonetically-based systems.
So, instead of saying "these people use ideographs," it's more accurate to say that people who use various writing systems, including logographic, mathematical, and scientific systems, employ ideographs in their communication.