Ideographs

Ideograph, coined for use in the study of rhetoric by Michael Calvin McGee in 1980, is a term used to describe words that illustrate or reveal cultural ideology, collective thought, and a system of ideals and ideas. Often noted in brackets (e.g., <freedom>), an ideograph sheds light on the political and social consciousness of a collective of people. Ideographs serve as both a rhetorical device and research method. Rhetorical scholars engage in ideographic analysis by looking at key terms and phrases used repeatedly, and verbatim, to garner an understanding not only of the significance of the term, but of ideas and ideals influencing society within specific historical contexts. In other words, ideographs provide a window of understanding into the ideas, beliefs, and values ...