lettres

Lettres is the French plural of lettre and can refer to two related, but distinct, concepts. In one sense, it denotes the alphabetic characters that make up a writing system—the graphemes used to represent language. In most Latin-based languages, the basic set comprises a fixed number of letters, with accents and diacritics modifying them in many orthographies. In linguistic and typographic discussions, letters are treated as symbols that encode sounds or meaning, while the sounds themselves are phonemes; a single phoneme may be written with different letters or combinations of letters.

In the other sense, lettres are written communications addressed to a person or institution. A letter can be informal or formal, personal or official, and historically played a central role in commerce, diplomacy, and daily life. The practice of letter writing mirrors social conventions, etiquette, and literacy levels of different periods and regions.

Beyond everyday use, lettres also figure prominently in literature. The epistolary form uses letters as the primary narrative vehicle, either exclusively or alongside other formats. Famous examples include Montesquieu’s Lettres persanes (Persian Letters) and various novels and journals framed as correspondence. The term lâttres ainsi invites reflection on how writing systems and written communication shape culture, knowledge exchange, and personal and public record.