Maríanna Björk Ásmundsdóttir

The Perception of Words

The Perception of Words is based on the functions of discourse particles and mindreading in daily communications. Discourse particles are short, unconjugated utterances such as huh, well, like, and you know – words that do not carry any significant meaning, yet they serve various communicative functions. These particles, silences, and other communicative signs, such as sighs, are used to support the flow of conversation. A typeface is a graphic expression of words, therefore, it was appropriate to design an elegant display typeface designed with the purpose of highlighting discourse particles. The typeface includes symbols from conversation analysis which symbolize tone, silences, and intonation, that affect the interpretation and consequently the perception of words.