ABSTRACT
Language is the vehicle or avenue through which ideas are constructed during reading and writing. Because the use of language for the generation of ideas is so deeply embedded in our everyday activities, we seldom consider the nature of language itself. We often fail to ponder the internal characteristics of written language and what must be known about these characteristics for the effective and efficient use of language to occur. However, although we may be unaware of its attributes on a conscious, explicit level, our implicit (unconscious) knowledge of language is employed every time we make meaning through print. The focus in this chapter is on the properties of language that are understood and used (at least on the implicit level) by the proficient language user when creating meaning through written discourse. Or, stated somewhat differently, what must readers and writers know about language that allows them to “crack the code” as they transact with written discourse?
