Week 2

On our second week, we discussed the differences between spoken and written language. Generally, spoken language is ephemeral, fast-paced, spontaneous, redundant, and grammatically less complex. Other characteristics include implicit reference (things that are not told because they are known by both speaker and listener); additive coordination (more use of and, or and incomplete clauses instead of elaborate subordination) and vagueness (stuff like that, you know what I mean, the thing.... etc.). However, these differences are clear when we compared formal writing to everyday conversation.

Spoken texts differ in typologies and genres. While some genres can be described by the above-mentioned characteristics, some others lie at middle point between written and spoken language. For example, a news report on radio and TV is planned, rather than spontaneous. In academic presentation, the speaker might use grammar that is closer to the grammar of a written text. Therefore, the intentions and communicative purposes of texts will determine many of its linguistics features and it is pointless to think of oral and written language in terms of two separate extremes.

The second point we covered in this week was news report, the first of the oral genres in our course. We discussed the typical structure of news reports and the different aims they cover. We practice by watching different reports from different section of different news channels on line. Here is just one example of the reports we watched and discussed in class.