Spoken and written discourses - Essay Example

? SPOKEN AND WRITTEN DIS By: Presented (Due Introduction The word dis is picked from the Latin term ‘discursus’ which is defined as ‘conversation, speech.’ From a linguistic point of view the term discourse is defined as a continuous stretch of language, which is larger than a sentence and often constitutes coherent units such as argument, joke, sermon, or narrative (Crystal 1992, p. 25). A discourse is not necessarily long; short conversations/ groans can be equally described as discourse just as a novel would. Discourses may be classified in many ways: written or spoken discourse; classification according to level of formality; classification according to genre; or classification according to the number of participants, whether on or many. For a conversation to be classified as a written or spoken discourse it needs to fulfill several criteria as Beaugrande (1981) explains. They include cohesion, coherence, intentionality, acceptability, informativeness, situationality, and intersexuality. This paper compares the written and spoken discourses. Differences between Spoken and Written discourses The main difference between spoken and written discourse lies in the fact that spoken language must be understood immediately whereas written discourse can be referred to many times (Crystal 1997). Unlike in written discourses, which involves medium that keeps a record of its conveyed message, spoken discourse involves only air and thus conversation is possible only up to the moment it occurs. The speed of conversation also varies between the two mediums of discourse. In spoken discourse, the speaker uses the speed that is appropriate for him/her; such speed is not necessarily convenient for the listener. The speed in spoken discourses is usually varying but faster than in written discourses. Other differences may be classified into: Contextualization Spoken discourse offers a natural form of speech where the audience is usually present. This speech facilitates effective communication since the speakers are able to get feedback from their listeners. This, however, means that spoken discourse has more repetition as the audience asks for clarification on unclear points. Written discourse as Crystal (1997) explains has an audience that is usually farther away and mostly unknown. Writers experience some disconnect in relation to the audience since the audience is not nearby; the writers only try to imagine what their intended audience would appreciate. Such a distance makes writing discourses inherently more difficult compared to spoken discourses. However, some genres of spoken discourse such as academic discourse, have minimal context of shared content, no feedback is encouraged immediately. On the other hand, some written discourses also employ the feedback of the readers who provide background information of the discourses usually through interviews. Spontaneity Spoken discourses tend to be largely unorganized where topics can change at any moment; interruption and overlapping of communication can occur often (Halliday 1989). In the spoken discourses, speakers can ask for clarification as well as correct what has already been said. Written discourses, on the other hand, are more organized and grammatical (Halliday 1989). The audiences of written discourses only get the finished product and cannot make any modification or clarification. The written discourses are having limited ways of conveying their message; written discourses are more constrained. Lexical characteristics Spoken discourses have a lower percentage of different words than written discourses. Spoken discourses are marked with longer and more repetitions unlike written discourses where repetitions are limited. Spoken discourses generally have shorter, less complex phrases. They contain more verb-based phrases and less abstract words. In addition to this, they also contain more words that refer to the speaker (Halliday 1989). Written discourses, on the other hand, have a more complex lexical characteristic. Structure Whereas spoken discourses are more fragmented and have more coordination words such as because, so and, and but, written discourse has a bewildering richness and variety of different structural forms. Written discourses also have the characteristics of more content words than function words; in spoken discourses, content words tend to be more spread out over a number of clauses (Halliday 1989). Written discourses are more organized and can be subdivided into chapters, units, sections, headings, and sub heading, which are not present in spoken discourses. Use of non-verbal cues Spoken discourses allows for both verbal and non-verbal communication unlike written discourses where communication is strictly verbal. Halliday (1989) explains that the nonverbal communication is effective in expressing emotions and attitude. In speaking, one can utilize gestures, facial expressions, and prosody to convey various emotions and enrich meanings (Wennerstrom 2001). Prosody includes tonal and pitch variation, pausing and phrasing as well as a variation of voice volume. Spoken discourses can only convey this through special fonts, punctuation, or elaborate lexicogrammatical description, all that would not be as effective as in spoken discourses. Similarities in Spoken and written discourses Spoken and written discourses similarities are most evident when we consider the purposes that the two types of discourse serves. Discourses whether spoken or written serve three major roles: social contact; sharing information; entertainment; and calling for action. However, the two types of discourses are different with respect to the channels used. Written discourse uses letters, greeting cards, phone messages; social media and such media for social contact while spoken discourses use channels like chats and phone calls. Entertainment is delivered through fiction books, poetry, magazines, games, and film subtitles in written discourses while spoken discourses use channels like jokes and radio programs. In written discourses action is communicated through maps, TV-guides, bills, instructions recipes, menus, telephone directories, and such channels. In spoken discourses, actions may be communicated through teacher instructions, directions, and verbal instruction. Conclusion Written and spoken discourses have a range of differences, though they serve the same ultimate functions. Spoken discourses must be understood immediately unlike written discourses that can serve as points of references. Spoken discourses tend to be less organized and are highly spontaneous. In addition, it is not edited and often has several grammatical errors such as omission and cohesion. Written discourse, on the other hand, is more organized, and grammatical errors have been edited. References Crystal, D 1997,The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language (2nd ed.), New York, Cambridge University Press. Beaugrande, WD 1981, An Introduction to Text Linguistics, London, Longman. Halliday, MAK. 1989, Spoken and written language. Oxford, Oxford University Press. Wennerstrom, A 2001, The music of everyday speech, Oxford, Oxford University Press. Read More