Chapter 11: Orthography
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Hanna Rutkowska
Abstract
This chapter offers a critical overview of some of the most influential ideas concerning writing in general, and orthographic systems, with particular attention paid to English orthography and its intricate structure. It also presents and explains the terminology which can be found in literature dealing with this subject. Section 1 gives an account of different attitudes to writing and the two main theoretical approaches, relational and autonomistic, which they have motivated. It is followed by a summary of selected definitions of orthography and related terms in Section 2. Section 3 examines various types of writing systems, places the English orthographic system in that taxonomic context, and discusses its governing principles. Section 4 deals with the evolution of terms used to denote units of writing systems. In Section 5 all the graphemes of English orthography are listed and selected historical aspects of their evolution are mentioned. Section 6 contains a brief evaluation of orthography as the source of evidence for phonological change. Finally, the sociolinguistic aspects of orthography are identified, including its role as a binding norm within a language community, and the significance of orthographic variation.
Abstract
This chapter offers a critical overview of some of the most influential ideas concerning writing in general, and orthographic systems, with particular attention paid to English orthography and its intricate structure. It also presents and explains the terminology which can be found in literature dealing with this subject. Section 1 gives an account of different attitudes to writing and the two main theoretical approaches, relational and autonomistic, which they have motivated. It is followed by a summary of selected definitions of orthography and related terms in Section 2. Section 3 examines various types of writing systems, places the English orthographic system in that taxonomic context, and discusses its governing principles. Section 4 deals with the evolution of terms used to denote units of writing systems. In Section 5 all the graphemes of English orthography are listed and selected historical aspects of their evolution are mentioned. Section 6 contains a brief evaluation of orthography as the source of evidence for phonological change. Finally, the sociolinguistic aspects of orthography are identified, including its role as a binding norm within a language community, and the significance of orthographic variation.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Table of Contents V
- Abbreviations VII
- Chapter 1: Introduction 1
- Chapter 2: Periodization in the History of the English Language 8
- Chapter 3: Phonology 36
- Chapter 4: Prosody 57
- Chapter 5: Morphology 77
- Chapter 6: Syntax 102
- Chapter 7: Semantics and Lexicon 123
- Chapter 8: Idioms and Fixed Expressions 140
- Chapter 9: Pragmatics and Discourse 165
- Chapter 10: Onomastics 185
- Chapter 11: Orthography 200
- Chapter 12: Styles, Registers, Genres, Text Types 218
- Chapter 13: Standards in the History of English 238
- Index 253
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Table of Contents V
- Abbreviations VII
- Chapter 1: Introduction 1
- Chapter 2: Periodization in the History of the English Language 8
- Chapter 3: Phonology 36
- Chapter 4: Prosody 57
- Chapter 5: Morphology 77
- Chapter 6: Syntax 102
- Chapter 7: Semantics and Lexicon 123
- Chapter 8: Idioms and Fixed Expressions 140
- Chapter 9: Pragmatics and Discourse 165
- Chapter 10: Onomastics 185
- Chapter 11: Orthography 200
- Chapter 12: Styles, Registers, Genres, Text Types 218
- Chapter 13: Standards in the History of English 238
- Index 253
