David Březina The twentieth century has seen a search for universals in world languages (Saussure, 1916/1972; Chomsky, 1965) as well as in stories (Joyce, 1922), myths (Lévi-Strauss, 1958/1963), or religions (Eliade, 1952/1961). It is worth asking whether there are some aspects of the human condition that determine character shapes used in writing. Those aspects would inevitably reveal themselves through the visual traits shared by the various scripts of the world.
At first glance, scripts may appear to be arbitrary collections of visual symbols. However, a closer look reveals shared visual attributes and principles that are not directly related to scripts’ functions in language. Both craftspeople and researchers noticed this in individual scripts (Carter, 1969/2002; Naik, 1971; Baudin, 1984; Walker, 2008; Sanocki & Dyson, 2012; Gordon, 2013). Despite their many differences (cultural, linguistic, or visual), could all human scripts share some universal principles, and if so, how do we identify them?
Recently, this challenge has been tackled by researchers spanning the globe as well as disciplines (Changizi and Shimojo, 2005; Changizi et al., 2006; Březina, 2018; Morin, 2018; Miton and Morin, 2021; Kim et al., 2025). This paper will provide a critical overview of their methods (chirographic/topological analysis, feature analysis, visual complexity, or similarity) complemented by the author’s new research using Fourier transform to analyse characters. What methods lend themselves well to cross-script studies? What are their positives, and where do they simplify?
Besides a better understanding of how the internal human processes are reflected in writing, “the single most important sign system ever invented” (Coulmas, 1989, p. 3), the outcomes might offer strategies for studies of ancient scripts, guidance for newly invented scripts, or the development of better design tools and fonts.