Dictionaries, Text, and Illusions

"In the past, the assistant professor of cognitive science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has demonstrated that the shapes of letters in 100 writing systems reflect common ones seen in nature: Take the letter "A"--it looks like a mountain, he says. And "Y" might remind one of a tree with branches. He also showed that across different languages most characters take three strokes to write out. That's because, he says, three is the highest quantity a person's brain can perceive without resorting to counting." - Scientific American excerpt.

Quite an interesting read not only about the developments of written language, but also other traits developed through evolution that influence language. You can read the entire article at the link below.
Scientific American: What Dictionaries and Optical Illusions Say About Our Brains