écriture

Écriture refers to the act of writing and to the system of symbols used to record a language in written form. It covers both the physical process of composing text—by hand, with printing, or via digital input—and the collection of signs, conventions, and orthographic rules that encode language.

The word derives from Latin scribere, via Old French escriture, and is related to script and orthography. Writing systems worldwide fall into families: logographic (symbols for words or morphemes), syllabaries (for syllables), and alphabets (consonants and vowels).

Writing emerged independently in various regions; early forms date to Mesopotamia and Egypt in the 4th millennium BCE. The Phoenician alphabet around 1050 BCE facilitated the spread of alphabetic writing across the Mediterranean. Later, printing and typefaces transformed production, and digital text now dominates many domains.

Modern uses include literacy education, literary creation, and communication. Orthography governs spelling; typography concerns the appearance of text. The term writing also appears in linguistics and literary studies, and in contemporary contexts, writing is mediated by keyboards, mobile devices, and handwriting recognition.