archi-writing

In the philosophy of language, "Arche-writing" ( "arche-" meaning "origin, principle, or telos") is a concept introduced by French philosopher Jacques Derrida which refers to an abstract kind of writing that precedes both speech and actual writing. In the West, phonetic writing was considered as a secondary imitation of speech, a poor copy of the immediate living act of speech. Arche-writing is, in a sense, language, in that it is already there before we use it, it already has a pregiven, yet malleable, structure/genesis, which is a semi-fixed set-up of different words and syntax. This fixedness is the writing to which Derrida refers; such a 'writing' can even be seen in cultures that do not employ writing, it could be seen in notches on a rope or barrel, fixed customs, or placements around the living areas.

The concept of "arche-writing" generalizes writing beyond ink marks on paper. The idea is that many things, including spoken language, are in fact like writing, and thus could be called "arche-writing". Writing introduces a divide between what is intended to be meant and what is actually meant. Just like how writing causes such a divide, spoken language does so too. Even internal monologues and "private" thoughts are examples of arche-writing, and thus cannot have a fixed meaning.