...A Comparison In the past, spoken language was downgraded while the written language was essentially regarded as a reliable benchmark for what is standard or appropriate. Recently, however, there has been a growing recognition of its significance. In fact, the renowned linguist Micheal Halliday adamantly argued that the language system’s potential is much more realized in spoken than in written discourse. (Coffin, Hewings and O'Halloran, Applying English Grammar: Functional and Corpus Approaches 26) Do these two unique languages differ? The answer to this intriguing question is obviously yes and determining the extent of their difference is this academic essay’s core objective. The ability to speak is ingrained in people and goes back to...
Words: 766 - Pages: 4
...What are the similarities and the differences between written and spoken language? In this composition I am going to reflect on the similarities and the differences between the written and spoken language. Let us see first the similarities and after that the differences. Both written and spoken language need to be acquired by individuals. This is the first similarity between the two kinds of language, that we have to develop our writing and speaking skills beginning from babyhood. We use written and spoken language for the same goals: to communicate, to express our thoughts, feelings, ideas, belief, knowledge. Another parallelism is that written language and spoken language can be precise if a person use carefully them. We know, that we need to learn to speak and write. But there is a big difference in time. We begin to learn to speak from the age of two (circa), while we learn to write only at the age of seven or eight. When we use written language, we have more time to think, to correct, to rewrite our thoughts, ideas, we can be more precise and accurate. But when we speak, we do not think too much, this cause that we commit mistakes on vocabulary and grammar level. There is a Latin maxim: "Verba volant, scripta manent." - which means, that writing can lost long, while the spoken word slips away like a bird. Summing up, the biggest similarity between written and spoken language is that both require learning, and the biggest difference is marked by time. ...
Words: 311 - Pages: 2
...Understanding teacher’s perceptions on practices in giving written feedback in a sub - urban upper primary school in sungai petani ABSTRACTS This study presents a conventional research which looks into the perceptions of teachers in giving written feedback among different level of abilities pupils in a sub urban school. Different ways in giving written feedback to pupils provides an opportunity for them to see how the respond given to their works which may be engaging or just being ignored by pupils. However, the teachers may have their own perspectives and beliefs underlying their practices. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the way teachers give written feedback to pupils’ writing, belief of their practices and factors that influencing their belief on practices in written feedback. A number of writing exercise books selected from upper level primary pupils are collected to be analysed and a few follow- up interviews being done to elicit the information data required for the purpose of this study. The results shows that most teachers focus more on the language form, giving uncoded error feedback and less written commentary given in writing. It is assumed that the factors that influence these practices are mainly because of examination culture, the time constraints and the teacher’s personal belief of written feedback. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.0 Introduction Written feedback is a long-standing educational practice that can arguably...
Words: 3522 - Pages: 15
...Informal English The difference between formal and informal English is not a difference between correct and incorrect, but a difference of what is known as register. A register is a variety of language related to a particular subject matter or area of activity, a set of words and expressions as well as syntactical features that may be said to characterise that specific area of language. There are many registers: technical, academic, mathematical, scientific, etc. Very broadly speaking, we can also speak of a “formal” and “informal” register in English. In writing academic reports and the like, it would be normal to draw most of the vocabulary and expressions from the formal register, and few, if any, from the informal. This entails avoiding colloquial (everyday) or slang expressions in your writing assignments. The question of register is far more complicated than indicated here; for example, there are many degrees of formality and informality. However, below are listed a few examples which may be of practical assistance.[1] Diffenetions of formal & informal: Formal language, even when spoken, is often associated with the conventions expected of written standard English. Formal English follow rules of grammar very strictly. Sentences tend to be longer and more complex. The vocabulary tends to be elevated, using big words and avoiding colloquial or slang vocabulary. It avoids split infinitives and prepositions at the end of sentences. Formal language uses...
Words: 2253 - Pages: 10
...introduction Academic writing in English is linear, which means it has one central point or theme with every part contributing to the main line of argument, without digressions or repetitions. Its objective is to inform rather than entertain. As well as this it is in the standard written form of the language.There are eight main features of academic writing that are often discussed. Academic writing is to some extent: complex, formal, objective, explicit, hedged, and responsible. It uses language precisely and accurately. Complexity Written language is relatively more complex than spoken language. Written language has longer words, it is lexically denser and it has a more varied vocabulary. It uses more noun-based phrases than verb-based phrases. Written texts are shorter and the language has more grammatical complexity, including more subordinate clauses and more passives. Written language is relatively more complex than spoken languageWritten texts are lexically dense compared to spoken language Written language is grammatically more complex than spoken language. Formality Academic writing is relatively formal. In general this means that in an essay you should avoid colloquial words and expressions. In general this means in an essay that you should avoid: a. colloquial words and expressions; ""stuff", "a lot of", "thing", "sort of", b. abbreviated forms: "can't", "doesn't", "shouldn't" c. two word verbs: "put off", "bring up" d. sub-headings, numbering and bullet-points...
Words: 624 - Pages: 3
...Strategies for Supporting Young Writer and English Language Learners Sandra Williams EDU675 Change Leadership for Differentiated Educational Environment Professor: Dr. Regina Miller June 3, 2010 Introduction Children who start preschool programs are identified as young learners. They enter a formal schooling with different levels of knowledge about writing. Many students are exposed to write daily by observing family members writing lists, typing sentences on the computer, or doing homework. Some students may know less about why or how others may write. However, regardless of their level of knowledge many young students benefit from having their own personal stories written down to share with other students’. Teachers demonstrate to students how each of their personal experiences and stories are valuable, and they can preserve their stories by writing. This paper will show two important strategies that can support young students’ writers through dictation and translating. Taking Dictation Most parents or adults take dictation when they listen to their children and will write down their child’s oral stories before the child can write on their own. Some of the benefits of dictation are well documented (Temple, 1993; Calkins, 1994; Tunks & Giles, 2007). Taking dictation when children are telling their story is crucial to introducing the student to the intention of writing and the functions of printed language. Through dictation students learn the general purpose...
Words: 1663 - Pages: 7
...Rush‡ †School of Education, Communication & Language Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK ‡Centre for Integrated Healthcare Research, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, UK (Received 10 December 2009; accepted 1 February 2011) Abstract Background: Previous studies have highlighted the level of communication difficulty experienced by children from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, but the pattern of difficulties remains unclear. Aims: The study asks whether the performance of a community sample of children from one of the most socially disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Scotland is best characterized by a general delay in all areas of development, by difficulties across the more formal structural aspects of language or in phonological skills. Methods & Procedures: The study included 138 monolingual English-speaking children: 63 (45.7%) boys and 75 (54.3%) girls aged between 5 and 12 years. All children were assessed blind to educational attainment in the school. Outcomes & Results: Nearly 40% of children had delayed language development with 10% having severe difficulties. The children presented with an uneven profile with much lower structural language scores than reading, general communication skills or non-verbal performance. Although service use was high in the group as a whole, the proportion who met criteria for specific language impairment on discrepancy criteria were not those who were being referred to speech and language therapy. Conclusions & Implications: Although...
Words: 5459 - Pages: 22
...LANGUAGE WRITTEN AND SPOKEN, WHICH ONE IS MORE IMPORTANT? INTRODUCTION As we already know for humans since childhood becomes easily to learn spoken language before written language. However, after learn how to speak, written language becomes more stable than spoken language, it is because human rely on their eyes more than ears. Since spoken language and it written form represent the same meaning, it is necessary to find out which is determinate and which is secondary. In this report will be explained which characteristic of the language is more important. GENERAL ASPECTS First of all, we must separate speech and writing. We know that speech and writing are two forms of human language. Speech and writing both represent meaning. They both possess language's property. To work around the concept 'language' that is a term for both speech and writing, we do not regard them as language, but as visual and auditory info. Apparently, the fundamental distinction between speech and writing is: speech is auditory (acoustic), while writing is visual. Since we are born we are capable to learn real life sounds, so that we are also able to reproduce this sounds whereby spoken language may be more effective than written language on the other hand sometimes speech and writing are the same. Some people like writing more than speaking. Speaking is more important in public gathering, while writing more important for making notes. In terms of usage, neither of speech and writing has absolute...
Words: 1333 - Pages: 6
...do not make you happy. Instead she elucidates the “real” American dream, where people spend more time on their family than their occupation. She also beliefs that people today are to materialistic thinking, they are more preoccupied by their jobs than their families. Like text 3, text 4 also takes a skeptical stance towards the American dream. The author, David Wallechinsky, argues that people should be able to live a comfortable life without worrying too much about things like money. He claims that the “average Joe” in America has enough problems paying for simple convenience. Assignment 2: First of all the language in text 1 is much more well considered than in text 2. Not that the language is grammatically incorrect in text 2, but it is not as formal as in text 1. It seems like Arnold’s essay is more dominated by the spoken language than the written language. In text 1 the author...
Words: 714 - Pages: 3
...------------------------------------------------- Oral Language: Introduction Oral language is about speaking. This section describes what happens when people talk. For most of the time, we take oral language for granted. Young children appear to learn to speak without the intervention of parents or teachers. It just seems to happen naturally. When something goes wrong with speech - through deafness, strokes, accidents - we begin to realise what a complex achievement it is. Someone learning or teaching English as a second language will also be conscious of the complexities of oral language. In writing this section, we were very aware of the unsuitability of the written medium for discussing spoken language. It is much easier to describe syntax and morphology because these appear in the written form of the language, which is what books are designed for. Writing involves no sound; the symbols are taken in by the eye. When we speak, however, we are using organised sounds that are taken in by the ear. It is very much harder, therefore, to convey spoken language because understanding depends on being able to hear different sounds, rhythms, and patterns of intonation. The examples need to be heard rather than seen. This part of the book can deal with only some of the concepts and information about speech and suggest other elements to look for. A videotape, entitled Oral Language, accompanies this book. We were also aware that for most teachers, the study of oral language is completely new territory. We...
Words: 1551 - Pages: 7
...system is often seen as the best for accurately conveying ideas and all others are somehow less clear or concise. This idea stems from the inherent belief that one’s culture is superior to others. In our culture, our orthographic and verbal universes often do not extend beyond the languages and writing systems with which we are familiar. Our egotism for our own culture and its linguistic systems (by no means a unique feature in the world) only becomes apparent when we choose to, or are forced to interact with other cultures. At a basic and reactionary level, these other cultures with which we interact often feel the same entitlement to chauvinism as ourselves. To objectify and quantify the superiority of ourselves over the “other”, we compare features of other languages with our own. Any feature present in our language but absent in another, is a deficiency in the other language, and any feature it possesses which our language lacks, is seen as superfluous, or an aberration. When we use autometry to measure other languages against our own, those most similar to ourselves inevitably appear better than those that are more dissimilar. If a culture is missing an entire category such as a written language system, then we assume that their deficiencies must be quite fundamental. The anthropological ideas of cultural relativity and linguistic relativity allow us a new perspective. (Duranti, 1997, p. 60) According to cultural relativism, the behaviors and patterns, such as writing...
Words: 1822 - Pages: 8
...Language is a living organism which should be spoken or written in order to survive. Language is passed from one generation to another as parents pass their language on to their children and so on, so the language continues to live. Languages such as English, Spanish and Chinese are healthy languages. They exist in oral and written forms and are used by hundreds of millions of people around the world. But most of the approximately seven thousand languages are not as healthy. They are used by very few people as children do not learn from their parents. As a result, these languages are in danger of disappearing. When, however a language is dying? A language dies when the last person to speak it, dies. This happens in many parts of the world. There are dozens of languages that have only one speaker. According to Professor Harrison “The key to revitalizing a language is by motivating a new generation of speakers”. In my opinion this statement is absolutely truth as languages are staying alive only if they are spoken rather than written. It is important to note that there are many languages that do not have a written form but they have been surviving for many thousands of years orally. Consequently it is really important to prevent these languages from disappearing because its language represents the culture and the tradition of a nation as well as the knowledge of the people speaking the language. In conclusion, I think that teaching the new generation these languages...
Words: 282 - Pages: 2
...among all living organisms is communication. Many methods of communication are built up over time to form languages. Language is formed from various rules, but consists mainly of vocabulary. Vocabulary affects how easily one person communicates with another, which in turn affects how much a person is able to know. If the vocabulary of a certain language does not contain words that describe a given event, or if a language has not developed words that are complex enough to be used to form a meaning of equal value, it is then impossible to impart that knowledge to another person. The extent of vocabulary in a language is determined by what information and knowledge can be shared, using that specific language. Vocabulary can also limit how we communicate with one another because using certain words to describe something may make understanding it much more complex. For example, when one uses abstraction they take away individualistic value to the subject to which they are referring. Does one abstract a cow to the point where they are nothing but a farming asset, or not abstract the cow enough to the point where it is only a large mass of particles and organisms? When there are multiple meanings for the same word, or if something is able to be interpreted in various ways, words and phrases may often be misunderstood and used incorrectly. Areas of knowledge (AOKs) such as language, art, and mathematics are prime examples of why vocabulary can limit how much we know. Literature, as well...
Words: 2074 - Pages: 9
...Head: Origins of Vernacular Language Unit 1: Origins of Vernacular Language Brittany Austin Instructor: Cheryl Lemus HUMA215-1101A-02 February 17, 2011 Origins of Vernacular Language According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the term vernacular can be defined as using a language that is native to a country or province rather than a cultured, foreign, or literary language (Merriam-Webster, 2011). These languages would one day be known as Portuguese, French, Spanish, Italian, and etc. The vernacular languages would also be considered as the large family of contemporary “Romance” languages (Matthews, 2011). Before the twelfth century, Latin was the major language that was used by writers. The developments of Latin were influenced by other native languages which included Celtic languages, Greek, and Etruscan (University of Calgary, 1996). Latin was continuously developed because there were significant differences in each period. These differences included those in the literary written language, and also in the differences in the spoken language of the educated and the less educated populace. Between 500 – 100 after the Empire, the peninsula was also using the vernacular language in the form of popular celebrations of religious festivals, improvisational troupes of actors, story-tellers, etc (Matthews, 2011). However none of the literature was written down and handed down to the...
Words: 757 - Pages: 4
...Writing is a medium of communication that represents language through the inscription of signs and symbols. In most languages, writing is a complement to speech or spoken language. Writing is not a language but a form of technology. Within a language system, writing relies on many of the same structures as speech, such as vocabulary, grammar and semantics, with the added dependency of a system of signs or symbols, usually in the form of a formal alphabet. The result of writing is generally called text, and the recipient of text is called a reader. Motivations for writing include publication, storytelling, correspondence and diary. Writing has been instrumental in keeping history, dissemination of knowledge through the media and the formation of legal systems. As human societies emerged, the development of writing was driven by pragmatic exigencies such as exchanging information, maintaining financial accounts, codifying laws and recording history. Around the 4th millennium BCE, the complexity of trade and administration in Mesopotamia outgrew human memory, and writing became a more dependable method of recording and presenting transactions in a permanent form.[1] In both Ancient Egypt and Mesoamerica writing may have evolved through calendrics and a political necessity for recording historical and environmental events. H.G. Wells argued that writing has the ability to "put agreements, laws, commandments on record. It made the growth of states larger than the old city states...
Words: 263 - Pages: 2
