Fluxus Editions

Abstract. The name of a scientific discipline is closely tied to the discipline’s definition and (self-)conception. This renders naming processes highly significant as they involve intricate negotiations of and ultimately decisions concerning, among many other aspects, the boundaries of the newly designated discipline and research traditions that the chosen label may be associated with. In the little-researched history of the study of writing, scholars have proposed several names at different times and in diverse contexts. In this historiographic paper, nine are discussed: grammatology, graphonomy, graphology, graphem(at)ics, orthography, writing systems research, grapholinguistics, script(ur)ology, and philography. The ‘baptism stories’ behind these designations are characterized by common trends and challenges arising from the goal of coining a semantically transparent and unambiguous term that fits the study of writing and is more or less inclusive of the multiple disciplines and perspectives that wish to participate in it. Given that no name has been widely adopted and processes of disciplinary demarcation are still ongoing, this paper aims to systematically shed light on this important if somewhat chaotic part of the history of the study of writing to raise awareness and ultimately inform future efforts in (further) establishing it.

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Dimitrios Meletis (2022), “What's in a name? Trends and challenges in naming the study of writing,” in Proceedings of Grapholinguistics in the 21st Century, 2022 (Yannis Haralambous, Ed.), Grapholinguistics and Its Applications, Vol. 9, Brest: Fluxus Editions, 1–44.


@INPROCEEDINGS{gla9-mele,
   AUTHOR = {Dimitrios Meletis},
   EDITOR = {Haralambous, Yannis},
   TITLE = {{What's in a name? Trends and challenges in naming the study of
writing}},
   BOOKTITLE = {{Proceedings of Grapholinguistics in the 21st Century, 2022}},
   SERIES = {{Grapholinguistics and Its Applications}},
   VOLUME = {9},
   PUBLISHER = {Fluxus Editions},
   ADDRESS = {Brest},
   YEAR = {2022},
   PAGES = {1--44},
   DOI = {https://doi.org/10.36824/2022-graf-mele},
}