1. The Alphabet (or Writing System)
* Letters: The basic building blocks of written language. Each letter represents a sound or a combination of sounds.
* Characters: In some writing systems (like Chinese), these are symbols that represent entire words or concepts.
* Diacritics: Marks added to letters to modify their pronunciation or meaning (e.g., accents, umlauts).
* Ligatures: Two or more letters combined into a single symbol (e.g., "æ," "fi").
2. Phonology and Orthography
* Phonetics: The study of how sounds are produced and perceived.
* Orthography: The system of writing a language, including spelling rules, capitalization, punctuation.
* Sound-Symbol Correspondence: The relationship between sounds and letters, which can be consistent or inconsistent (e.g., English has some irregular spellings).
* Syllabification: The division of words into syllables.
3. Grammar and Syntax
* Morphology: The study of how words are formed (e.g., prefixes, suffixes, roots).
* Syntax: The rules governing how words are combined into phrases, clauses, and sentences.
* Word Order: The arrangement of words in a sentence, which varies across languages.
* Parts of Speech: Categories of words (e.g., nouns, verbs, adjectives).
4. Semantics and Pragmatics
* Semantics: The study of word meaning and how meaning is conveyed.
* Pragmatics: The study of how language is used in context, including social conventions and implied meanings.
5. Textual Elements
* Sentences: Groups of words that convey a complete thought.
* Paragraphs: Groups of related sentences that form a unified unit of text.
* Chapters, Sections, Volumes: Larger divisions of text in longer works.
* Punctuation: Marks used to separate words, phrases, clauses, and sentences, and to convey meaning.
6. Discourse and Rhetoric
* Discourse Analysis: The study of how language is used in extended texts and interactions.
* Rhetoric: The art of persuasive writing and speaking, including elements like tone, style, and argumentation.
* Genre: Categories of text (e.g., poetry, fiction, essays, scientific articles) with characteristic features and conventions.
It's important to note that different writing systems and languages have their own unique features and complexities. This framework provides a general understanding of the elements that make up written language.