The Written Word/What Is A Word?

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What Is A Word[edit | edit source]

The Written Word is the basic building block of knowledge. It allows a way to leave information behind, to be read years or decades later. The way you use them, and how effectively, determines how the information is received. Consider this: when we have a math teacher who stands at the front of a classroom and talks in a monotone voice, with absolutely no expression, boredom will ensue, no matter how interested a student is. Compare this to a teacher who is enthusiastic, who explains things in an uptone style, and students will have a difficult time not becoming interested. This is commonly the difference between good and bad writing. This isn't just limited to novels, but to every kind of text. While novels are the ones who most commonly use vivid descriptions and nuances in the writing, it should be noted that the same techniques can be used elsewhere.

Word Theory[edit | edit source]

According to Wiktionary, a word[1] is a distinct unit of language with a particular meaning

In the classical Roman form of writing, each word is formed by a series of characters. The Roman classical alphabet is as follows:

a,A b,B c,C d,D e,E f,F g,G h,H i,I j,J k,K l,L m,M n,N o,O p,P q,Q r,R s,S t,T u,U v,V w,W x,X y,Y z,Z

Each character is designed to make a specific sound when pronounced. And when the sounds are placed together they make the noises that the human brain translates as "words". Specific groupings of characters can be placed together to form sounds, that without the grouping, would take too many characters and would be tedious to write. Letters make sounds according to the others that surround them in words. For example, the letters "c" and "h" when placed together make the sound "cha" but spelling is still just "ch".

Writing and Speaking are opposites, but they are opposites that attract. Most people that write also know how to speak and vice versa, but take one skill away and the other will quickly deteriorate. People who cannot write rarely speak well, and people who cannot speak (not counting a prohibitive disease) are rarely good writers.