The nature of writing in English as a foreign language

الملخص EN

Writing used to considered the preoccupation of the élite and the highly cultivated people, but this belief has changed because in the modern global community this ability to write has become an essential tool for people of all kinds and all levels; for instance, writing is used in composing academic essays, letters or e-mail messages.

In fact, this capacity to write makes it easy for individuals from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds to communicate effectively.

It should be acknowledged that the importance of writing lies not only in the fact that it is used to transfer information but also to transform knowledge to create new knowledge.

It is, therefore , of primary importance to students in academic settings to master this skill.

In this paper, we will undertake to cover in details many definitions of writing as a skill and system.

This paper also tries to analyse the nature of the writing skill in English and its interrelation with other skills.

It also includes a brief history of the language beside a description of the socio-cultural and cognitive aspects of writing.