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Spoken Language Analysis

Decent Essays

Introduction
In his article, Speaking of Writing and Writing of Speaking, David Crystal tells us that many people would state that the difference between writing and speaking are so obvious that it doesn’t even need to be discussed. Speech is transmitted by vocal chords and writing is making physical marks on a surface. But, as he continues to explain, the differences between speech and writing are far more intricate and detailed (Crystal, 2005). To identify the distinctive features of spoken and written language it is crucial to distinguish the differences (Gee et al. 2011)
There are a variety of differences between written and spoken English. These include the level of potential interaction, whether the audience can be precisely specified, immediate feedback possibilities, transitory verses …show more content…

For example when attending a large family event, verbal instructions to your seat could simply consist of “Your seat is third from the end at that table at the back” accompanied with a gesture towards the table. Whereas email instruction would be more specific; At the reception you will be sitting at the far back table on the left hand side of the door, third seat from the left facing the wedding party” Increased explicit instructions are required for written English due to the lack of audience interaction.
Audience
When partaking in spoken language it is more often than not easier to determine your direct audience. This is due to the fact that once the words have been spoken, discounting the use of recording devices, they are lost, the audience can recollect and infer meaning behind them, but the information is no longer from the original source.
“I will need to take the 7th and the 8th of November off work” – Original Speaker
“I remember her saying she needed the 17th and 18th of November off work” – Original Audience

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