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Article In: Written Language & Literacy
Vol. 29:2 (2026) ► pp.143–188

Grapho-diglossia

The Ottoman Siyāqat script as a technology of institutional exclusion

ORCiD logo with link | Ministry of National Education
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Abstract
This article contributes to the theory of diglossia. It theorizes a phenomenon we call ‘grapho-diglossia’. Traditionally, the diglossic approach has reduced speech-centered writing to a secondary role. In this study, the Ottoman Siyāqat script was examined, and the limits of this approach were questioned. Our aim is to reconsider the glotto-centric boundaries in diglossia theory. For this purpose, diachronic analysis of 5 documents representing the Ottoman Siyāqat script was used. For this analysis, the Composite Artificiality Index (CAI) was developed as a heuristic instrument for structured qualitative comparison. It has been observed that the Siyāqat script systematically suspends the representation of speech, that is, phonetic recoverability. In this study, the concepts of H⁺ variant and grapho-diglossia are proposed to describe such semiotic regimes. The study shows that the Ottoman bureaucracy produced a conscious ‘illegibility’ and transformed literacy into a restricted competence instead of communication skills. The study frames its contribution as exploratory mapping structural patterns rather than making definitive diachronic generalizations. The findings suggest that graphic opacity functions as a permanent material resource of administration in institutional contexts.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Theoretical framework
    • 2.1Speech-centered border: Diglossia and grapho-diglossia
    • 2.2Hyper-High (H⁺) graphic variant
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Corpus Formation
    • 3.2Composite Artificiality Index (CAI)
    • 3.3Analysis Stages
  • 4.Findings
    • 4.1Overview: From functional shorthand to institutionalized H⁺ regime
    • 4.2Dimensional analysis: Mechanisms of graphic artificialization
      • 4.2.1Spatial suppression: From text to visual block
      • 4.2.2From grapheme sequences to mnemonic blocks
      • 4.2.3Logogramming: Separation of number and sound
      • 4.2.4Spatial suppression as institutional gatekeeping
    • 4.3Comparative findings: Establishing the H⁺ distinction
    • 4.4Institutionalization of the H⁺ Variant
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • Appendices
    • Appendix A
      • Analytical summary
      • Transliterations and translations: Document A
    • Appendix B
      • Analytical summary
      • Transliterations and translations: Document B
    • Appendix C
      • Analytical summary
      • Transliterations and translations: Document C
    • Appendix D
      • Analytical summary
      • Transliterations and translations: Document D
    • Appendix E
      • Analytical Summary
      • Transliterations and translations: Document E
  • Author queries
  • References
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