Written language involves using letters and other signs that are captured on a medium.
Language is a term whose etymological origin is found in the Occitan word lenguatge . The notion refers to the human capacity that allows expression and communication through the use of sign systems.
Written , meanwhile, is an adjective that refers to what is manifested through writing . As a noun, it refers to a handwritten, printed or typed document.
Before moving forward with the definition of written language , it is important to note that the action of writing involves representing thoughts and words using letters and other signs that are captured on a surface. The result of this process involves the creation of a writing.
What is written language
When a language is represented by a writing system , written language develops. It is a complement to spoken language.
It is important to keep in mind that language is the verbal communication system that is typical of a group of human beings . Generally, this system has writing.
Therefore, language (the communicative system) uses language (the capacity of the human being) to express itself and enable the communicative act. When this capacity appeals to the written word, written language is deployed.
Natural language is considered to develop when people spontaneously create signs and rules to communicate with each other. These natural languages are always spoken, but they are not necessarily written. However, sometimes writing is maintained when they are no longer used spontaneously for dialogue.
Thanks to written language, it is possible to establish a bond with missing communities and even with people who do not exist (fictional).
Different evolutions
Just as the spoken language of a language usually emerges before the written language, the evolution of both is different. Written language progresses more slowly and thus important differences can even be generated between the two.
What is common is that the two languages continue to be considered part of the same language, beyond the different forms. There are cases, however, where it is accepted that written language ends up constituting a new language .
The importance of written language
It is often indicated that writing and reading are two sides of the same coin. It is written so that it can be read and, in turn, to read there must be something written.
In this sense, it should be noted that writing and reading provide multiple benefits to the individual. Thanks to written language, for example, it is possible to connect with people beyond geography and time : today we can read a text written in the 16th century and know the thoughts or emotions of someone who died more than 500 years ago, to mention a possibility.
In this way, written language can communicate today's subject with members of communities that have already disappeared. It even has the power to forge a bond with characters that never existed, as happens with literature .
Written language, in short, has social and cultural effects of various kinds. An illiterate person , who does not know how to write or read, cannot handle this language and, consequently, does not have the possibility of participating in multiple processes of his or her community .