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orthography

linguistics
Also known as: spelling

Quick Summary

Orthography refers to the art of writing words correctly according to standard usage or the representation of a language's sounds using written symbols. It is essentially the system of spelling and writing for a language.12

There are various types of writing systems, each with different ways of representing language:
* Logographic systems use characters to represent meaningful units like words or morphemes.3
* Syllabic systems use symbols for each distinct syllable.3
* Consonantal systems represent consonant sounds while omitting vowels.3
* Alphabetic systems represent individual sounds (phonemes), both consonants and vowels.3
* Featural systems analyze sounds into their underlying articulatory features.3

Most writing systems combine elements from different types. Orthography is crucial for literacy and the dissemination of written language, though spelling can sometimes diverge from pronunciation due to historical changes.32

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