alphanumeric characters are those symbols which refer to a sound or an amount > letters and numbers

an ascender is the part of a character’s stem that sticks out above the character, such as in ‘b’ or ‘h’

body text is the main text, in which a storyline or argumentation is presented, as opposed to consultation text

consultation text provides supporting information, such as text in the margin or the content of this glossary

a descender portrudes from the bottom of some characters, such as ‘p’ and ‘y’ > see figure 1

environmental contrast refers to a contrast between an object and its surroundings, caused by a difference in shape, color, or illumination (a red traffic sign in a wooded area)

executive control processes are those mental processes which allow people to combine information and coordinate complex activities

functional properties of type are those properties that allow recognition of a character as a letter

glyphic type is a class of type identified by its triangular serifs > see table 1

Gothic typefaces belong to the Sans Serif class > see table 1

a hairline is a thin stroke of a character, originating from the thin line produced by a pen at the slanted part of a written letter > > see figure 1

hyphens are connecting lines, used to indicate a specific relationship between two words or to indicate that a word will be continued on the next line of text > -
hyphenation is the process of cutting a word off and letting its second part run on the next line of text, while indicating the unity of the word with a hyphen

the paralinguistic function of type is to communicate more than that which the words say about the message content

picas are a measure used to express typesize > see paragraph 2.4

psycholinguistics is the psychological study of language. It focuses on how individuals comprehend, produce, and acquire language. Its major themes are the mental processes that underly language use, the tacit knowledge that native speakers have of their language, and language acquisition in children (Carroll, 1986)

reader fatigue refers to physical tiredness resulting from eye-strain as well as non-optimal mental performance resulting from loss of concentration and deteriorating comprehension

Roman typefaces belong to the Serif class > see table 1

semantic properties of type are those properties that allow meaning to be expressed beyond that which is expressed in the text content

semiotics is the study of signs that the mind uses to comprehend the world and convey knowledge of it to others

serifs are the the small terminal stroke[s] drawn at a right or oblique angle across the arm, stem, or tail of a letter > see figure 1

the stem of a character is the main vertical stroke > see figure 1 target=body

strokes are the main ‘lines’ of which characters are composed > see figure 1

styles of type are italic or bold type > see paragraph 1.3

a tool, as used here, is an aid to performing a task. In this sense, a video-recorder is as much a tool as a hammer, as is a letter. In this definition, a tool is not necessarily a tangible object

transparancy is that property of type which causes the reader not to notice the unique shape of the characters of a particular typeface

the user trial is a method of investigation in which a typical user of the ‘tool’ to be tested is asked to operate this ‘tool’ and is observed to find out which problems arise during regular use

the visual angle is the angle between the lines extending from the eye to the top and bottom of a visual object

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