UPL

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Context Symbols

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eyes

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nose

In the symbols above, the picture on the left side of the blue arrow is called the "context picture". The blue arrow is called the "selection arrow". It's called the selection arrow because it selects a part of the context picture for the reader to focus her attention on. Which part does it select? The part that is depicted in the picture on the right. The picture on the right is called the "target element". The target element represents the meaning of the symbol. (The selection arrow always points to the meaning of the symbol.) The context picture helps us identify the target element. For example, look again at the symbol for "nose". Would you recognize the drawing on the right as representing a nose without the help of the context picture? Probably not!

So a context symbol presents a context picture and then the selection arrow removes part of the context picture and the removed part of the picture is repeated on the other side of the selection arrow. Just remember that the selection arrow always points to the meaning of the symbol.

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mail man, post man

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ink

In the symbol above for "ink", the target element is a drop of black liquid. But in this symbol, we can't find the target element in the context picture. But we know that ink pens have ink in them, so we imagine removing the drop of ink from the inside of the pen. Notice I have extended the tail end of the selection arrow with a blue dashed line. This makes it crystal clear what the tail end of the selection arrow points to.

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thoughts

Now let's look at some more advanced symbols. Don't worry if you can't guess the meanings of these symbols the first time you see them. It takes a little time to get used to thinking in pictures and also to get used to the style of Universal Picture Language.