Therefore writing is a different way of using the mind and a different kind of memory than spoken language. Important tool for unifying nation state Makes it easier to communicate across dialects and with non-native speakers. Writing originally associated with religion, sacred texts. Still has moral tone, as does schooling. Implications for Intercultural Communication Often easier to read than listen for those schooled in English as a foreign language.
Writing is more conservative language form.
Spoken language has more variation, fluidity, change, slang. The Japanese language probably has the most complex writing system on earth, combining Chinese characters with two Japanese alphabets and lately the Roman letter alphabet as well. Each character has two pronunciations-the Japanese word and the Chinese root. In actuality, there are 5 or 6 related verbs, nouns, and adjectives, each with a slightly different Japanese reading, that are associated with each of these characters. Readers have to guess from context and from the alphabet clues that follow, which reading is intended.