Writing is the act of creating a persistent representation of human language. A writing system uses a set of symbols and rules to encode aspects of spoken language, such as its lexicon and syntax. However, written language may take on characteristics distinct from those of any spoken language.[1]
In general, writing systems do not constitute languages in and of themselves, but rather a means of encoding language such that it can be read by others across time and space.[3][4] While not all languages use a writing system, those that do can complement and extend the capacities of spoken language by creating durable forms of language that can be transmitted across space (e.g. written correspondence) and stored over time (e.g. libraries or other public records).[5] Writing can also have knowledge-transforming effects, since it allows humans to externalize their thinking in forms that are easier to reflect on, elaborate on, reconsider, and revise.[6][7][8]
^Harris, Roy (2000). Rethinking Writing. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. p. 185. ISBN978-0-253-33776-4.
^Haas, Christina (1996). Writing technology: Studies on the Materiality of Literacy. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates. ISBN978-0-8058-1306-7.
^Schmandt-Besserat, Denise; Erard, Erard (2007). "Origins and Forms of Writing". In Bazerman, Charles (ed.). Handbook of Research on Writing: History, Society, School, Individual, Text. New York: L. Erlbaum Associates. p. 21. ISBN978-1-135-25111-6.
^Bazerman, Charles; Russell, David, eds. (1994). "Writing as a mode of learning". Landmark Essays: On Writing Across the Curriculum. Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781003059219. ISBN978-1-003-05921-9.
^Adler-Kassner, Linda; Wardle, Elizabeth A., eds. (2015). Naming What We Know: Threshold Concepts of Writing Studies. Logan: Utah State University Press. pp. 55–56. ISBN978-0-87421-989-0. JSTORj.ctt15nmjt7.
^Winsor, Dorothy A. (1994). "Invention and Writing in Technical Work: Representing the Object". Written Communication. 11 (2): 227–250. doi:10.1177/0741088394011002003. S2CID145645219.