DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SPEECH AND WRITING

Speech Writing
Usually ...... Usually ......
Acquired in L1 by everyone Learned in L1 – not necessary by
everyone
Speaker and listener share same Reader and writer separated in time
time/place /space

Speaker and listener can see one Reader and writer can’t see one another
another – meaning may be carried by – all meaning must be conveyed by text
gesture, facial expression
Takes place in a shared context Has to create its own context

May contain deictic references to outside References must be built into the text
world (over there / this one)

Speaker and listener may know one Reader and writer may not know one
another already another
Speaker and listener may interact and No immediate interaction or exchange of
change roles roles between reader and writer

Immediate feedback (verbal or non- No immediate feedback possible

verbal)
expected and given
What is spoken is temporary and What is written is permanent and
transient retrievable

Not planned in advance May be planned and edited

Utterances may contain strings of More subordination and complex

clauses with little subordination sentence structure

Grammatically incomplete or inaccurate High degree of accuracy expected

utterances accepted
Contains hesitations, paused, fillers,
repetition

Contractions used Full form used

Boundaries of utterances marked by Grammatical boundaries of sentences

intonation, pauses marked by punctuation, layout

Prosodic features –volume, pace, stress, Capitalisation, font variation, underlining

rhythm- communicate meaning as well etc used to stressitems. Attitude may
as words also be conveyed via punctuation!
May show marked regional variation Little regional variation

Changes more quickly Changes more slowly

Basic unit phonemes Basic unit morphemes