Current theories of perception and language can help answer the question, "What can we expect of a visual language?" There are fundamental differences between visual and linguistic forms of expression. Linguistic forms of expression are characterized by the use of a rich set of socially invented arbitrary symbols as well as a form of logic exemplified by the "ifs'', "ands'' and "buts'' of natural language. The grammar of visual representation is quite different having to do with pattern relationships such as "connected'', "inside'', "outside'', or "part of''. These derive from our visual processing mechanism developed through interaction with the visual environment. This means that certain kinds of logic are best left to verbal or written language whereas structural relationships are best conveyed visually.
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