Adinkra Symbols:

Pictographs are defined by their lack of phonetic value which is replaced with semantic
value. They represent things, such as animals, people, nature, etc. Pictograph’s meanings
can be read in any language because they are not controlled linguistically. Similarly
ideograms represent things visually; however, these things represent ideas not
themselves. For example if there is an ideograph of a dog, it would represent friendliness,
unfaltering loyalty essentially ideas associated with a dog. Ideograms have a broader
range of meaning than pictographs but can also be pronounced in any language because
they are not controlled by language either. They are more similar to phonetics than
pictographs because ideographs often have specific names and words associated with
them. Lastly are phonographic writing systems which represent sounds of speech and
include syllabic and phonemic writing systems (Cloth as metaphor 8-9).
Adinkra symbols are ideographs because they represent ideas and not just things.
Adinkra symbols have specific names and meanings, which have a specific phonetic
value. However, the phonetic value is not controlled since they do not represent sounds of
speech and the ideas Adinkra represents can be understood in other languages (Arthur 9-
10). Based on this Adinkra should be considered a writing system, for it clearly fits into
the category ideogram. However, it is not so simple because many linguists have argued
that the concept of the ideograph cannot exist.
This debate over the concept of the ideograph is especially important in regards to
Adinkra because without the existence of this concept, Adinkra cannot be considered a
writing system. The debate over the concept ‘ideograph’ has started over Chinese
characters which are also referred to as ideographs. Chad Hansen in his article Chinese
Ideographs and Western ideas discusses John DeFrancis’s, and the group to which he
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