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  1. Defining Analysis
    1. The orthography of < analysis >
    2. A Greek root
    3. Connotations of 'analysis'
    4. A working definition of 'orthographic analysis'

Orthographic Analysis

1.5 Defining Analysis

Defining Analysis

Orthography is the written representation of sense and meaning. This being the case, determining and engaging with a word's orthographic structure is necessarily to gain understanding of its meaning.

The orthography of < analysis >

We can draw a number of preliminary conclusions about this word.

  1. The presence of the medial < y > in < analysis > indicates that the word is almost certainly of Greek origin.
  2. This conclusion is further supported by the fact the word is a higher register technical term.
  3. There is a clear relationship with such words as < dialysis >, < paralysis >, < catalysis > and < electrolysis >.
  4. The initial string < ana > is likely to be the Greek-origin prefix < ana- > “up (in place or time), back, again, through”.

A Greek root

The references confirm that the root is Greek. Here is a typical entry.

1581, “resolution of anything complex into simple elements” (opposite of synthesis), from M.L. analysis, from Gk. analysis “a breaking up,” from analyein “unloose,” from ana- “up, throughout” + lysis “a loosening”.

The Greek dictionary confirms that:

  • the verb < λυ(ειν) > ➜ < ly(ein) > (< -ein > is a standard Greek infinitive suffix) means “loosen, untie, dismantle”;
  • its corresponding noun is < λυσις > ➜ < lysis >.

Greek has a more fluid morphology than Latin: it can have several variations of the equivalent of our base elements. The variant Greek roots have given us three interrelated structural bases for the English word family that is derived from them. The matrices represent this word family.

The denotation of < analysis >

The notion of “untying, separating” that is in the Greek root is the basis of the denotation given above: “resolution of anything complex into simple elements.”

It is important to corroborate references; here is another dictionary entry.

Resolution of anything complex into its simple elements; the exact determination of its components.

We note that this definition employs three terms that have specific orthographic reference: 'complex', 'simple' and 'element'. The denotation, then, is eminently applicable to orthography.

The word sum: the denotative orthographic algorithm

The analytic tool of orthographic morphology is the word sum, the fundamental algorithm. It is an application of the denotational sense of < analysis >.

The fully worked analytic word sum is the resolution of a complex word into its simple elements.

The converse of the analytic word sum is the 'synthetic': the coherent assembly of lexical elements as a complete word.