<!doctype html public «-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en»> http-equiv=content-type> This textbook presents orthography from the perspectives of the public interest, linguistics, written language acquisition, and communication. It examines this multi-faceted element of language from a historical and critical viewpoint. The book is oriented to practice and addresses the needs of prospective and practicing students and teachers of German studies as well as school officials responsible for internal further training.