Final answer:
A system of signs that represents ideas is known as an ideogram, which is a character in logographic writing systems. Ideograms are used extensively in hieroglyphics and in languages with characters like Chinese, where symbols directly convey meaning.
Step-by-step explanation:
A system of signs that represent ideas is a ideogram. Ideograms, or logograms, are characters used in various writing systems that represent a word or a phrase. This concept is similar to what is seen in hieroglyphics, where each symbol can represent sounds as well as ideas. For example, Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and Chinese characters utilize ideograms extensively. Unlike an alphabet that uses letters to represent sounds, ideograms convey meaning directly, without necessarily indicating how they should be voiced.
Every language is a system that applies symbols, such as letters, pictographs, and hand gestures to create a means of communication. These symbols are understood within cultural contexts, allowing people to share ideas effectively. In the history of writing, pictographic forms were pictogram representations that suggested the intended meaning of the content, and these evolved over time into more abstract forms, such as ideograms.