The readers' analogue of -phone

[Joel S. Berson]

At 10/2/2012 09:03 AM, W Brewer wrote:
>JB wrote: <<<An X-phone is someone who speaks language X, sometimes with
>the connotation of "native" or preferred language.  What is the analogous
>term for someone who reads language X?>>>
>WB: (1) Reader in Greek is anagnost-es. *Angl(o)anagnost???

Sufficiently esoteric.  And I see "anagnost, n." IS in the OED
(although not as a suffix): "A reader" (although with the added
definitions of "a prelector; one employed to read aloud; the reader
of the lessons in church."  But I prefer W Brewer's third option.

>(2) If X-phone is literally <sound of the voice>, then a language reader
>should analogically be X-symbol <symbols of writing>???

No, not what I have in mind.

>(3) How about X-log? Anglolog, Francolog. We alread have Sinologue. (Cf.
>Hamlet, words, words, words.)

I tried -log as a suffix in the OED, but it wasn't there.  I forget
I'm American and it's British.  -logue is present (although,
curiously, it seems undefined, merely etymologized).

"Sinologue" to the OED is "one versed in the Chinese language, or in
the customs and history of China." -- very close to the meaning I
want (both language and customs).  But I don't like the looks of
"Francolog" -- too suggestive of wood.  I'll spell it "Francologue."

Joel

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