In a culture, both standardizing and separating tendencies are in progress at all times. To maintain the culture as a single unit, the equilibrum between these tendencies is needed. In case the striving for freedom of some cultural aspect or social group be uncontrollable by the authorities, a relative equilibrum is gained by the use of some other homogenizing strategies. This is a gradual development, as further diversity requires more standardizing strategies. Diversity is always somewhat uncontrollable.
Literacy is among the oldest means of integrating different cultures.
Though by means of pre-alphabet writings the information of temporal and functional importance is passed on, yet the way in which real objects are represented in writing is determined by the context of social factors, beliefs, and values of the culture. Here, there is the rule that what is easy to write, is difficult to read. When literacy was introduced, the representing of language by means of phonological units started to seem non-expressing. There is only a limited number of identities between phonological units and their graphic representatives that are accepted by the particular culture. The introduction of writing needn't necessarily change the attitude towards speech.