出典(authority):フリー百科事典『ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』「2015/07/23 09:00:46」(JST)
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A letter is a written message from one party to another containing information. Letters guarantee the preservation of communication between both parties. They bring friends or relatives closer together, enrich professional relationships and provide a satisfying mean of self-expression. Letters contribute to the protection and conservation of literacy, which is the ability to write and read. [1] Letters have been sent since antiquity and are mentioned in the Iliad [2] by Homer (lived around 7th or 8th centuries B.C.). Works by both Herodotus and Thucydides, also mention letters.[3]
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Historically, letters have existed from the time of ancient India, ancient Egypt and Sumer, through Rome, Greece and China, up to the present day. During the seventeenth and eighteenth century, letters were used to self-educate. Letters were a way to practice critical reading, self-expressive writing, polemical writing and also exchange ideas with like-minded others. For some people, letters were seen as a written performance. For others, it was not only seen as a performance but also as a way of communication and a method of gaining feedback. Nowadays, letters make up several of the books of the Bible. Archives of correspondence, whether for personal, diplomatic, or business reasons, serve as primary sources for historians. At certain times, the writing of letters has risen to be an art form and a genre of literature, for instance in Byzantine epistolography.[4]
In the ancient world letters were written on a various different materials, including metal, lead, wax-coated wooden tablets, pottery fragments, animal skin, and papyrus. From Ovid, we learn that Acontius used an apple for his letter to Cydippe.[5]
As communication technology has diversified, posted letters have become less important as a routine form of communication. For example, the development of the telegraph drastically shortened the time taken to send a communication, by sending it between distant points as an electrical signal. At the telegraph office closest to the destination, the signal was converted back into writing on paper and delivered to the recipient. The next step was the telex which avoided the need for local delivery. Then followed the fax (facsimile) machine: a letter could be transferred electrically from the sender to the receiver through the telephone network as an image. Today, the internet, by means of email, plays a large part in written communications; however, these email communications are not generally referred to as letters but rather as e-mail (or email) messages, messages or simply emails or e-mails, with only the term "letter" generally being reserved for communications on paper.
Due to the timelessness and universality of letter writing, there is a wealth of letters and instructional materials (for example, manuals, as in the medieval ars dictaminis) on letter writing throughout history. The study of letter writing usually involves both the study of rhetoric and grammar.[6] Although the appearance of the letter and the way it is narrated matters, the message has precedence over the form. Letters should reflect the sender´s personality and thoughts, this is called creative letter writing. A letter is a product in its own right. As it is stated in the section about the history of the letter, letters are becoming less popular due to new and faster ways of communication. To preserve letter writing, a rich old art, motivation to share feelings and thoughts with others in an early childhood becomes essential. It is important to promote the study of letter writing showing that writing letters can be interesting and that it brings advantages. Suggestions to write letters:
When writing letters to friends or relatives:
When writing formal letters:
Letter writing is commonly used in elementary and middle schools as a method of highlighting individuality, helping children gain proficient writing skills, and enabling them to practice better written communication. The skill of writing letters plays an important role in a middle school student's transitional experience from childhood to maturity. Living with adults who look out for their interests takes away their independence. However, as a writer their voice is valued and they're recognized as individuals.
Writing letters to pen pals is also a very common activity used by elementary and middle school teachers. Communicating with pen pals from different countries helps promote favorable interracial attitudes. Occasionally writing in a different language would also help the student learn more about that certain language. From writing letters to exchanging gifts, students are being exposed to more of the culture.
Writing to other students, family members, elected officials also promotes meaningful written communication. Letter writing is good for beginner writers, because the language used is closest to normal speech. The language used in letters captures the spontaneity in everyday speech that's unable to be expressed in other forms of text. Letters are personal, which makes them more meaningful. Children are also taught to write a variety of letter types such as thank you letters, letters of congratulation, fan letters, invitations, fan letters, and friendly letters. By writing letters, children are capable of developing better communication skills as well as improving their literacy skills. Children who are poor at writing letters typically lack experience in writing in general. By writing letters, their imagination can be expressed and they become more proficient in writing.
Back when modern technology wasn't available for convenient communication, the exchange of letters was the primary method used within the international scientific community. Relationships between the men of science solely relied on letter writing, because depending on where they were located, transportation was limited and they couldn't meet each other face to face. American scientists tried to overcome their intellectual isolation by reaching out to the men of science in Europe through letters. Letters were the correspondence network that helped the men of science stay connected. However, topics in their letters weren't limited to just discussions of science. Letters enabled them to talk about their personal issues as well.
Despite email, letters are still popular, particularly in business and for official communications. Letters have the following advantages over email:
Here is how a letter gets from the sender to the recipient:
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 airplanes to other countries.
Before modern day mail delivery there was the Pony Express. The Pony Express was first established in April 1860. The Pony Express extended 1,900 miles and had 186 stations between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California. Most horsemen rode 125 miles stretches with 10–12 miles between each station and were paid $25 per week. Once a horseman got to one station he would get off one horse and would ride a different horse to his next destination. Unfortunately the Pony Express only lasted 18 months because it was unable to win a major contract with the federal government and was shortly replaced with a stagecoach service.
There are a number of different types of letter:
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By writing both across and down, the sender of a letter could save on postage.
A hand-written letter of Cesare Borgia.
A child's letter to Santa Claus.
A letter from Arthur Conan Doyle about The Hound of the Baskervilles.
An invitation letter to the ground-breaking of the Seattle Space Needle, 1961.
The resignation letter of Richard Nixon, 1974.
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