writing system
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Related to writing system: script, Egyptian Writing System, Chinese writing system, Korean writing system, Japanese writing system
writing system
(human language, character)The set of glyphs used for
representing a given human language in written form, generally
along with their conventions for use.
This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Writing System
the aggregate of the means of written communication, which include the graphic system, alphabet, and orthography of a single language or of a group of languages having a single form of writing or a single alphabet. In this sense, one can speak of Russian, English, Arabic, and other writing systems. Each writing system possesses its own system of graphemes used in various graphic combinations and in ortho-grams. These elements can be utilized for stylistic purposes or to emphasize parts of an utterance. A writing system must be distinguished from a written language, which is not simply speech recorded in writing but usually has specific lexical, semantic, and grammatical features distinguishing it from the spoken language.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.