Comment by BariumBlue
16 hours ago
I would imagine most reading would be "let me read that sign" and not much else. To most folks, writing was probably logographs - "Ah, I've seen that collection of letters before, that meant 'pub' "
16 hours ago
I would imagine most reading would be "let me read that sign" and not much else. To most folks, writing was probably logographs - "Ah, I've seen that collection of letters before, that meant 'pub' "
If most of the audience is actually illiterate, why not draw a beer and a chicken leg instead? I believe that’s what most signage actually was.
Public signage with words was basically nonexistent in the pre-modern era. Why bother? The overhead of getting literate people was reserved for the stuff that couldn't be communicated in symbols, like keeping records for the taxman or contracts to prevent future land disputes.
British pubs traditionally have a hanging signboard with a pictorial illustration of the name. Several examples at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pub_names_in_Great_Britain