For Derrida, writing envelops more than literal written and spoken signifiers. Derrida writes, One says language for action, movement, thought, reflection, conscious, unconscious, experience, affectivity, ext. Writing is signification. Writing envelops the totality of our use of signs whether they are phonetic or nonphonetic. Writing encompasses science, mathematics, art, athletics, and politics.
Writing is the method, content, and telos of all expressions.
Writing is the essence of expression. Derrida tells us that a grammotology, or science of writing, is impossible given the difficulties such a science would have to overcome. First, there are the cultural and historical limitations. Only within our own historico-metaphysical language can we attempt a study of the origin and meaning of writing. Even if we try to decipher the origin of our language by looking towards the languages of the past our horizon will still be limited because it is only through our own language, culture, and experience that we can view the past.