I think people probably do tend to type queries into search providers like Google in whatever their native language is. A web text box might not be the best ex

I think people probably do tend to type queries into search providers like Google in whatever their native language is. A web text box might not be the best example for people trying to do discrete tasks though, but at a higher level the queries are probably part of some goal like "get times for new Ridley Scott movie" or "check availability of X" . I'm not sure I can see people typing that into a launch menu, but I'm guessing that's roughly what Microsoft wanted to see happen with Cortana. Stricly using commands, discoverability probably is still an issue. Text doesn't necessarily need to be command based though. For example, if there are 10 (100, 1000, etc...) options on a screen I suspect it's probably easier to select using text. In some ways it could be similar to a touchscreen.