1. Script Variations within a Single Language:
* Chinese: Uses several different scripts, including Simplified Chinese (mainly mainland China), Traditional Chinese (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and some other areas), and variations within those (e.g., different character sets for specific historical periods).
* Japanese: Uses three main writing systems: Hiragana (phonetic), Katakana (phonetic, often used for foreign loanwords and onomatopoeia), and Kanji (adopted Chinese characters, each with multiple readings).
* Korean: While now primarily using Hangul (a phonetic alphabet), it historically used Hanja (Chinese characters) extensively, and Hanja remains used in some contexts today, often alongside Hangul.
* Arabic: Different regions and countries use variations in the script, leading to differences in letterforms, diacritics, and even the directionality in certain instances.
2. Formal vs. Informal Writing:
* Many languages: Formal writing (like academic papers or official documents) often adheres to stricter grammatical rules and stylistic conventions than informal writing (e.g., text messages, social media posts). This isn't a different *script*, but a different style of orthography.
3. Historical vs. Modern Writing:
* Most languages with long written histories: Old forms of writing often differ significantly from modern forms. Examples include Old English vs. Modern English (different alphabets and grammar), Old French vs. Modern French, and Classical Latin vs. Modern Latin. These are considered different writing *systems* in some ways.
4. Regional Variations:
* Many languages: Different regions or dialects may have distinct spelling conventions or use different alphabets entirely (although generally still considered the same language). For instance, there are variations in spellings within English depending on region (American vs. British English).
5. Digraphs and Ligatures:
* Many languages: These are combinations of letters representing a single sound or combining letters for aesthetic reasons. Their use can vary depending on the context or style guide.
It's important to note that the distinction between "different forms of writing" can be blurry. Sometimes it's a difference in script (like the case with Chinese or Japanese), while other times it's a difference in orthography (spelling and grammar), or even just stylistic choices.