Put it in writing
When you do your homework or write a letter to a
friend, the marks you make on the paper stand for the sounds you make
when you talk. Writing is a way of turning sounds into marks that fit
together and make words.
No one knows who invented writing. But it’s certainly a marvelous
invention! With writing you can “talk” to someone who lives miles and
miles away. With writing, people who own stores can make signs that tell
what they sell. Whether you live in Cairo, Egypt, or Calais, France, you
can find a movie theater or a butcher shop by looking for a sign.
Just as there are different languages all over the world, there are
different kinds of writing. Arabic writing looks like flowing curves,
with dots and dashes mixed in. Chinese writing looks like little
squares, windows, and stick figures.
But whatever kind of writing it may be, the marks stand for the sounds
that the people make when they speak their language.
