Writing Reference

The term Resonance, in the field of writing, is not commonly used in our everyday language; however, it is a very important component of writing and plays a major role in captivating an audience with a title whether in a novel, a book, or even a screenplay. Resonance in writing refers to something that is beyond the immediate visible meaning of words. Simply put, it is the effect that follows after reading the title and speculating what it will be about.

There are two types of Resonance when it comes to dealing with a title to attract a reading audience. These are:

1. Automatic Resonance - Automatic Resonance happens when you see or hear a title of a novel, book, or screenplay that stirs up some emotion or image that already exists in your own life experience. Automatic Resonance makes you feel that you know something about that topic and feel connected to the title automatically. You as the reader already have an idea of what to expect from a title like that along with emotions, images, and or memories to apply to that title. An example of Automatic Resonance is "Perfect Health" by Dr. Deepak Chopra.

2. Acquired Resonance - Acquired Resonance, on the other hand, happens after you've read the novel, book, or screenplay. You can be in for a real surprise when you find the title has absolutely nothing to do with what you already know. Everything is neutral until you've read that novel, book, or screenplay. An example of Acquired Resonance is "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess.

So which type of Resonance will you use when writing your next book, novel, or screenplay title? You, as the writer, have the power to help conjure up emotions, images, and/or memories with your title. But then, you also have the power to send a surprise with a twist for your reader.

Krystalina Soash is a freelance writer specializing in article writing. Her writing services include: proofreading, editing, and ghostwriting. You may visit her at http://writingforyounow.com

You have a business; you are new and want to build a client list. However, the public doesn't know much about you.



One of the best ways to build the relations, credibility and to help get people to know more about you and your area of expertise is to write articles. People are always looking for good articles for their websites, blogs and newsletters. The important words here are good and content.



Good articles are content rich. The help the reader understand that which you are writing about. It gives them insight, whether it is about Business, Communication, Health or any number of subjects.

When you provide an article for your reader, whether you wrote it or published it, you are doing your clients a service by educating them in the areas that they wish to learn. Moreover, your credibility can be built or diminished by the article.

Articles also help to keep your website updated and helped to increase your search engine ratings.

Stagnate websites that never change, get a much lower rating with Google. As well, do not encourage your audience to come back. They are thinking, ok, I saw it.



A summary of the benefits are:



For the author, they:



Increased Exposure

Give Credibility (You show your expertise)

Develop Relations (People get to know you better)

Create links to your site

Give you free Publicity



For the Publisher or Website Owner, it provides:



Content

Related Articles that you donย't have to write

Reference and information that you donย't have to write

A vast resource of free information





However, it is important to remember that there can be a downside. Of which you can avoid, once you understand what it is.



There is nothing worse than reading an article that is nothing more than a sales letter, a news release or an inflated glorified piece on how wonderful you are. You need to give the public something that they can use.

Then they are much more likely to follow your link in your resource box, back to your site to find out more about you.



Remember, that in each article, you are communication something about you. You want the message that be one that encourages people to want to get to know you better, to learn more about you know and to become one of your clients or subscribers.



In your resource box, make sure you are clear, stating who you are and where they can find out more about you.

Most article directories and magazines have set limits on the size and amount of information you can place so it is important to ensure it is accurate and inviting. You are not writing articles just for praise and admiration. You do have a business to run and bills to pay. Even if you are a millionaire and want to write just for the shear joy of it and love to teach for free, your resource box is still important, as you would want the readers to know that the information came from a credible source.



So go ahead and get started. Don't stop at one article, it can easily become buried.. Make it a habit and write them regularly whether it is once a week or once a month. And remember, have fun doing them.



"To Master Communication

is to Master Wealth"

It is important to remember that a CV is essentially a marketing document for use in a very competitive field. It needs to be written in a format which will be pleasing to the eye and impart information in a very clear and concise way.

When you use for CV in support of your application for a job it will probably arrive along with a number of others. The person reading it will only allow a very short time for an initial appraisal of each candidate. Even though you may be the ideal candidate, you will have lost your opportunity to prove it if the first impression of your CV is not pleasing to the reader.

It is a sad fact that the prospective employer is not actually interested in you as a person, only in what you can bring to the organisation. This means that although it is a very common mistake, it is a really bad idea to include too much detail.

The trick in writing a CV is to identify your target market and then demonstrate that you have the skills and competencies that the prospective employer is looking for. This needs to be done in a clear, easy to understand format.

The best thing to do is to lead with a profile which should be your introduction. It should explain who you are and what you have to offer, the rest of the CV then demonstrates the claims you make in the profile. This profile is usually followed by bulleted list showing either transferable skills and competencies, or achievements. This means that the reader is off to a flying start in identifying you as the ideal candidate for the job on offer.

Avoid the temptation to describe yourself in glowing terms with the use of superlatives, such as 'excellent'. It is unlikely that a prospective employer will take your word for such claims. What you need to do is to ensure that the claims you make are demonstrable and focused upon your actual skills and achievements.

As you progress in your career so your educational qualifications will become less important and you should be careful how you prioritise this information. Certainly after you have been in employment for a while you don't need to include a long list of GCSE passes. Frequently it is better to simply include vocational training and qualifications in a section after the career history.

There is no doubt that bulleted lists are the very best way of organising information. However, you should try to remember that you are trying to get an important message across. Bullet points are not just there as paragraph dividers. Where possible each point should be on one line and there should never be more than seven points. This will ensure that you capture and retain the reader's attention, otherwise they may well simply skim over the detail and not understand what you are trying to say.

Finally a word about references. All that is needed here is to say 'available upon request'. It is considered to be very bad form to give details of names and addresses. This is also a good way of monitoring progress, if you receive a request to furnish details of your references then you know you are at least being considered for the position on offer.

Peter from CV Writing Services

Did you ever hear of the "golden rule?" The golden rule states to "treat others as you would want to be treated." This is great advice for anyone who is about to travel, especially if you're visiting a foreign country.

Most travel writers are probably unaware of the "golden rules of travel writing." Whether you're an aspiring or experienced travel writer, it's good to know and review the golden rules of travel writing. These rules can help you stay on track with your writing. Refer to them at anytime if you're stuck or need inspiration.

Golden Rules


Travel as much as you can. It's not necessary for you to travel around the world. Travel within your own backyard and discover something new and then write about it. Your discoveries will be interesting to someone, somewhere.
Write every day. Even if you write for an hour each day, the point is to write! This is a great way to improve upon your travel writing skills.
Read publications such as National Geographic and Travel + Leisure Magazine. If you have a plan to reach a goal of writing for one of these publications then start by reading them. This is a great way to learn what types of articles are printed. Pay attention to the style and tone of each article.
Take a travel writing course or two. It will not hurt you to sign up for a travel writing course.
Join a writing group. You can join writing groups online or where you live. Visit Meetup.com and see what's available. Make sure to check out your local bookstore because they usually have book clubs and writing groups.
Purchase a couple of travel writing books. L. Peat O'Neil's book See the World, Sell a Story is a fantastic book. It's packed with useful information and you'll find great resources at the end.
Do not give up! Sometimes success takes time. Avoid giving up too soon before your dream is realized. Go with the flow and detach from your dream. This may sound contradictory from what you're used to doing. If you hold onto something and try to force it to happen, you can sabotage your dream. Take a step back, breathe deep, and just write. Visualize yourself being a travel writer but do not become obsessed with it. If you do, you" put out an energy that reeks of desperation. You'll create situations where you find yourself feeling desperate all of the time. This will only hinder your chances of being successful in travel writing.
Follow these golden rules and your travel writing will be good as gold! Refer back to them as often as you need to do so. It's important to nurture your travel writing and yourself. Don't be too hard on yourself. Remember, it's not about the destination, it's about the journey you take to get there.

Our website is dedicated to aspiring and experienced travel writers. You'll find inspiration, encouragement, and education on everything travel writing.

Sign up for our weekly blog recap. If you're about to travel this is a great way to keep up-to-date with the latest in travel writing. Also, check out our forum. If you have a question, login, and with a click of a button you'll have the answer to your question.

URL: http://www.Travel-Writers-Exchange.com

When I wrote my first personal reference letter of recommendation I didn't know where to start.It was pretty challenging...and now that I'm older you'd think writing reference letters comes easier. Well, it does - sometimes.

Other times my computer screen is the equivalent of a gigantic blank page that gets bigger as the minutes go by.And when I'm in my worst state of "I don't know what to write" frame of mind minutes seem like hours.Now, I'm not talking about writing a 1500 word article or anything daunting like that, but a simple 3 - 4 paragraph letter.

I've discovered that no matter how much I improve as a writer, there are times when I struggle to write even simple things when I can't give it 100% of my attention, which seems to be pretty often these days.So, to compensate I collect letters, flyers, newspaper inserts, magazine articles, etc and put them in what I call a "swap file"- physical paper as well as e-documents that I store in my computer.

And when I start writing something from scratch I'll pull them out and scan the headlines and content for to trigger new ideas. This process works well for me and sometimes I amaze myself. For example, I recently leafed through some flyers about healthcare and an article about resume writing and ended up writing a dynamite personal recommendation letter for a friend.

What does creativity have to do with reference letters?Everything!I don't know about you but the last thing I want to do is give a boring letter of recommendation to a friend who's competing with scores of others for a few job openings. If I did that I they'd be better off without my letter.

Another thing that I do to improve my letter writing skills is gather and collect writing tools, templates and forms. In total, they inspire and help me save lots of time while achieving outstanding results.

So, if you need to write a reference letter for a friend do them a favor...write something interesting that can help them distinguish themselves from people they may find themselves competing against.The alternative is to not write anything at all, but what kind of friend would you be if you did that?

Visit By The Letter to discover how to write a sizzling Personal Reference Letter of Recommendation.

Your reason for using Letter Samples for Character References comes down to this... to make things easier for yourself. Not only will you shave hours off of trying to come up with solid well written letters, but you'll also be able to give the reference seekers letters that they can be proud of.

One sample letter can be the difference between finding the right words for the right situations and being frustrated out of your mind, getting a job or not and writing letters quick and effortlessly or toiling endless hours and still not being able to come up with a satisfactory letter.

Ultimately there comes a time when writing character reference letters where you have to seek any help you can get. Family and friends look up to you and place a lot of importance on a reference letter from you. Of course you can't let them down, but because you're not in the habit of writing reference letters you struggle to write letters that they deserve.

So, what can you do? Well, it happens to be the point of this article...one of the easiest things you can do is use sample character reference letters as templates for writing your own.

In many instances all you have to do is a little bit of editing; add or replace your name, insert the reference seeker's name, personalize it with a specific example or two unique to them and you're done.

Does this sound simple? It is. Sample reference letters makes it quick and easy to create interesting and compelling reference letters without stressing over the right words.

Writing good, compelling letters is hard work and takes up a lot of time, but if you're anything like me you barely have enough time in the day to take care of the things that you need to do for yourself.

However, when you start with character reference letter samples not only will you shave hours off of trying to come up with solid letters, you'll also feel good about the quality of the letter you give the reference letter seekers - letters that they'll be proud of.

So, we've come full circle and are right back where we started. When writing reference and recommendation letters you want to make things easier for yourself - and starting with letter samples for character references can help you do just that! Now, you too can write attention getting character reference letters with ease.

Want to learn more about how letter samples for character references can make your reference letter writing needs easier? Then click http://www.by-the-letter.com/letter-samples-for-character-references.html right now for more information.

Copyright ฉ Shaun R. Fawcett

In addition to standard letter-writing dos and don'ts, there are a number of basic guidelines that apply specifically to most situations related to the writing of letters of reference. These are usually more "situational" than "how-to" in nature.

These reference letter guidelines are important to both note and apply, since writing letters of reference is always a somewhat tricky and delicate matter. That's because they almost always affect the reputation and future of the writer or that of another person.

The following tips and strategies apply primarily to the writing of letters of reference in their various forms (i.e. reference letters, character reference letters, employment reference letters, college reference letters, and general reference letters).

Write It Only If You Want To
If you are asked by someone to write a reference letter about them, you don't have to say "yes" automatically. If it's someone you respect for their work, and you have mostly positive things to say, by all means write the letter.

There is no point saying "yes" and then writing a letter that says nothing good about the person, or worse still, concocting a misleading positive assessment of someone.

So, whatever you do, don't get sucked into writing a reference inappropriately out of feelings of guilt or obligation.

If You Must Refuse, Do It Right Up Front
On the other hand, if someone asks you to write a reference letter for them, and you know you'll be hard-pressed to keep it positive, say "no" right away.

There is no point in hesitating and leading the person on to believe that the answer might eventually be "yes".

A gentle but firm "no" will usually get the message across to the person. Explain that you don't think that you are the best (or most qualified) person to do it.

Suggest Someone Else
If you feel you should refuse, for whatever reason, it may be helpful for you to suggest someone else who you think might have a more positive and/or accurate assessment of the person.

That other person may be in a better position to do the assessment. Usually there are a number of possible candidates, and you may not actually be the best one.

In fact, I have seen a number of cases over the years in which people requesting reference letters have not requested the letter from the obvious or logical choice. This usually happens when the requestor doesn't like the person who is the obvious choice, and/or they are worried about what that person will say about them.

Write It As You See It
Writing a less than honest letter of reference does no one a favor in the end. It is likely to backfire on you, the person being recommended, and the new employer.

Also, many employers and head-hunting agencies check references these days.

How would you like to be called up and have to mislead people due to questionable things you may have written in a reference letter?

Be Honest, Fair, and Balanced
Honesty is always the best policy when it comes to writing reference letters. At the same time, try to be fair and balanced in your approach.

If in your estimation, a person has five strengths and one glaring weakness, but that weakness really bothers you, make sure you don't over-emphasize the weak point in the letter based on your personal bias. Just mention it in passing as a weakness and then move on.

Balanced Is Best
An overall balanced approach is the best one for a letter of reference. Even if your letter generally raves about how excellent the person is, some balance on the other side of the ledger will make it more credible. After all, nobody's perfect.

There must be some area where the person being recommended needs to improve. A bit of constructive criticism never hurts and it will make your letter more objective in nature.

Bottom Line:
The most important point to take away from the above tips and strategies is that it is your choice as to whether, and how, you will write a letter of reference.

It's an important type of letter that will have a definite impact on the future of the person about whom it is being written, so don't agree to write one unless you are willing to give it your utmost attention and effort.

No matter what type of paper you're writing, be it a literature review, research report, summary, or analysis, rest assured that you'll be required to name your sources. There are several different types of resource lists, not to mention a number of different styles for writing entries.
A reference list, also called a list of works cited, is a catalog of all the sources you cited or otherwise referred to in your paper. A citation involves giving another author credit for a quote, idea, finding, or phrase that you use in your paper. You should cite all direct quotes, as well as instances of paraphrasing; original or novel ideas, perspectives, and facts; and research findings. This is necessary so that authors receive due credit for their work. It's also an academic obligation: it provides your readers the opportunity to locate the sources you used, read and interpret the evidence themselves, and perhaps even challenge your conclusions.
In contrast to reference lists, you list all the sources you read in a bibliography. Even if you do not cite the source, it must receive a mention in the bibliography if you used it in any way throughout the research and writing processes. Thus, books and articles you consulted for reference early on must be included in your bibliography, receiving the same attention as those sources you cited extensively.
In addition to various types of resource lists, there are also different styles in which you can compile them. Your professor will tell you whether she wants you to use a reference list or bibliography, along with what style your list should be presented in. This information will most likely be in the assignment itself, so read through your handouts carefully. When in doubt, it's better to ask the professor than guess!
One of the most popular styles is Modern Language Association (MLA) style. Founded in 1883, the MLA is a professional association that promotes the study and teaching of - you guessed it - language and literature. MLA Style is the format recommended for bibliographies by the Association. Along with the styles developed by the University of Chicago Press and the APA, it's one of the "big three" styles. The MLA guidelines are used by more than 125 scholarly journals, newsletters, and magazines, and are quite common in high schools and colleges. You are likely to encounter them at some point in your academic career.
The University of Chicago Press also publishes a style guide, called The Chicago Manual of Style. Now in its 15th edition, the manual explains not only how to document your resources, but also how to deal with copyright issues, design and produce a book, and everything in between. The manual has humble origins, starting out as a sheet of typographical basics in the 1890s, morphing into a short pamphlet first published in 1906, and now weighing in at a hefty 986 pages. Aimed at publishers, editors, and writers, you might have to learn this style if you are majoring communications or related fields.
Also mentioned earlier were the guidelines developed by the American Psychological Association (APA). If you're taking a psychology or other social science course, odds are that you'll be using this style for your reference list. The APA is the largest association of psychologists, with over 150,000 members and 53 divisions. The APA's Publication Manual is a comprehensive resource for both students and professionals who wish to publish their research. Along with guidelines for writing a reference list, the Publication Manual also includes information on how to organize your paper's content; how to express your ideas coherently; ethical standards for reporting research findings; and how to develop and submit a manuscript for publication. If you ever plan on publishing work in psychology, sociology, social work, criminology, nursing, business or economics, you will need to know APA style forwards and backwards!
There are a number of other style guides available; each field prefers a specific style, and many have developed their own guidelines. Thus, you should always double check with your professor to see what style she wants you to use.
Even though the reference list falls at the end of your paper, make no mistake - it's extremely important! Any errors you make could inadvertently deny an author credit for her work. Incorrect citations might make it difficult or impossible for your peers to do their own research on the topic. Failure to properly credit your sources could get you in big trouble, whether it's an intentional omission or not. Compiling the list in the incorrect format, while not as serious as excluding it altogether, may still annoy your professor.
The reference list is more than an afterthought. Afford it as much attention as you do the rest of your paper, and be well on your way to a stellar research report!
Copyright Kelly Garbato, 2005
Kelly Garbato is an author, ePublisher, and small business owner. She recently self-published her first book, "13 Lucky Steps to Writing a Research Paper," now available at Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com) or through Peedee Publishing (http://www.peedeepublishing.com).
To learn more about the author, visit her web site at http://www.kellygarbato.com.

No matter what type of paper you're writing, be it a literature review, research report, summary, or analysis, rest assured that you'll be required to name your sources. There are several different types of resource lists, not to mention a number of different styles for writing entries.
A reference list, also called a list of works cited, is a catalog of all the sources you cited or otherwise referred to in your paper. A citation involves giving another author credit for a quote, idea, finding, or phrase that you use in your paper. You should cite all direct quotes, as well as instances of paraphrasing; original or novel ideas, perspectives, and facts; and research findings. This is necessary so that authors receive due credit for their work. It's also an academic obligation: it provides your readers the opportunity to locate the sources you used, read and interpret the evidence themselves, and perhaps even challenge your conclusions.
In contrast to reference lists, you list all the sources you read in a bibliography. Even if you do not cite the source, it must receive a mention in the bibliography if you used it in any way throughout the research and writing processes. Thus, books and articles you consulted for reference early on must be included in your bibliography, receiving the same attention as those sources you cited extensively.
In addition to various types of resource lists, there are also different styles in which you can compile them. Your professor will tell you whether she wants you to use a reference list or bibliography, along with what style your list should be presented in. This information will most likely be in the assignment itself, so read through your handouts carefully. When in doubt, it's better to ask the professor than guess!
One of the most popular styles is Modern Language Association (MLA) style. Founded in 1883, the MLA is a professional association that promotes the study and teaching of - you guessed it - language and literature. MLA Style is the format recommended for bibliographies by the Association. Along with the styles developed by the University of Chicago Press and the APA, it's one of the "big three" styles. The MLA guidelines are used by more than 125 scholarly journals, newsletters, and magazines, and are quite common in high schools and colleges. You are likely to encounter them at some point in your academic career.
The University of Chicago Press also publishes a style guide, called The Chicago Manual of Style. Now in its 15th edition, the manual explains not only how to document your resources, but also how to deal with copyright issues, design and produce a book, and everything in between. The manual has humble origins, starting out as a sheet of typographical basics in the 1890s, morphing into a short pamphlet first published in 1906, and now weighing in at a hefty 986 pages. Aimed at publishers, editors, and writers, you might have to learn this style if you are majoring communications or related fields.
Also mentioned earlier were the guidelines developed by the American Psychological Association (APA). If you're taking a psychology or other social science course, odds are that you'll be using this style for your reference list. The APA is the largest association of psychologists, with over 150,000 members and 53 divisions. The APA's Publication Manual is a comprehensive resource for both students and professionals who wish to publish their research. Along with guidelines for writing a reference list, the Publication Manual also includes information on how to organize your paper's content; how to express your ideas coherently; ethical standards for reporting research findings; and how to develop and submit a manuscript for publication. If you ever plan on publishing work in psychology, sociology, social work, criminology, nursing, business or economics, you will need to know APA style forwards and backwards!
There are a number of other style guides available; each field prefers a specific style, and many have developed their own guidelines. Thus, you should always double check with your professor to see what style she wants you to use.
Even though the reference list falls at the end of your paper, make no mistake - it's extremely important! Any errors you make could inadvertently deny an author credit for her work. Incorrect citations might make it difficult or impossible for your peers to do their own research on the topic. Failure to properly credit your sources could get you in big trouble, whether it's an intentional omission or not. Compiling the list in the incorrect format, while not as serious as excluding it altogether, may still annoy your professor.
The reference list is more than an afterthought. Afford it as much attention as you do the rest of your paper, and be well on your way to a stellar research report!
Copyright Kelly Garbato, 2005
Kelly Garbato is an author, ePublisher, and small business owner. She recently self-published her first book, "13 Lucky Steps to Writing a Research Paper," now available at Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com) or through Peedee Publishing (http://www.peedeepublishing.com).
To learn more about the author, visit her web site at http://www.kellygarbato.com.

Chinese characters seem the most difficult part for foreign friends to learn the Chinese language. In my opinion, the main reason for that may be Chinese characters look very different from their quarter parts in the Roman languages: each character represents not only the pronunciation, but a certain meaning. Many a complaint comes from that Chinese characters are so unlike each other that you have to learn them one by one, and there are so many to memory, and that when encountering a new character, the previous knowledge of other ones helps little, you can neither pronounce it directly nor guess what it means. Actually, there really are some connections between Chinese characters, all composed in a defined way. You are unable to discover that probably because the numbers of the characters you know are too limited, or you didn't learn them in the Chinese perspective.
Chinese characters are the writing system to record the Chinese language. With a history as long as 8,000 years at least, it's perhaps the oldest surviving writing system in the world. An old Chinese legend said that Chinese characters were invented by Cangjie, a historian official under the legendary emperor, Huangdi in 2600 BC. Obviously, the fable cannot possibly be true, for the creation of a great writing system made of so many characters are such a huge project, too huge to be one single person's accomplishment. But perhaps Cangjie really made some contributions in the existing Chinese writing system: instead of the inventor, he might be a collector and collator of scattered Chinese characters in ancient China. Thanks to many a contributor like Cangjie and the common people using and spreading characters, a complete well-developed writing system had finally come to birth. The indisputably evidence is Chinese character inscriptions found on turtle shells dating back to the Shang dynasty (1766-1123 BC), formally called Oracle bone script. Of the 4,600 known Oracle bone logographs, about 1,000 can be identified with later Chinese characters, and the other unidentifiable ones are mostly the names of people, places or clans.
In view of formation, written Chinese is a script of ideograms. Xu Shen, in the Eastern Han Dynasty (121 AD), was a distinguished scholar who had attained unparalleled fame for his etymological dictionary entitled Shuo Wen Jie Zi, whose literal meaning is "explaining written language and parsing words". In Shuo wen, Chinese characters are classified into six categories, namely pictogram, ideograph, logical aggregates, pictophonetic compounds, borrowing and associate transformation. However, the last twos are often omitted, for the characters of these categories have been created before but somehow borrowed to represent another meaning, or detached into separate words. Generally, Chinese characters fall into four categories in view of their origin.
Pictograms (Xiang4 xing2 zi4)
Pictograms are the earliest characters to create, and they usually reflect the shape of physical objects. Examples include the sun, the moon, a woman, fire. From this picture-drawing method, the other character forming principles were subsequently developed. Over a long history, pictograms have evolved from irregular drawing into a definite form, most simplified by losing certain strokes to make ease of writing. Therefore, to see the actual picture of what it represents, you must have a lot of imagination as well as knowledge of the origin of the character and its evolution. However, only a very small portion of Chinese characters falls into this category, not more than 5 percent.
Ideograph (Zhi3 shi4 zi4)
Also called a simple indicative, Ideograph usually describes an abstract concept. It's a combination of indicators, or adds an indicator to a pictograph. For example, a short horizontal bar on top of a circular arc represents an idea of up or on top of. Another example: placing an indicative horizontal bar at the lower part of a pictogram for wood, makes an ideograph for "root". Like pictograms, the number of this category is also small, less than 2 percent.
Logical aggregates (Hui4 yi4 zi1)
It is a combination of pictograms to represent a meaning, rather like telling a little story. A pictograph for person on the left with a pictogram for wood on the right makes a aggregate for "rest". This story-telling formation is relatively easier to learn, yet most of aggregates have been reformed into phonetic compounds, or just replaced by them.
Pictophonetic compounds (Xing2 sheng1 zi4)
Also called semantic-phonetic compounds, just as the name implies, it combines a semantic element with a phonetic element, taking the meaning from one and the phonetics from the other. For instance, the character for ocean with a pronunciation of yang2 is a combination of a semantic classifier which means "water" with the phonetic component yang2, referring to goat or sheep on its own. This last group of characters is the largest in modern Chinese, making up around 90% of all Chinese characters. The superiority of phonetic-compounds over the first three categories lies in its unique phonetic components, for many an object and concept are hard to express through photographs or ideograms, and its association with the character pronunciation helps Chinese vocabulary extends much faster than logical aggregates. Therefore, most newly created characters take this more scientific formation approach.
However, over the centuries evolution, the Chinese language has undertaken such a great change, that most pictophonetic compounds don't pronounce as its phonetic elements any longer, and the semantic components appear even not relevant to its current meaning. Only when knowing the origin and evolution of the character, you can understand its formation. For example, the phonetic-compound for cargo or goods takes the character for shell as the semantic element, and that's because shells used to be a medium of exchange in ancient China, like the currency.
I do hope the above information can be of some help in your study of Chinese characters. Please tell me what you think about it, so I could be a better help in the future writing. Thank you!
Lily Chao is the author of EaseChinese.com at http://www.easechinese.com, a website providing a collection of reviews and recommendations of Chinese language learning resources, and more. She is also a would-be TCSL (Teaching Chinese as a Second Language) teacher, living and studying in Beijing, China.

The Japanese language is so fascinating. The tonal qualities of the language is quite unique and the inherent politeness of the Japanese people is translated well into its language which is in turns elegant and stylish and drips with respect.



Japanese writing is also a very elegant script and it has evolved from its original Chinese script beginnings to become something that is intrinsically Japanese. There are actually different types or ways of writing Japanese characters and it has been a source of confusion for people who are not familiar with Japanese culture or for students of Japanese culture who have not yet fully researched the intricacies of the Japanese written language.



The three ways of writing Japanese characters are Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana, with another version called Romaji being used for special purposed.



Kanji



The word kanji is a Japanese derivative of the Chinese word hanzi, which translates to "Han characters". The word Han pertains to the Han Dynasty and is also the name that the Chinese use to refer to themselves.



Using Kanji would mean employing between 5000 to 10000 Chinese characters. This meant that writing in this form was very difficult. In 1981, the Japanese government, as a measure to simplify how Japanese is written and read, intrduced the j?y? kanji hy? or List of Chinese Characters for General Use. The list includes 1945 regular characters and 166 special characters that has a use only for writing people's names. All official documents, as well as newspapers, textbooks as well as other publications only use this form.



Hiragana



Chinese characters are considered as the source for Hiragana syllables. Hiragana - which means "ordinary syllabic script" -- was referred to originally as onnade or "women's hand" because women used this form the most. Men are known to write in Kanji and Katakana. But usage of Hiragana evolved through the centuries, and by the 10th century, it was being used by both men and women.



The earliest versions of hiragana had diverse characters that represent the same syllable. The whole system was simplified however in order to make it easier to use by establishing a one to one correspondence between the written and spoken syllables.



Katakana



The Katakana "alphabets" have a very storied history. It was taken from abbreviated Chinese characters that were used by Buddhist monks. They used Katakana in order to illustrate the correct pronunciations of Chinese text back in the 9th century. Initially, there were so many different symbols used just to represent one syllable that it became quite confusing. But through time, it became more streamlined. Katakana was initially thought of as "men's writing" but over the centuries it has been used to write onomatopoeic words, foreign names, telegrams, and non-Chinese loan words. Katakana contains about 48 syllables.



There is also another script used in the Japanese language called Romaji. It is basically used to write the Latin alphabet into Japanese characters, especially for English or Latin alphabet-spelled words that do not have a direct Japanese translation.