Cartographic Language: Towards a New Paradigm for Understanding Stylistic Diversity in Topographic Maps

Abstract

To what extent can similarity and difference in the cartographic style of state topographic maps be explained within the context of the cartographic language paradigm? This paper explores the suitability of this approach as a hermeneutic for stylistic diversity, the persistence of nationally-specific conventions and problems of symbol standardisation. After reviewing earlier treatments of map language as analogy and metaphor in cartographic theory, we consider the construction of cartographic meaning and its role within a semiological system and suggest how variations in denotation and connotation allow a deeper understanding of the cultural significance of state topographic map symbologies. In treating topographic cartography as a natural visual language for communicating place, a new paradigm is proposed through which problems of international collaboration concerning the portrayal of transnational landscapes (especially at larger map scales) may be approached and potentially overcome.