RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TYPOGRAPHIC ELEMENTS AND THE LEGIBILITY OF THE CYRILLIC SCRIPT: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Abstract

The main aim of this paper is to examine the influence of typographic characteristics on the legibility of text written in the Cyrillic script. Since reading plays a major role in the life of every individual, especially within the educational process, the proper visual presentation of text is important for facilitating its processing and reading. Typography encompasses various elements, such as font type, font size, letter spacing, bolding, and underlining, all of which may influence reading speed and comprehension. In the Serbian language, there is a specific phenomenon known as digraphia, which implies the equal use of two scripts–Latin and Cyrillic. Previous research on typographic characteristics have mainly focused on the Latin alphabet and the English language, while studies examining the impact of visual aspects on legibility in the Cyrillic script are lacking. This study focused on investigating the factors that affect the legibility of a Cyrillic text. The experiment was conducted on the sample of 686 participants. Three factors were varied: age, font type, and font size. Reading speed and comprehension accuracy were monitored. The results showed a major effect of age on text legibility. A statistically significant interaction was also found between age and font type, as well as a three-way interaction among the varied factors.