Differences between Spoken and Written Language, Dispense di Lingua Inglese

Scarica Differences between Spoken and Written Language e più Dispense in PDF di Lingua Inglese solo su Docsity!

The Differences between

Spoken and Written Language

in English.

Features and Functions

• “Language is a productive complex system that is used by

human beings to convey their message from one to

another individual, control another person, event or

relationship, express our inner thought and emotions.”

• Language as identity (message – interpersonal relationship)

and language as communication (message – content)

• Humans utilize arbitrary signals , such as voice sounds,

gestures, or written symbols but the definition and

underpinning of language is that it is a convention, a shared

communication code

• Structurally and conventionally used, if not, language is

meaningless

Spoken English

• Aristotle: speech is so essential to our concept of intelligence that its possession is virtually equated with being human. Animals who talk are human, because what sets us apart from other animals is the “gift” of speech. The basic unit of spoken language is the tone group
• Jared Diamond identifies the greatest step in language evolution as the progression from primitive, pidgin-like communication to a creole-like language with all the grammar and syntax of modern language. Speech is naturally picked up through exposure to language at home, then school, then peers.

• “Virtually nobody speaks Standard Written English. This is

the dialect of English that is appropriate for professional,

business, and academic writing. For example, no one

always speaks in complete sentences or pronounces the

final letter of every word. However, many people learn to

translate their spoken dialect into Standard Written English

when they write. Both spoken and written dialects are

linked to the social background, age, race, and gender of

the writer, speaker and audience. Depending upon whom

we are addressing, and what we are discussing, we can

switch between formal and informal ways of

communicating.” ( http://www2.wmin.ac.uk/eic/learning-

skills/literacy/sp_vs_writ_dif.shtml )

Spoken English..

• Context crucial , and shared knowledge (how much you can count on your interlocutor knowing, how much you need to say) (Halliday, Fairclough) (interpersonal level)
• High versus Low context. High context – count on the fact that your interlocutor shares your cultural and contextual knowledge, need to say less (indirect communication); Low context – need to explicate more – more direct communication

Structural features

• Speech consists of two types of basic units: ' Phonemes ' or units of sound, which are themselves meaningless, are combined into ' morphemes ', which are meaningful units; so the phonemes /b/, /I/, /t/ form the word 'belt'
• Sentences are not well defined; utterances more than clauses
• First and second person more used: addressing the interlocutor directly; subject part of the discourse as active agent (cate familiarity, remove distance); dialogic in nature rather than monologic

• “In-between” Language: Formal spoken language – prepared speeches, professional spoken language – has characteristics of written language (visual cues from audience); chat, e-mail

Written Language

• There are many differences between the processes of

speaking and writing. Writing is not simply speech written

down on paper. Learning to write is not a natural extension

of learning to speak. Unlike speech, writing requires

systematic instruction and practice. Here are some of the

differences between speaking and writing that may clarify

things for you and help you in your efforts as a writer and

speaker.

• Permanent, stable, a record remains, can be re-written,

retranslated and reformulated infinitely unless

archived/recorded, and then cannot be rectified. “Official”,

on the record. Can be controlled more easily, no immediate

channel of response (unless chat); monological. Static form

of transfer rather than dynamic and spontaneous

• Higher lexical density : more complex informative or academic form of text which has high content words such as nouns, adjective, verbs and adverbs which are used to explain information; high lexical density of technical terminology
• Allows for more technical and abstract meanings necessary for construing academic knowledge : more formal syntactical properties (higher nominalization); build-up of abstraction and this nominalization turns actions into things
• Fewer clauses and prepositions and carries more lexical items

Basis Written Communication Spoken Communication Universality Universal, everybody acquires it Spontaneity Speaking is often spontaneous and unplanned. Most writing is planned and can be changed through editing and revision before an audience reads it Dialect Written language is more restricted and generally follows a standardised form of grammar, structure, organization, and vocabulary Spoken language has dialect variations that represent a region Form Essentially words; spell; writers use punctuation. Essentially sound; pronounce; speakers use pauses and intonation Basic Unit Sentences Tone Group, Utterance Formality It is more formal “Would you like to have lunch?” More formal and compact. It is less formal unless in planned speech “You wanna have lunch?” Speech is usually informal. Predictability, logic and repetivity Progresses more logically with fewer explanations and digressions Not everyone learns to read and write Syntax, coordination Writers use more complex (subordinated) sentences with connecting words like however, who, although, and in addition. Speakers use simpler coordinated sentences connected by ‘and’ and ‘but’

Delivery It can be written on any surface or medium. It is more organized with paragraphing and can be deliberately styled using punctuation, headings, layout, colors and other graphical effect letters, words, sentences, paragraphs etc) have the character of objects It is spoken and in order to stress intonation, gesture and inflection, volume, pitch, pauses, movement, visual cues is used. Paraverbal elements; Bodylanguag e Writers rely on the words on the page to express meaning and their ideas; Speakers use their voices (pitch, rhythm, stress) and their bodies to communicate their message; Grammar It is lexically dense and has more verbs based phrase and predicative adjectives. The sentences may have many subordinate clauses and uses less of the first and second pronoun It has fewer complex words and phrases, accommodates more clauses and prepositions. It carries less lexical items, but is more complex in terms of grammatical intricacy Description The writing, language expresses "things“ Source: adapted from http://www2.wmin.ac.uk/eic/learning- skills/literacy/sp_vs_writ_dif.shtml Spoken language describes "actions"

• References:
• Coulmas, Florian. 1996. The Blackwell encyclopedia of writing systems. Oxford: Blackwell.
• Coulmas, Florian. 1989. The writing systems of the world. Oxford: Blackwell.
• Coleridge (n.d.). Quotation on Language. About.com, retrieved from
• http://grammar.about.com/od/grammarfaq/f/whatislang.htm on the 25th of May 2014.
• Daniels, Peter T., And William Bright (Eds.). 1996. The world's writing systems. New York:
• Oxford University Press
• English Online (n.d.) Speaking and Writing. Retrieved from http://englishonline.tki.org.nz/English-
• Online/Exploring-language/Speaking-and-Writing
• Ferraro, V. & Palmer, Kathryn (2005). Speaking and Arguing: The Rhetoric of Peace and War. South Hadley, MA.
• Halliday, M. A. K. (2002). Spoken and written modes of meaning. On Grammar: Volume 1 of
• the Collected Works of. A. K. Halliday (pp. 323-351). London: Continuum.
• Hammond, J. (1990). Is learning to read and write the same as learning to speak? In F. Christie
• (Ed.), Literacy in a Changing World (pp. 26-53). Hawthorn, Victoria: ACER.
• Nirquist (n.d.). Definition of Language. About.com. Retrieved from
• http://grammar.about.com/od/il/g/languageterm.htm on the 25th of May 2014
• Oxford Dictionaries.com (n.d.). Language. Retrieved from
• http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/language on 25th May 2014
• Sampson, Geoffrey. 1985. Writing systems. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
• Staton, Jana (ed.) (1982). Spoken and Written Language: Exploring Orality and Literacy.
• Norwood: Ablex.
• University of Westminster (n.d.) .Spoken versus Written Language. Retrieved from
• http://www2.wmin.ac.uk/eic/learning-skills/literacy/sp_vs_writ_dif.shtml
• Tian, X. (2013). Distinguish spoken English from written English: Rich feature analysis. English Language Teaching, 6 (7), 72-78. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1437615250?accountid=