Graphology

Graphology definition

So what exactly is graphology?

Also called graphological features, graphology is also crucial for exploring how punctuation, paragraphing, and spacing are used on a page.

Graphology in English Language

It is important to note that this is the definition of graphology in the context of English Language studies. Another definition of graphology is the study of handwriting, which is said to help determine personality traits; if you've searched online for "graphology", you'll probably find a lot of info on this - however, this is not the type of graphology that we will be discussing in this article. We will be looking at graphology purely as a visual representation of language.

Why does Graphology matter?

Graphology matters because whenever language is written down or typed, its appearance, or visual aesthetic, communicates meaning, regardless of whether it was intended or not.

For example, it would be perfectly normal and acceptable to hand in an essay typed in black Times New Roman in size 12pt, arranged into neat paragraphs. It would be a little alarming however, if your tutor received an essay that you had typed in neon pink Comic Sans in size 100pt, in all capital letters and with a hand-drawn picture of a cat at the bottom of each page!

The graphology, or graphological features, of a piece of writing give us clues about how we should interpret it - is it formal or informal, is it for adults or children, and should we take it seriously or not - graphology gives an extra layer of meaning to the written or printed word.

A more simple reason to pay attention to graphology is to make sure that a piece of writing is legible. An easy-to-follow layout, good punctuation, and appropriate fonts all allow for clear communication.

Graphology examples

Let's look into the different examples of graphological features that exist within graphology and the English Language.

Graphology has many facets, including:

• Layout
• Typographical features
• Font size
• Font type
• Font colour
• Orthographic features
• Spelling
• Capitalization
• Punctuation

For each of these elements, we will give a brief explanation. If you'd like to read up about any of them in more detail, we have individual articles for each one.

Layout

Layout is how a piece of writing is arranged. This can include paragraphs, spacing, headings and subheadings, and overall structure. Layout is quite literally how the piece is laid out before the reader.

Think of a newspaper article: there is usually a headline to sum up the piece and entice you to read on, and then the main text, split into paragraphs to help you digest the information. This tried and tested layout works as it draws the reader in before presenting the information in a way that is easy to follow.

Another layout you may be familiar with is a restaurant menu. The options are usually organized into categories such as “starters”, “mains” and “desserts” (in that order), the name of each option is usually larger and / or bolder than the description, and there may even be some decorative touches, such as images, to contribute to the “feel” of the menu. The layout is important for clarity and tone.

Typographical features

In graphology, typographical features are visual elements that a text uses in order to communicate information clearly, and in the intended way. These elements include:

• Typefaces and fonts
• Contrast
• Consistency
• White space
• Alignment
• Colour
• Hierarchy

There's a lot to cover here, so we recommend reading our article on typographical features for a more in-depth focus on each element. Generally speaking though, typographical features help to make text clear, visually appealing, and legible.

Font size

This is pretty self-explanatory - it is simply the size of the font. Font sizes are measured in points, pixels, or pica.

Obvious though it may sound, font size is an important element of graphology. This is because it allows for clarity (ie, making sure the text is the right size to read comfortably), and differentiation (consider how headings, sub-headings, and the main body of text usually differ in size to create a clear separation between them).

Font type

Font type refers to the use of typefaces and their variations - the choice of typeface, combined with variations such as italics and bold text, helps to communicate tone and emphasis.

A selection of typefaces. (StudySmarter.com)

Font colour

Font colour, much like font size, can help to create differentiation or contrast; a font colour can simply help to make text legible (for example, a black font on a white background), or it can be used to grab a reader's attention where appropriate (for example, a red font to warn of danger).

Orthographic features

Orthographic features in graphology are the conventions of the written English Language. They include:

• Spelling
• Punctuation
• Capitalisation
• Hyphenation
• Emphasis

These are the accepted ways of writing - without the proper use of orthographic features, a piece of text can be baffling and hard to understand. Take the following sentence, for example:

“It's a little, nown fact that p. Nuts R not akchully! Nuts but leg umes?"

If we were to correct the orthographic features of this text, we would have something much easier to understand:

"It's a little-known fact that peanuts are not actually nuts, but legumes."

Of course, sometimes writers break these accepted rules to create a certain effect - they might want the reader to feel alienated, or to draw attention to certain words or phrases. For more information on this, see our article on foregrounding. More often than not though, we use orthographic features in their conventional ways for the sake of clarity.

Spelling

Correct spelling sends a message of professionalism - in this age of automatic spell checks, it is certainly a sign of amateurism to publish or print a piece of text with spelling mistakes!

However, sometimes deliberate misspelling can be a stylistic choice or graphological feature. Think of the number of bands and musical artists who intentionally spell words incorrectly to give their artist and album names a certain "edge". The Weeknd, Phish, Twista, Eminem and Def Leppard are all examples of this.

Poets such as Linton Kwesi Johnson, Jean “Binta” Breeze and Benjamin Zephaniah write straight, rather than using traditional English spelling. This portrays their nation language (which is a variation on a language, such as Jamaican Patois) more accurately. Take a look at this extract from Linton Kwesi Johnson's “Mi Revalueshanary Fren” (which in standard English, would be “My Revolutionary Friend”):

By spelling words like this, his own unique voice comes across much more clearly.

In the case of Benjamin Zephaniah, he began writing straight because of his dyslexia. Unexpectedly, this became part of his style and led to his huge success and popularity. Below is a short extract from his poem, "Dis Poetry":

Capitalisation

Capitalisation means using capital letters. This usually happens at the beginning of a proper noun - such as John Smith, or Uganda - or in the words of a title or heading - such as English Language: A Complete Guide, or Jurassic World. Capitalisation can help to separate proper nouns from regular nouns, as well as adding differentiation to a title or heading.

Of course, capitalisation can also be used TO DRAW ATTENTION TO A PART OF THE TEXT, OR TO SIGNIFY THAT A CHARACTER IS SHOUTING BY USING ALL CAPITALS!

Punctuation

Punctuation is the use of symbols in a text to organise the natural pauses and rhythms of language, among other things. Full stops, exclamation marks, and question marks are all examples of punctuation.

What is a multimodal text?

A multimodal text is a text that makes meaning by combining two or more modes of communication, such as printed language, spoken language, audio, and images. Examples of multimodal texts include comics and graphic novels, newspapers, and even live performances. So how does this relate to graphology in the English Language?

Well, many multimodal texts incorporate the written or printed word. Think of the way comics use stylised lettering or the way movies use titles and subtitles to create a mood or to help tell a story.

1 Linton Kwesi Johnson. (1991). Tings an Times: Selected Poems.

² Benjamin Zephaniah. (1992). City Psalms.