Rakstanas

Rakstanas is the act and craft of recording language in written form. It involves creating visible signs to represent spoken language, and encompasses handwriting, print, typography, and digital text. The term also covers the rules that govern spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and layout.

Historically, writing arose independently in several regions. Systems evolved from pictographs to more abstract scripts, with examples such as Mesopotamian cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphs, the development of alphabetic scripts in the Levant, and the widespread adoption of the Latin alphabet in Europe. Writing enabled the preservation of information beyond speech and facilitated administration, education, and culture.

Linguistic writing systems vary by structure. Some are logographic, where symbols represent words or morphemes; others are syllabic or alphabetic, where signs represent sounds. Orthography standardizes how words are written in a language, including rules of spelling, punctuation, diacritics, and capitalization. Reading is decoding written signs into spoken language, writing is encoding speech into signs.

In the modern era, writing is closely linked to technology. Digital writing uses keyboards or touch input, voice-to-text, and various formats (plain text, rich text, HTML). Literacy—ability to read and write—remains central to education, communication, and civic participation. Writing practices vary across communities and may reflect cultural norms and language policies.

Cultural and linguistic significance: writing sustains literature, law, science, and record-keeping. Orthographic reforms and script changes have shaped national identities and language preservation, while efforts to revitalize minority languages emphasize inclusive writing systems and accessible literacy resources.