Features of spoken and written texts

Speaker can get feedback and so can modify message. Therefore the listener can get clarification.

• Writer gets no immediate feedback and so has to imagine audience reaction. Also has to anticipate any difficulties of understanding the reader may have.

• Writer has to be more explicit and organized. Needs to use logical sequence, coherence, and cohesion.

• No paralinguistic help carry meaning

• Both writer and reader have more time.

Speaker can be more rambly, circular.

• No stress or intonation, but punctuation helps.

• Writer has to be more explicit and organized. Needs to use logical sequence, coherence, and cohesion.

• Sentences are complete, grammatical, and usually complex. (NB: this does depend on the nature of the text, of course)

• Standardized spelling, syntax etc.

Paralinguistics help carry meaning and increase redundancy, therefore.

• Both writer and reader have more time.

• Written word is permanent it is there for re-reading.

• No paralinguistics help carry meaning.

• Stress & intonation help with sense-grouping. Also pauses

Listener forced to listen at speaker's pace.

• Reader has segmentation into words, clauses, sentences done for them by the writer.

• Both writer and reader have more time.

• Writer has to be more explicit and organized. Needs to use logical sequence, coherence, and cohesion.

• Variation in handwriting, typeface.

Spoken word is transitory (i.e. it exists – it is

only in 'real' time – unless recorded

• Written word is permanent it is there for re-reading.

• Reader has segmentation into words, clauses, sentences

  done for them by the writer.

• No stress or intonation, but punctuation helps.

• Standardized spelling, syntax etc

Listener must segment a continuous stream of sound.

• Redundancy is not increased giving a greater range of lexis and linguistic devices (e.g. punctuation).

• Sentences are complete, grammatical, and usually complex. (NB: this does depend on the nature of the text, of course)

• No stress or intonation, but punctuation helps.

• Reader has segmentation into words, clauses, sentences done for them by the writer.

Stress & intonation help with sense-grouping. Also pauses.

• Reader has segmentation into words, clauses, sentences done for them by the writer.

• No stress or intonation, but punctuation helps.

• No paralinguistics help carry meaning.

• Standardized spelling, syntax etc.

Contextual clues include: paralinguistics, visual support, physical features of the situation.

• Redundancy is not increased giving a greater range of lexis and linguistic devices (e.g. punctuation)

• Contextual clues include: text type, lay out, type face, title, visuals (e.g. pics, diagrams).

• Written word is permanent - it is there for re-reading.

• Reader has segmentation into words, clauses, sentences done for them by the writer.

Utterances are shorter, often not syntactic, often cut-off.

• No stress or intonation, but punctuation helps.

• Sentences are complete, grammatical, and usually complex. (NB: this does depend on the nature of the text, of course)

• Variation in handwriting, typeface.

• Writer has to be more explicit and organized. Needs to use logical sequence, coherence, and cohesion.

Redundancy is increased by paralinguistics, repetition, contextual and linguistic clues.

• Variation in handwriting, typeface.

• Redundancy is not increased giving a greater range of lexis and linguistic devices (e.g. punctuation)

• Standardized spelling, syntax etc.

• Both writer and reader have more time.