One of the great advantages of typical speech is that it is active in all aspects, it is ‘live’ and therefore there is a swift response – whether it is a grin on the face or a comment. Typical speech is crucially important in drawing people into a group to interact with one another; therefore it is also used far more.
A huge advantage of using typical writing is that I can revise this essay and carefully structure it so I can get an A (hint, hint!). Typical writing has to be structured carefully because the addressee is absent and therefore there it is advised not to use deictic language and make the content ambiguous. Typical writing also has to be specific unless if it is used in literature. Due to the fact that the addressee is absent in typical writing, it will take longer to receive a response from miss to congratulate me on this excellent essay for which I will receive an A.
Unlike typical speech where one can correct himself or the addressee, in typical writing the writer cannot correct himself after the written document has been handed to the addressee. However, one can attempt to write a document several times, for example – I could edit this essay to make sure that it does not increase over the limit of four pages.
During typical speech, one can use paralinguistic features and prosody to articulate his point to the addressee. The addressee can also use these features to show his/her interest in the conversation. One of the negative aspects of using typical writing is that paralinguistic features and prosody cannot be used to help develop the written piece. Spontaneous as it is, typical speech is quick and easy to use compared to typical writing which is relatively slow and ‘laborious’. One can figure out from a child’s written work and from an adult’s written work that typical writing has to be learnt whilst typical speech is acquired. Tools such as a pen or ink are needed in typical writing whereas in typical speech no tools are needed.
Typical speech can only occur if there are three things present between the persons having a conversation. Collaboration is needed, the addressee must be willing to talk back and reply. Negotiation is also essential; each person must allow each other to present their point of view. Cooperation is vital for developing a conversation for a longer period of time.
The differences between typical speech and typical writing with respect to medium and functions leads to their difference in form. Form refers to grammatical, lexical, phonological, orthographical (spelling) and graphological aspects of language. Typical speech does not make use of punctuation and graphology.
In the grammatical feature for typical speech, there is a lack of clear sentence boundaries which makes it difficult to know when one has ended and when one can begin. Usually in typical speech between people who know one another, the boundaries are erased and one can interfere and complete the sentence. Frequently in typical speech there are indiscernible units which help to enhance the conversation. Pauses are present in typical speech to identify that one has finished or just to catch his/her breathe back. Typical speech uses clauses and not sentences because it is not always in full sentences.
On the other side of the coin, in typical writing you are expected to write in full sentences, similar to what I am currently doing in this essay. You are also expected to include paragraphs and structure it appropriately. When using typical writing in a formal document, you are required to show the possessives with an apostrophe (“”), punctuation is essential and the agreement between nouns and verbs is crucial. However, the above is not necessary when making quick notes.
Typical speech and typical writing have a different grammatical structure. Typical speech has a simpler grammatical structure because there are fewer clauses, less subordination and often shorter units; whilst typical writing has a much complex grammatical structure because it contains subordination in complex sentences, it also contains pre-modifiers and past modifiers. Typical speech contains directs questions in contrast to the indirect questions that occur in typical writing. Typical speech contains looser contraction sentences that are linked with words such as ‘and’ and lengthy coordinate sentences. The switching of verbs in typical speech can create confusion – this does happen in typical writing where everything is cohesive.
The lexis vocabulary of typical speech is colloquial and slang. Typical speech does contain taboo language, nonsense words and contracted words. This is in complete comparison to the Standard English vocabulary that is used in typical writing. Typical writing also includes words that are never spoken, such as long chemical compounds and also relies on the greater degree of formality. In typical speech, inexplicitness is expected and much repetition occurs whilst in typical writing one must be explicit and repetition is frowned upon. Typical speech uses fillers, words such as ‘umm’ and ‘ye’, and tags like ‘you know’. In typical speech spelling is not an issue however in typical writing words must be spelt correctly.
The phonology feature is not used in typical writing. In typical speech, the intonation is extremely important, the prosody also makes a huge difference and a word or phrase could have a different impact if pronounced with the wrong prosody.
The non-verbal aspect of language effects both typical speech and typical writing. For typical speech, the intonation may reveal the boundaries for clauses. Intonation is vital in social and emotional conversations, as it helps to explain one’s point of view. There are usually laughs, sighs and hums in typical speech. Prosody is also used to make the conversation more lively and interesting.
In typical writing, the tone can only be indicated by the use of question marks (?), exclamation marks (!), underlining, CAPITALS or by describing the tone. In literature, the tone of the poem is achieved in the rhyme and the rhythm. Assonance and alliteration can also be used to create a specific sound or impact.
The graphology feature of language is not used in typical speech. Spelling, punctuation and the use of paragraphs are all seen as graphology features. These all appear in typical writing. The amount or size of paragraphs and the use of italics, underlining, **** and emboldening can all give a certain impression. Pictures, diagrams and columns are all graphology features. Graphs which are not spoken have to be assimilated visually. Paralinguistic features are responses such as the movement of the hands or a smile. They are crucial in typical speech however not relevant in typical writing.
After analysing all the qualities of typical speech and typical writing, it seems the writing in this essay is completely diverse to the typical speech that we use frequently. Both contain so many differences with respect to medium, feature and form. The two seem a world apart. It is like one represents John Kerry’s views on how to tackle the war on terror and the other represents George Bush’s actions already implemented against the war on terror.
Although typical speech and typical writing seem so dissimilar, they can work together very well. This can be seen from the surroundings that we live in, we have adapted as time has progressed and use both their qualities together, enabling us to communicate interact with others more effectively. We usually use the mixed mode, where both typical speech and typical writing is used. We also use the other two modes where one is haunting the other.
There are many examples ad situations where we use the mixed mode. In a lecture room, the lecturer could be speaking and making notes on PowerPoint. Similarly in a classroom, the teacher may be writing on the board whilst explaining to the students. We sometimes watch television advertisements where one is speaking and there are words to emphasise what they are saying. We as viewers listen and read at the same time. News broadcasters speak whilst reading notes of their laptop or off the autocue.
There are many examples in which typical writing is used but is haunted by typical speech. In many charity leaflets, their main objective is for you to donate and therefore they use typical speech to persuade us and make us feel welcome. Soap scripts are written but also have spoken qualities included. Emailing a friend is also another example; we create emails by using words but use spoken qualities to make it less formal. Text messaging allows you to communicate with friends in a more spoken way even though your friend has to read it.
There are many examples in which typical speech is used but haunted by typical writing. Radio presenters entertain us by using typical speech; however they have notes to refer to. (George Bush answering questions with the help from his bullet proof vest is an example; he is speaking with help from his vest.) In colour commentary, the commentator describes the live action and sometimes presents us facts from his notes. When one is introducing oneself to someone, they usually speak in a full sentence, ‘Where do you come from?’ This is an example of where speech is used but has the quality of using full sentences from the writing mode.
To evaluate, I believe that typical speech and typical writing were made for one another. Just like a couple in a marriage, they have their quarrels and differences, but together they shine perfectly. You can compare the relationship between typical speech and typical writing to the relationship between girls and diamonds. They may have different qualities, but when used together and properly, they have the elusiveness to help us communicate in various ways and methods. Their medium, function and form are complete parallel; this is what makes it interesting using them both together. Both are interlinked with one another, whether haunting each other or working side by side.
