Orthographystarting

Orthographystarting is a term used in discussions of orthography development to describe the initial phase of creating or reforming a writing system. It focuses on establishing the basic mapping between spoken language and written symbols, and on deciding which letters or symbols to use before final standardization.

Although not widely established in linguistics, the term is sometimes used informally to refer to early design work in language revival projects, spelling reforms, or constructed languages, where stakeholders determine phoneme coverage, script choice, and provisional conventions.

Typical tasks include compiling the phoneme inventory, selecting a script and grapheme inventory, creating provisional spellings for common words, and drafting rules for capitalization, punctuation, and handling loanwords. The phase often involves piloting texts, collecting feedback, and revising decisions for usability and social acceptance.

Orthographystarting can apply to alphabetic, syllabic, or logographic systems and may precede formal standardization. In revived languages, it may draw on historical orthographies or pragmatic aims such as literacy ease and consistency with education.

Some scholars view the term as imprecise or nonstandard; they prefer clearer labels such as initial orthography design, orthography planning, or early-stage orthography to describe the same process.

See also: orthography, spelling reform, language revival, constructed language design, script reform.