Editing Blissymbols (section)

== The speech question ==
Unlike similar constructed languages like [[AUI (constructed language)|aUI]],<ref name="Okrent" /> Blissymbolics was conceived as a written language with no phonology, on the premise that "interlinguistic communication is mainly carried on by reading and writing". Nevertheless, Bliss suggested that a set of international words could be adopted, so that "a kind of spoken language could be established – as a travelling aid only".<ref name="Bliss" /> (1965, p.&nbsp;89–90).

Whether Blissymbolics constitutes an [[unspoken language]] is a controversial question, whatever its practical utility may be.  Some linguists, such as [[John DeFrancis]]<ref>DeFrancis, John (1984), ''The Chinese language : fact and fantasy''. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press. {{ISBN|0-8248-0866-5}}.</ref><ref>DeFrancis, John (1989), ''Visible speech : the diverse oneness of writing systems''. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press. {{ISBN|0-8248-1207-7}}.</ref> and [[J. Marshall Unger]]<ref name="Unger2004">{{cite book |author = Unger, J. Marshall |title = Ideogram: Chinese characters and the myth of disembodied meaning |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=fRqKreZFVTYC&pg=PA26 |access-date = 25 July 2011 |year = 2004 |publisher = University of Hawaii Press |isbn = 978-0-8248-2760-1 |pages = 14, 16, 26 }}</ref> have argued that genuine ideographic writing systems with the same capacities as [[natural language]]s do not exist.