Spoken, written and digital text Modes

What is a text? A text is any piece of written, spoken, non-verbal, visual or auditory material that communicates a message. It is usually created for a specific audience and for a specific purpose They belong to a specific social/ cultural context with distinctive and appropriate linguistic features.

Modes: spoken and written (L.L38-40) The mode is simply the form in which you choose to communicate- speaking, writing or signing are all possible modes in English. For most people the mode will be a matter of choice as to which would be the most effective form, given the audience, the message they want to communicate i.e. purpose and the context.

Spoken Language The spoken mode came before the written mode. We don’t know when human begins began to speak because there is no evidence of it. How could there be?

Spoken language Characteristics: It does not need to be seen and is a primary form of communication Fleeting, spontaneous and unplanned Suitable for social interaction: casual Positive rapport: face to face, social tool Non fluency features: fillers, pauses, hesitations, overlaps Lexical features: words that are familiar to participants, contractions Incomplete sentences Paralinguistic features: facial expressions, body gestures Prosodic features: The human voice varies in the following ways: Pitch: high, medium and low sounds of someone’s voice Intonation: the way in which pitch changes during speech Stress: where syllable have greater prominence in a word or speech ( emphasises in sound)

Stress… Stress is placed on different words  I never said that ( I didn’t say that, perhaps someone else did)  I never said that (I never said that in this situation)  I never said that (I completely deny saying that) I feel quite conflicted about this The conflict between the two nations is becoming difficult to solve.

Written The earliest forms of writing were made up of pictures or symbols that represented either things or ideas, but these were inadequate and couldn’t encapsulate the amount or complexity of information contained in spoken text. Later the alphabet was devised. The alphabet was essentially a system of symbols that represent sounds that occur in a particular language.

The writing mode is a lasting form. Pre-planned and no immediate feedback Unlike speech, where we can use facial expressions and prosodic features, we must try to express ourselves in such a way that our meaning is clear to any prospective reader. Many people believe that written language is more prestige than spoken language- its form is likely to be closer to Standard English, it dominates education and is used in public administration. In linguistic terms however, neither speech nor writing can be superior. What do you think?

Is writing better than speaking? Emphasis has moved away from written language as the only mode of value. Traditionally more significant: medium for education and literature and was, therefore, prestigious. Now, however, schools both use and assess spoken language alongside written language. Our society is dependent upon a variety of forms: e- communication Not only does spoken language reflect how language is used in society... but language is first and foremost a spoken phenomenon with written language as a by product.

E-communication, L.L 41 Is it spoken or written? - There are elements of both - Youse, ain’t, lol- lol-ing - How has digital language influenced spoken and written language? - Is this ‘killing’ our language? - Are young people destroying English?

EVENTMode: speech, written, e communication Explanation Asking someone for a special favour Apologizing for bad behaviour Speech, Face to face if it involves a friend, but an if it is someone not close Expressing sympathy for the death of a friend’s grandparent Inviting friends to a party

Exercise: What is the mode the following? Give one reason for your answer. Pour two litres of milk. Add the flour. Stir. Instructive (imperative: Recipe - Frequency of ‘verbs’ at the beginning of sentence or phrase. - Subject omitted - Incomplete sentences: verbal phrase: ‘stir’.

Answering questions: Highlight the feature (meta- language) Give an example Explain the function/ affect, what it demonstrates about the communicators or context. Spoken and written language QUIZ

Modes Quiz example response: Mode: Due to the presence of non- fluency features such as pausing and slang terminology such as ‘cos’ and ‘gonna’, it is evident that this is a spoken text, impromptu speech or discussion. Incomplete sentences such as ‘Eating whatever’ and non standard-grammar ‘it ain’t’ are markers of informal language characteristic of speech.

Function: This text serves to express an opinion defending the banning of junk food. The communicator conveys a personal opinion, “I don’t like think’ seeking to appeal to a large audience with inclusive pronouns “we” and “that way not everyone” Non fluency features: Hesitation after “so” and “stuff” demonstrates the communicator is taking time to plan the following phrases. Furthermore fillers “like” and “um” serve a similar purpose. Pausing after “But” emphasises the communicators following statement which considers both sides. As well as this, the communicator lengthens the last sound in “not the best you know” to stress the subsequent solution that is suggested.

Based on these two texts the primary differences is the formality, grammar, prosodic and non fluency features and expression. In the spoken text poor planning is evident as it was most likely that the utterances were spontaneous. This is supported by the numerous instances where the fillers “um” and “like” are used as well as hesitations. Both of these features are absent in the written text as writing is more likely drafted and revised. The spoken text does not follow conventional standard English structure and therefore is mostly informal spoken. The lack of a distinct conclusion in the spoken text also demonstrates who speech is transient and unrehearsed. The spoken text uses intonation in “choices” and pausing to add emphasis, utilising voice as an aid in communication. The written text however gains credibility by relying on formal and structured language.

Dick smith AD