Hey, got a question about calligraphy. I noticed that if there are multiple lines, the sentence always starts with a specific symbol with a line that puts the statement together. What is the exact function of that symbol?
Na’shaya! The symbol you’re referring to is called kharat-ulidar (direction-marker) or, more colloquially, patam (head).
Because Vulcan writing is not direction-locked (more info on this here), the kharat-ulidar serves to easily orient the reader by pointing out where the text begins. It can also be used for texts comprising a single line if the calligrapher deems it appropriate. It is not a letter, and as such it’s not pronounced or read out loud. It is not completely necessary to write it as you can still see the direction of the text by observing the rest of the letters, but it is considered improper to omit it in formal contexts.
It also serves as a kind of signature, as Vulcan calligraphers have traditionally designed a kharat-ulidar of their own and registered it with the Shi’Oren t’Ek’Iyula-Visak’a T’Khasi (Vulcan Academy of Cultural Heritage). The most common kharat-ulidar, the one pictured above, is a generic one that can be used by anyone.
