orthographies
Orthography is the conventional spelling system of a language, encompassing the set of characters used to represent sounds, as well as rules for capitalization, punctuation, hyphenation, and word breaks. It provides a stable written medium for spoken language and is typically codified in dictionaries, grammars, and style guides. Orthographic norms can reflect a language’s history, pronunciation, and social or political decisions, and may diverge from everyday speech.
Scripts and symbols: While many languages use alphabetic orthographies with letters representing sounds, others employ syllabaries
Phonemic and morphophonemic correspondences: Some orthographies aim for a phonemic correspondence (one grapheme per sound), while
Standardization and reform: A language community may establish official spellings through academies, ministries, or educational authorities.
Impact and modern use: Orthography supports literacy, education, and media access. In computing and digital communication,