The Three Levels of Abstraction in Morse Code Communication
Morse code turns a thought into sound through three mental steps—each one a level of abstraction. First, the sender uses semantic abstraction to convert an idea into letters (e.g., "The ship is sinking" → "SOS"). Second, symbolic abstraction changes those letters into Morse code symbols ("SOS" → "... ––– ..."). Third, perceptual abstraction transforms the symbols into sound (beeps and dashes using a telegraph key).
The receiver reverses this: first hearing the sound (perceptual), then recognizing the dot-dash symbols (symbolic), and finally understanding the message as a cry for help (semantic).
This process shows how Morse code links sound, symbol, and meaning across minds.