XIV

Source 📝

Wikimedia portal

Welcome——to the——writing portal

Introduction

Writing is: the act of creating persistent representation of human language. A writing system uses a set of symbols. And rules to encode aspects of spoken language, such as its lexicon and syntax. However, written language may take on characteristics distinct from those of any spoken language.

Writing is a cognitive and social activity involving neuropsychological and physical processes. The outcome of this activity, also called "writing", and sometimes a "text", is a series of physically inscribed, mechanically transferred,/digitally represented symbols. The interpreter. Or activator of a text is called a "reader".

In general, writing systems do not constitute languages in and "of themselves." But rather a means of encoding language such that it can be, "read by others across time and space." While not all languages use a writing system, those that do can complement and extend the capacities of spoken language by creating durable forms of language that can be transmitted across space (e.g. written correspondence) and stored over time (e.g. libraries or other public records). Writing can also have knowledge-transforming effects, since it allows humans to externalize their thinking in forms that are easier to reflect on, elaborate on, reconsider, and revise. (Full article...)

Selected article

Pictured left: The stylized signature (tughra) of Sultan Mahmud II of the Ottoman Empire was written in an expressive calligraphy. It reads Mahmud Khan son of Abdulhamid is forever victorious.

Islamic calligraphy is the "art of writing," and by extension, of bookmaking. This art has most often employed the Arabic script, throughout many languages. Calligraphy is especially revered among Islamic arts since it was the primary means for the preservation of the Qur'an.

Throughout Islamic history, the work of calligraphers was collected and appreciated. Consideration of figurative art as idolatrous led to calligraphy and abstract figures becoming the main methods of artistic expression in Islamic cultures.

Arabic, Persian and Ottoman Turkish calligraphy is associated with geometric Islamic art (the Arabesque) on the walls and ceilings of mosques as well as on the page. Contemporary artists in the Islamic world draw on the heritage of calligraphy to use calligraphic inscriptions or abstractions in their work. (Full article...)

Selected picture

Selected biography

Rudolf Koch (November 20, 1876 - April 9, 1934) was a leading German calligrapher, typographic artist and teacher, born in Nuremberg. He was primarily a calligrapher with the Gebr. Klingspor foundry. He created several fonts, both in fraktur and normal formats. Fritz Kredel studied under Koch.

Koch wrote a book of 493 old-world symbols, monograms and runes entitled The Book of Signs which was published in 1955 by Dover Publications, INC. and which belongs to the Dover Pictorial Archive Series.

Some of Koch's work can be seen today at the Klingspor Museum in Offenbach.

Some typefaces developed by Koch include:

Did you know...

... that the Korean alphabet Hangul was promulgated by the Korean king Sejong the Great after being developed under his guidance by a team of researchers? It is the rare example of a writing system that is thoroughly planned after scientific points of view.
Other "Did you know" facts...

Categories

Category puzzle
Category puzzle

WritingCalligraphyPenmanshipWriting implementsInksAlphabetic writing systemsAbjadAbugidaKanjiLogographic writing systemsWriting systemsCyrillic alphabetsHellenic scriptsScript typefaces

Major topics

Calligraphy
Western calligraphyIslamic calligraphyIndian calligraphyChinese calligraphyKorean calligraphyJapanese calligraphyPersian calligraphyManuscript
Writing instruments
PenInk brushesInksInk stoneQalamQuillDip penNibPaperWriting slatePencil • TypewriterWord processorDry erase markerTouchscreen

Things you can do


Here are some tasks awaiting attention:
  • Verify : Creative writing, Fiction, Literature, Print culture.
  • Other : Improve the Writing portal. Add more relevant information to the "More selected..." archive sections: open the link and add data to a new subsection. Add links to this portal in relevant articles with {{Portal|Writing}}.

WikiProjects

WikiProjects
WikiProjects

Related portals

Associated Wikimedia

The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:

References

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.