A letter is a written message from one person to another. A message in its most general meaning is an object of Communication. The role of letters in communication has changed significantly since the 19th century. Historically, letters were the only reliable means of communication between two persons in different locations.
As communication technology has diversified, letters have become less important as routine communication. The development of the telegraph, telephone, fax and the Internet have all had an impact on the writing and sending of letters. Basic principle A traditional landline telephone system also known as "plain old telephone service" (POTS, commonly handles both signaling and audio information Fax (short for facsimile, from Latin fac simile, "make similar" i The Internet is a global system of interconnected Computer networks In modern industrialized nations, the exchange of personal letters has become less common, being replaced by technologies such as the telephone and also e-mail. Electronic mail, often abbreviated to e-mail, email, or originally eMail, is a Store-and-forward method of writing sending receiving With the advent of the compact cassette, tape letters became a novelty. The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a Magnetic tape sound Tape letters are recorded personal messages exchanged using audio media typically the Compact cassette.
By analogy, the term letter is sometimes used for e-mail messages with a formal letter-like format. When a message is replied to in E-mail, Internet forums or Usenet, the original can often be included or "quoted" in a variety of different Posting Historically, letters exist from the time of ancient India, ancient Egypt and Sumer, through Rome, Greece and China, up to the present day. Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now Sumer ( Sumerian: sux-Latn [[Ki (earth ki]]-[[EN (cuneiform en]]-'''ĝir15''', Akkadian: Šumeru; possibly Biblical Shinar Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca Chinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River ( valley in the Neolithic era Letters make up several of the books of the Bible. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Archives of correspondence, whether for personal, diplomatic, or business reasons, serve as primary sources for historians. Primary source is a term used in a number of disciplines In Historiography, a primary source (also called original source) is a Document, Recording See also History An historian is an individual who studies and writes about History, and is regarded as an Authority on it
Contents |
Advantages
Letters are still used, particularly by companies and advertisers. This is because of three main advantages:
- No special device needed - almost everybody has a home, which means he is easy to reach. A mailbox is all that the intended recipient needs - not like e-mail or phone calls where the intended recipient needs access to a computer and a telephone respectively. A computer is a Machine that manipulates data according to a list of instructions. Basic principle A traditional landline telephone system also known as "plain old telephone service" (POTS, commonly handles both signaling and audio information
- "Catch-all" advertising- unlike e-mails, where the recipient needs an individual e-mail address to receive messages, addresses are not chosen (per se), and so with the help of a postal service, delivering an advertisement to all homes in a particular area is not hard.
- Physical record - important messages that need to be retained (e. g. receipts) can be kept more easily and securely.
The letter-delivering process
Here is how a letter gets from the sender to the recipient:
- Sender writes letter and places it in an envelope on which he writes the recipient address. An envelope is a Packaging product usually made of flat planar material such as Paper or cardboard and designed to contain a flat object which in a postal-service
- Sender buys a postage stamp, which he places on the front of the envelope. A postage stamp is an adhesive paper evidence of pre-paying a fee for postal services An envelope is a Packaging product usually made of flat planar material such as Paper or cardboard and designed to contain a flat object which in a postal-service
- Sender puts his letter in a mailbox and does nothing more.
- The National Postal Service for the sender's country (e. g. the Royal Mail in the UK or the U.S. Postal Service in the U.S.) empties the postbox and takes all the contents to the regional sorting office. Royal Mail is the national postal service of the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the
- The sorting office then sorts each letter by address and postcode, and delivers the letters belonging to a particular area to that area's post office. A post office is a facility authorized by a Postal system for the posting receipt sorting handling transmission or delivery of Mail. Letters belonging to a different region are sent to that region's sorting office, to be sorted further.
- The local post office dispatches their letters to their delivery personnel (postmen) who deliver them to the appropriate houses.
This whole process, depending on how far the sender is from the recipient, can take anywhere from a day to 3-4 weeks. International mail is sent via trains and planes to other countries. A train is a connected series of vehicles that move along a track ( Permanent way) to transport freight or passengers from one place to another Overview Fixed-wing aircraft range from small training and recreational aircraft to Wide-body aircraft and military cargo aircraft.
Letter layout
United Kingdom and Canada
The following is the normal way to set out a letter: (Note: This is the style in the UK and Canada. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page See below for the format used in the US. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the )
| Sender's address here |
| 24 Lambert Street |
| Stoke-on-Trent |
| ST4 4WE |
| Date here |
| Formal: 3 February 2008 Informal: 03/02/2008 |
| Recipient's name and address here |
| Mr Albert Gribble |
| 25 Lambkin Street |
| Stoke-under-Lyme |
| ST3 9WR |
| Main body |
| Formal: Dear Sir or Madam, Acquaintance: Dear Mr Doe, Informal: Dear John, |
| Content |
| Formal: Yours faithfully, Acquaintance: Yours sincerely, Informal: Best wishes, |
| Sender's Name |
| Formal: Sender's Occupation and Enclosures Informal: Nothing (optional: P. A salutation is a Greeting, in particular a formal greeting used in a letter. A valediction is an expression used to say farewell (goodbye especially at the end of a letter S. / Post Scriptum = Afterthought) |
United States
The following is the modified block format for a business letter, common in the United States:
May 20, 2008
your Address
date
Mrs. Jane Doe
25 First Street
Anytown, VA 10005
Dear Ms. Doe:
This is an example of a modified block letter. The difference between it
and a full block letter style is that the date begins at the center point
of the page; therefore, if a letter has a 6 inch line of type, the date
begins approximately over 3 inches from the left margin.
The closing block also begins half-way across the page. The complimentary
close and the keyed signature (first and last name of the writer) begin at
the same point as the date - approximately 3 inches from the left margin.
Sincerely,
Ashely Ferris
Sales Representative
jtp (the typist's initials appear at the left margin)
See also
Types of letters
Carbon copying, often abbreviated to cc, is the technique of using Carbon paper to produce one or more copies simultaneously during the creation of paper documents An envelope is a Packaging product usually made of flat planar material such as Paper or cardboard and designed to contain a flat object which in a postal-service Gutenberg Biblejpg|thumb|right|200px|A Gutenberg Bible on display at the US Library of Congress]] Historical documents are Documents that contain important information about a A letter box, letterbox, mail slot, or mailbox is a receptacle for receiving incoming Mail at a private residence or business Mail, or post, is a method for transmitting information and tangible objects wherein written Documents typically enclosed in Envelopes and also A manuscript is any Document that is Written by hand as opposed to being printed or reproduced in some other way Pen pals (or penpals or pen friends) are People who regularly write to each other particularly via Postal mail. A salutation is a Greeting, in particular a formal greeting used in a letter. A valediction is an expression used to say farewell (goodbye especially at the end of a letter Postmaster (or Postmistress) refers to the head of an individual Post office. A post office is a facility authorized by a Postal system for the posting receipt sorting handling transmission or delivery of Mail. A postage stamp is an adhesive paper evidence of pre-paying a fee for postal services The Private Express Statutes (or PES) are a group of United States federal civil and Criminal laws placing various restrictions on the carriage The secrecy of correspondence (Briefgeheimnis brevhemlighet kirjesalaisuus or literally translated as secrecy of letters, is a fundamental Legal principle enshrined Snail mail is a derogatory Retronym — named after the Snail with its proverbially slow Speed — used to refer to letters and missives Stationery has historically meant a wide gamut of materials Paper and Office supplies, Writing implements Greeting cards etc Typography is the art and techniques of arranging type, Type design, and modifying type Glyphs Type glyphs are created and modified using a variety The Universal Postal Union ( UPU, French: Union postale universelle) is an International organization that coordinates postal policies among member A cover letter or covering letter is a letter of introduction attached to or accompanying another Document such as a Résumé or Curriculum A business letter is a letter written in formal language usually used when writing from one business organization to another or for correspondence between such organizations A cease and desist (also called C & D) is an order or request to halt an activity or else face legal action A typical chain letter consists of a Message that attempts to induce the recipient to make a number of copies of the letter and then pass them on to as many recipients A cover letter or covering letter is a letter of introduction attached to or accompanying another Document such as a Résumé or Curriculum An epistle (pronounced) ( Greek επιστολη epistolē "letter" is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of persons usually a letter Hate mail (as electronic, posted, or otherwise is a form of Harassment, usually consisting of invective and potentially intimidating or threatening comments An introduction letter or letter of introduction is a letter that is used to introduce one party to a second party Direct marketing is a sub-discipline and type of Marketing. There are two main definitional characteristics which distinguish it from other types of marketing A letter of credence is a formal letter sent by one Head of state to another head of state that formally grants Diplomatic accreditation to a named A letter of credit is a document issued mostly by a Financial institution, used primarily in Trade finance, which usually provides an irrevocable payment undertaking A letter of inquiry is a general term used for a number of different kinds of Business letters addressed to a company A letter of intent or LOI is a document outlining an agreement between two or more parties before the agreement is finalized A letter of marque is an official warrant or commission from a Government authorizing the designated agent to search seize or destroy specified assets Letters patent are a type of Legal instrument in the form of an Open letter issued by a Monarch or Government, granting an office right A letter of resignation (or a resignation letter) is a type of letter written by an employee to his or her employer to officially announce their Resignation Love Letter is a 1995 Japanese film directed by Shunji Iwai, and starring Miho Nakayama. An open letter is a letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience or a letter intended for an individual but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally A poison pen letter is a letter or note containing unpleasant abusive or malicious statements or accusations about the recipient or a third party A query letter is a formal letter sent to Magazine editors Literary agents and sometimes publishing houses or companies A recommendation letter or letter of recommendation is a letter in which the writer assesses the qualities characteristics and capabilities of the person being recommended A reference letter or letter of reference is a letter in which the writer makes a general assessment of the qualities characteristics and capabilities of a person or confirms A rejection letter is a form of communication print or otherwise indicating the refusal of assent (viz rejection of a recommended course A thank you letter or letter of thanks is a letter that is used when one party wishes to express appreciation to another partyDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic