This volume, the first in a comprehensive grammar of the Syriac language, is a thematic presentation of orthography in the Syriac grammatical tradition, bringing the study of Syriac writing closer to modern linguistic accounts of writing systems.

Part 1 presents a chronological overview of the writing system, and discusses all Syriac graphemes and symbols, including that of the consonantal system, the vocalization system, grammatical graphemes that pertain to phonology and morphology, punctuation marks and editorial signs, as well as signs found in liturgical MSS, ancient accent signs, and the numbering systems.

The arrangement of these graphemes to form words is treated in Part 2, presenting a theory of graphotactics (the rules that determine how graphs are arranged together to formulate larger texts), looking at writing in general and at the graph level, presenting the ductus of each graph from a synchronic perspective.

Part 3 discusses garšūnography, the use of the Syriac script to write other languages, as well as the use of other scripts to write Syriac, the adaptation of the Syriac script to write other forms of Aramaic, and alloglottography, the art of reading Syriac texts in languages other than Syriac.

Part 4 addresses technological developments post movable type including lithography and mimeography, typewriters, digital typography, and coding standards.