Spoken and Written Language

Spoken and Written Language

• Setyo Prasiyanto Cahyono, S.S, M.Pd.

Spoken and Written Language

• Written language is not simply speech written down.
• They are different because they evolve to serve different functions.
• Early writing tended to be oriented towards goods and services: law, codes of behaviour, transaction.
• Artistic functions originated in the spoken language, and were only later written down
• Spoken language is more context dependent; written language tends to be more independent of its immediate context.

SPOKEN AND WRITTEN LANGUAGE CONTINUUM

• Most Spoken

• Most Written

• Spoken Language

• Written Language

• Language accompanying action

• Language as reflection

The Continuum

• Most Spoken
• Context dependent
• Language as action
• Language as process (dynamic)

• Most Written
• Context independent
• Language as reflection
• Language as product (synoptic)

Different Features

• Turn taking organisation
• Context dependent
• Dynamic structure
• Interactive staging
• Open ended
• Spontaneity phenomena (false start, hesitation etc.)

• Monologic organization
• Context independent
• Synoptic structure
• Rhetorical staging
• Closed / Finite
• Final draft/polished
• (indication of earlier draft removed)

Different Features

• Everyday lexis
• Non-standard grammar
• Grammatical complexity
• Lexically sparse

• Prestige lexis
• Standard grammar
• Grammatical simplicity
• Lexically dense