Speech and Writing essay

A detailed Summary of Speech and Writing essay

Essay Question: "Describe the difference between spoken and written modes in form and function".

Speaking and writing are two different methods of communication which today's society cannot be without. The mode a person chooses to communicate with depends on a number of things such as the situation, the person giving the information and the person receiving it.

Speech is an impermanent method of communication as it cannot be recalled due to memory problems, therefore, it is less suitable for long and complex messages. It is a instantaneous and interactive method of a communication which is why it is a useful way of communicating emotions as well as the best method for conversation. It is more likely to be informal, subjective and personal.

The written mode of communication is fixed and permanent. Writing is more objective and impersonal and is a good method of communication to use for planning, correctness, keeping records and organisation.

I will convey why these two different modes of communication are beneficial in different forms and how and why their functions make this so.

In the written mode of communication, you may have a distant or unknown audience whereas in the spoken mode,

The fact that the spoken mode of communication means that you can hear the accent and dialect and get a good grasp of the persons idiolect are not necessarily bad things. This can be highly beneficial as well depending on the context the spoken mode is used in as meaning can be added to speech through context, body language and tone. For instance; confessing your un-dying love for someone would be better done using the spoken mode of communication as they could be able to tell from these things that you were genuine. Apologising to someone using spoken mode would be beneficial if you were sincere but it would be more beneficial to use the written mode of communication if you were insincere about it as they will only be getting a small view of a bigger picture.

If that particular text message had been written in standard English and in a more formal situation it would have probably read

The written mode of communication is "distant" in time which means that reading and feedback can be slow or delayed. It can also be one way communication with no feedback. However, there are always exceptions to rules. Writing is not always "distant" in time as new technology such as instant messaging allows communication through the written mode to take place instantaneously.

Here Henry Cockburn clearly displays a long rambling turn and sentence digression as well as self correction and many continuers such as "and ur". Every dash ( - ) in the extract stands for a pause in the flow of speech. This is a common factor of speech. All of these typical flaws of speech make it so recognisable that when it is wrote down, you could identify it as speech even without the aid of speech and/or quotation marks!

Some common words found in the essay are:
Henry Cockburn, Thank Kate, Question Describe, United FC, mode communication, written mode, Evening Peterborough, written mode communication, Mister Edge-, Bridgwater Hotel, spoken mode, Hello Cassie, Cyril Edge, method communication, Blackpool FC, henry cockburn, spoken mode communication, displayed extract, prepared speech, recorded speech, text message, using written mode, context bound, suitable complex messages, displayed extract 1,

Approximate Word count = 2036
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English