Writing is a medium of human
communication that represents
language and emotion through the inscription or recording of signs and symbols. In most languages, writing is a complement to speech or spoken language. Writing is not a language but a form of technology that developed as
tools developed with human society. Within a language system, writing relies on many of the same structures as speech, such as
vocabulary,
grammar and
semantics, with the added dependency of a system of signs or symbols. The result of writing is generally called
text, and the recipient of text is called a reader. Motivations for writing include
publication,
storytelling,
correspondence and
diary. Writing has been instrumental in keeping
history, maintaining
culture, dissemination of knowledge through the
media and the formation of
legal systems. It is also an important medium of expressing oneself by way of written words as do authors, poets and the like.