ENGLISH PHONOLOGY

Differences between Spoken & Written in English

There are many differences between the processes of speaking and writing. Writing is not simply speech written down on paper. Learning to write is not a natural extension of learning to speak. Unlike speech, writing requires systematic instruction and practice. Here are some of the differences between speaking and writing that may clarify things for you and help you in your efforts as a writer and speaker.

Virtually nobody speaks Standard Written English. This is the dialect of English that is appropriate for professional, business, and academic writing. For example, no one always speaks in complete sentences or pronounces the final letter of every word. However, many people learn to translate their spoken dialect into Standard Written English when they write.

Both spoken and written dialects are linked to the social background, age, race, and gender of the writer, speaker and audience. Depending upon whom we are addressing, and what we are discussing, we can switch between formal and informal ways of communicating.

Have you ever wondered if there was a difference between writing and speaking? Our immediate response may be yes, and the difference may be that spoken language has sound.  Well, that is true, but not everything.

In conversations we use our body language to add to our meaning. In addition, in a conversation we have an opportunity to explain ourselves, to insure that the listener is following, and to provide immediate responses to the listener's questions and need for clarification.  In writing, we do not have this luxury.  We have only one chance to make our point.  If we are not clear and succinct, we will lose our one and only chance.

Spoken and written language are obviously different, with different purposes. Written language is permanent: the reader can go back over it again and again if the meaning is not immediately clear. This is not possible with speech, which is fleeting and ephemeral. Writing does not usually involve direct interaction, except for personal letters and perhaps some computer based communication such as e-mail.