Compare alphabetic, syllabic, and logographic writing systems with an example of each.

• A. Alphabetic uses letters (Latin)
• B. Logographic uses symbols for morphemes/words (Chinese characters)
• C. Pictographic uses pictorial symbols
• D. Syllabic uses symbols for syllables (Japanese kana)

Answer: (D)

Understanding how writing systems encode sound is the key. A syllabic system uses symbols that represent syllables rather than individual sounds or whole words. Japanese kana (hiragana and katakana) are a classic example: each character stands for a syllable, such as ka, ki, ku, ke, ko, or ta, ti, tu, te, to, and so on. This is what makes it a true syllabic script. In contrast, an alphabetic system uses letters to map to individual phonemes (sounds) and combines them to form words, with Latin being a common example. A logographic system uses symbols that stand for whole morphemes or words, like Chinese characters. Pictographic scripts use pictures to convey meaning directly, which is related but not the same as the syllabic approach. So, the statement that syllabic writing uses symbols for syllables, with Japanese kana as the example, correctly identifies this type.