Spelling Definition

Spelling is the basis of good understanding. These are the reasons.- Human language is a highly complex phenomenon that has been adding elements almost endlessly to the point of needing a set of rules and explanations that allow, when writing it, to understand the most complicated methodology, symbols and sounds. Spelling is born then as the most complete set of written rules and regulations to understand how to write appropriately. Although these rules often seem arbitrary, they have a great reason for being, which is to differentiate different sounds that are confused in oral language and must be distinguished because they are produced in a different way. On the other hand, spelling is what allows one to understand what another writes, since if these rules did not exist it would be really impossible in many cases to understand some words. It is considered that a large part of spelling is basically learned by continued reading of texts rather than by memorizing each rule.

Spelling as a language verification system. Its parts and elements

The correct transmission of Language has different levels of verification, having on the one hand a Semantic criterion, another that is known as Pragmatic and finally a Syntactic criterion, which allows us to properly analyze the message emitted, namely:

Semantic: Relative purely to the meaning of the message, being generally related to the correct use of language.
Pragmatic: The response that the receiver of the message has when receiving it, taking into account the correct use of the Language, its interpretation and its context.
Syntactic: The ordered use of words within a message, analyzing its structure and the way in which not only the words are combined, but also the Punctuation Marks, in order to give an unequivocal meaning and not be free to various interpretations. .

It is in this last criterion that we find the concept of Spelling framed, since it is precisely the Conventions and Regulations that have been arbitrarily set for a writing system belonging to a certain language, which is why these rules are commonly known as Spelling Norms. It is important to note that spelling is not always static, but all languages ​​permanently update their rules to include new words and idioms in the language.

The history of orthography and its relevance in the construction of language

Like everything, spelling also has its history. Each of the major and most widely spoken languages ​​in the world has an academy or institution accepted to establish the rules of language usage. In the case of the Spanish language and the Castilian versions, we can say that the first orthographic rules and norms were made known in the year 1727, with their dissemination by the Royal Spanish Academy, shortly after it was founded. this institution, leaving aside the shortcomings that had to adapt these signs to Oral Pronunciations, or to what is related to the Etymology of the Word, which led to a free interpretation and sometimes even different criteria to be able to interpret the message, with a phase shift between sender and receiver.

Its main establishment occurred in the year 1854, with the publication of La Ortografía de la Lengua Castellana, having very few modifications since then, with etymological and phonological adaptations, since the letters can graphically represent identical phonemes in some examples, differing from phonetics, but not for that reason leaving aside the conservation of characters of the same phonetics, as in the case of B and V, for example. The Royal Spanish Academy carries out a permanent job of re-accommodating the new rules or idioms that may arise, many times including new forms that begin to appear spontaneously, become massive and must be taken into account as forms of language. These new forms at the time of being accepted by the Royal Spanish Academy are transformed into official versions of the language.

As examples of orthographic rules we can highlight the admission of a tilde in the vowel letters (A, E, I, O, U) to be able to indicate stressed syllables, or the inclusion of an umlaut to indicate the sonority of the letter U in the syllables. Gui and Gue.

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