The Language Lover's Lexicon

By Elio E

Writing systems come into being and change because of a mix of cultural,

technological, and practical forces. People who have learned to read and write in a

certain way, no matter how inconvenient or hard it is, are usually not ready to

change their habits. Most writers don't like writing changes. In all countries where

people can read and write, there is a strong social and political mainstream that

tries to force writing to be the same (for example, by making sure students learn

the difference between "right" and "wrong" spelling). But there are also groups of

writers who try to get away with as much as they can in their writing.

For example, tone diacritics are often said to be the correct way to write in

Yoruba, even though many people who use Yoruba spelling seem to be fine

without them. There are some homographs when the tone diacritics are taken out

(Olmyw 2013: 44), as the people who want the rules to be official have pointed

out. But writing systems and the languages they represent are usually full of

homographs and homophones, which are not a problem at all for people who

speak the language. Even more important, writing is not just a tool for getting

things done; it is also a way to show social affiliation. People will be more likely to

accept you as a valuable member of their group if you know the rules for writing.

This is true whether you are writing a job application or a text message. Even after

more than a century of trying to standardize the writing systems, there are still a

lot of different ways to write in everyday life (Olmyw, 2013). This is a good

example.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9493375943
• ISBN13: 9789493375949
• Release Date: August 2023
• Publisher: Elio Endless Publishers
• Length: 146 Pages
• Weight: 0.49 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"