PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

Remote Learning Series 2020 – 2021

UNIT II - Module 3:
Varieties and Registers of Spoken
and Written Language

Start It Right…
Read the Learning Outcomes of this Module.

At the end of the learning engagement, you should be able to:

1. differentiate between spoken and written language,
2. explain the varieties and registers of spoken and written language,
3. discuss how varieties and registers of language affect communication,
4. participate in activities to enhance communicative competence, and
5. appreciate the significance of understanding how varieties and registers of language affect
communication.

Hook up and Share…

A. What am I? Stretch your cerebral muscles by making educated hunch based on
the given clues in each item.

1. I wiggled and cannot see, sometimes underground and sometimes on a tree. I really don’t want to be
on a hook, and I become a person when combined with a book. What am I? Answer: _______________
2. I like to twirl my body but keep my head up high. After I go in, everything becomes tight. What am I?
What am I? Answer: _______________
3. I wear green jacket on the outside, white jacket as a second layer, and a red jacket inside. I am
pregnant with a lot of babies. What am I? Answer: _______________
4. If you have me, you want to share me. Once you share me, you won’t have me. What am I?
Answer: _______________
5. I am the type of room you cannot enter or leave. Raise from the ground below, I could be poisonous or
a delicious treat. What am I? Answer: _______________
6. Lighter than feather and softer than silk, yet the strongest man in the world cannot hold me for more
than a few minutes. What am I? Answer: _______________
7. I am a mother from a family of eight. I spin around all day despite my weight. I had a ninth sibling
before finding out it’s fake. What am I? Answer: _______________

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8. I am enjoyed by some, despised by others. Some take me for granted, some treasure me like a gift. I
last forever, unless you break me first. What am I? Answer: _______________
9. I can wave my hands at you, but I never say goodbye. You are always cool when with me, even more
so when I am high. What am I? Answer: _______________
10. I always run but never walk, often murmur but never talk, have a bed but never sleep, have a mouth
but never eat. Answer: _______________

Watch and Buzz…

Use the Internet and view the video presentation titled ―Spoken vs Written
Language‖ at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoxMAXd78o4. Based on the
exposition in the video, complete the table with information that shows differences
between spoken and written language.

Distinction between Spoken and Written Language

Spoken Language Written Language

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 Show and Tell…
A. Search Me! Using online sources and other references, accomplish the task that
follows by providing information about the characteristics of spoken and written
language.

Characteristics of Spoken Language

Articulation - Intonation - Pronunciation –

Pause - Phrasing -

Spoken
Language
Stress - Pitch -

Rate - Volume/Tone -
Rhythm -

Characteristics of Written Language

Permanence

Time Factor

Creative Activity

One-Cycle Event

Orthography

Complexity

Vocabulary

Formality

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B. Reacting to the Text. Read and understand the proceeding article. Afterwards, answer the questions
that follow.

Written Language and Spoken Language

By Mark Aronoff of Scholarpedia
Most people think of a language as primarily written. Indeed, when a person studies a language in
school, they usually study the written language, either literature (texts written in the language) or
composition (in which the students compose their own written texts). Spoken language is given second
place in schools and universities, except at the very elementary level of foreign language study. What set
modern linguistics apart, beginning in the nineteenth century, was the realization that the opposite is true:
language is primarily spoken and written language is an imperfect reflection of spoken language,
conveyed through a fairly new and imperfect technology, writing.
The main evidence behind this conclusion is the fact that every human society has a fully functioning
spoken language while, until a century ago, only a very few societies had a written language and even
then, literacy was, again until recently, confined only to a small class of people. Furthermore, the few
writing systems that existed prior to the twentieth century all owed their origins to three or four quite
recent inventions, none much more than five thousand years old, while many scholars believe that
human language evolved at least 50,000 years ago. All of these writing systems arose in early materially
advanced state-like societies. These inventions include Sumerian cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphic
writing in the Middle East (likely related to one another in origin); Chinese writing; and Mayan
hieroglyphic writing (deciphered only in the mid twentieth century). The alphabet, the most widely used of
modern writing systems, was an adaptation by Semitic-speaking people of aspects of the Egyptian
system. It is therefore spoken language that is common to all human societies.
Spoken language comes naturally to all normal human children: expose a normal young human child to
any language from a very early age and the child will fully master the language without any overt
instruction, while it is very difficult for most humans to acquire a new language after a certain age
(generally around puberty). It is as if young human children came preprogrammed to acquire a spoken
language (something that many though not all linguists believe). Written language, by contrast, must be
overtly taught; it is never learned effortlessly, and rarely perfectly.
1. Why does the article claim that written language is an imperfect reflection of spoken language?

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2. Are you more comfortable expressing your thoughts in spoken or written language? Explain.

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 Plug in and Chat…
Interactive Lecture. Participate in the discussion of the key concepts about varieties
and registers of spoken and written language.

Differences between Writing and Speech

From omniglot.com

Written and spoken language differ in many ways. However some forms of writing are closer to speech
than others, and vice versa. Below are some of the ways in which these two forms of language differ:

 Writing is usually permanent and written texts cannot usually be changed once they have been
printed/written out.

Speech is usually transient, unless recorded, and speakers can correct themselves and change
their utterances as they go along.
 A written text can communicate across time and space for as long as the particular language and
writing system is still understood.

Speech is usually used for immediate interactions.

 Written language tends to be more complex and intricate than speech with longer sentences and
many subordinate clauses. The punctuation and layout of written texts also have no spoken
equivalent. However some forms of written language, such as instant messages and email, are
closer to spoken language.

Spoken language tends to be full of repetitions, incomplete sentences, corrections and

interruptions, with the exception of formal speeches and other scripted forms of speech, such as
news reports and scripts for plays and films.
 Writers receive no immediate feedback from their readers, except in computer-based
communication. Therefore they cannot rely on context to clarify things so there is more need to
explain things clearly and unambiguously than in speech, except in written correspondence
between people who know one another well.

Speech is usually a dynamic interaction between two or more people. Context and shared
knowledge play a major role, so it is possible to leave much unsaid or indirectly implied.
 Writers can make use of punctuation, headings, layout, colors and other graphical effects in their
written texts. Such things are not available in speech

Speech can use timing, tone, volume, and timbre to add emotional context.
 Written material can be read repeatedly and closely analyzed, and notes can be made on the
writing surface. Only recorded speech can be used in this way.
 Some grammatical constructions are only used in writing, as are some kinds of vocabulary, such
as some complex chemical and legal terms.

Some types of vocabulary are used only or mainly in speech. These include slang expressions,
and tags like y'know, like, etc.

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 A Comparison and Contrast of Spoken and Written Language
From www.hamilton.edu

Difference between Spoken and Written Language

By Hasa Posted July 2, 2016

Skills
Spoken Language involves speaking and listening skills. Written Language involves reading and writing
skills.
Age
Spoken Language is older than written language. Written Language is not as old as the spoken
language.
Complexity
Spoken Language is more informal and simple than written language. Written Language is more formal
and complex than spoken language.
Users
Spoken Language is mostly used between two people who are in the same place. Written Language
promotes communication across space and time.
Components
Spoken Language can use tone, pitch, volume, etc. Written Language can use heading, punctuation,
layouts, etc.
Records
Spoken Language is temporary since there are no records. Written Language is permanent since there
are records.
Features
Spoken Language contains repetitions, incomplete sentences, interruptions, corrections, etc. Written
Language is often grammatically correct and may contain long sentences in complex tenses.
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 Definition and Examples of Language Varieties
By Richard Nordquist Updated January 23, 2020

In sociolinguistics, language variety—also called lect—is a general term for any distinctive form of a
language or linguistic expression. Linguists commonly use language variety (or simply variety) as a cover
term for any of the overlapping subcategories of a language, including dialect, register, jargon, and
idiolect.

Background
To understand the meaning of language varieties, it's important to consider how lects differ from
standard English. Even what constitutes standard English is a topic of hot debate among linguists.

Standard English is a controversial term for a form of the English language that is written and spoken by
educated users. For some linguists, standard English is a synonym for good or correct English usage.
Others use the term to refer to a specific geographical dialect of English or a dialect favored by the most
powerful and prestigious social group.

Varieties of language develop for a number of reasons: differences can come about for geographical
reasons; people who live in different geographic areas often develop distinct dialects—variations of
standard English. Those who belong to a specific group, often academic or professional, tend to adopt
jargon that is known to and understood by only members of that select group. Even individuals develop
idiolects, their own specific ways of speaking.

Dialect
The word dialect—which contains "lect" within the term—derives from the Greek words dia- meaning
"across, between" and legein "speak." A dialect is a regional or social variety of a language distinguished
by pronunciation, grammar, and/or vocabulary. The term dialect is often used to characterize a way of
speaking that differs from the standard variety of the language. Sarah Thomason of the Linguistic Society
of America notes:

"All dialects start with the same system, and their partly independent histories leave different parts
of the parent system intact. This gives rise to some of the most persistent myths about language,
such as the claim that the people of Appalachia speak pure Elizabethan English."

Certain dialects have gained negative connotations in the U.S. as well as in other countries. Indeed, the
term dialect prejudice refers to discrimination based on a person's dialect or way of speaking. Dialect
prejudice is a type of linguicism—discrimination based on dialect. In their article "Applied Social
Dialectology," published in "Sociolinguistics: An International Handbook of the Science of Language and
Society," Carolyn Temple and Donna Christian observe:

"...dialect prejudice is endemic in public life, widely tolerated, and institutionalized in social
enterprises that affect almost everyone, such as education and the media. There is limited
knowledge about and little regard for linguistic study showing that all varieties of a language
display systematicity and that the elevated social position of standard varieties has no scientific
linguistic basis."

Due to this kind of dialectic prejudice, Suzanne Romaine, in "Language in Society," notes: "Many
linguists now prefer the term variety or lect to avoid the sometimes pejorative connotations that the term
'dialect' has."

Register
Register is defined as the way a speaker uses language differently in different circumstances. Think
about the words you choose, your tone of voice, even your body language. You probably behave very
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differently chatting with a friend than you would at a formal dinner party or during a job interview. These
variations in formality, also called stylistic variation, are known as registers in linguistics.

They are determined by such factors as social occasion, context, purpose, and audience. Registers are
marked by a variety of specialized vocabulary and turns of phrases, colloquialisms, the use of jargon,
and a difference in intonation and pace.

Registers are used in all forms of communication, including written, spoken, and signed. Depending on
grammar, syntax, and tone, the register may be extremely rigid or very intimate. You don't even need to
use an actual word to communicate effectively. A huff of exasperation during a debate or a grin while
signing "hello" speaks volumes.

Jargon
Jargon refers to the specialized language of a professional or occupational group. Such language is
often meaningless to outsiders. American poet David Lehman has described jargon as "the verbal sleight
of hand that makes the old hat seem newly fashionable; it gives an air of novelty and specious profundity
to ideas that, if stated directly, would seem superficial, stale, frivolous, or false."

George Packer describes jargon in a similar vein in a 2016 article in the New Yorker magazine:

―Professional jargon—on Wall Street, in humanities departments, in government offices—can be a

fence raised to keep out the uninitiated and permit those within it to persist in the belief that what
they do is too hard, too complex, to be questioned. Jargon acts not only to euphemize but to
license, setting insiders against outsiders and giving the flimsiest notions a scientific aura.‖

Pam Fitzpatrick, a senior research director at Gartner, a Stamford, Connecticut-based research and
advisory firm specializing in high tech, writing on LinkedIn, puts it more bluntly:

"Jargon is waste. Wasted breath, wasted energy. It absorbs time and space but does nothing to
further our goal of persuading people to help us solve complex problems."

In other words, jargon is a faux method of creating a sort of dialect that only those on this inside group
can understand. Jargon has social implications similar to dialect prejudice but in reverse: It is a way of
making those who understand this particular variety of language more erudite and learned; those who
are members of the group that understands the particular jargon are considered smart, while those on
the outside are simply not bright enough to comprehend this kind of language.

Types of Lects
In addition to the distinctions discussed previously, different types of lects also echo the types of
language varieties:

 Regional dialect: A variety spoken in a particular region.

 Sociolect: Also known as a social dialect, a variety of language (or register) used by a
socioeconomic class, a profession, an age group, or any other social group.
 Ethnolect: A lect spoken by a specific ethnic group. For example, Ebonics, the vernacular spoken
by some African-Americans, is a type of ethnolect, notes e2f, a language-translation firm.
 Idiolect: According to e2f, the language or languages spoken by each individual. For example, if
you are multilingual and can speak in different registers and styles, your idiolect comprises
several languages, each with multiple registers and styles.

In the end, language varieties come down to judgments, often "illogical," that are, according to Edward
Finegan in "Language: Its Structure and Use":

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 "...imported from outside the realm of language and represent attitudes to particular varieties or to
forms of expression within particular varieties."

The language varieties, or lects, that people speak often serve as the basis for judgment, and even
exclusion, from certain social groups, professions, and business organizations. As you study language
varieties, keep in mind that they are often based on judgments one group is making in regard to another.

LANGUAGE REGISTERS

Language Registers
Posted by D'Educator Admin at CAPE-Communication Studies

Register refers to the perceived attitude and level of formality associated with a variety of language. The
relationship between the writer's attitude and the variety chosen is very important in the study of written
language. In face to face speech, the listener can easily interpret the attitude of the speaker by
examining the speaker's tone of voice, facial expressions and overall body language. This is not possible
in writing. The writer has to use specialized features of discourse to convey or mask attitudes. It is then
the reader's responsibility to correctly interpret the writer's attitude, tone and level of formality.
Language Registers range on a scale from most formal to most informal. The five levels identified have
been given specialized names by Linguists; frozen, formal, consultative, casual and intimate.

1. Frozen: This is where the use of language is fixed and relatively static. The national pledge, anthem,
school creeds and The Lord's Prayer are examples of a frozen register. In essence it is language that
does not require any feedback.

2. Formal: This describes language used in official and ceremonial settings. For example in court, in a
business meeting, at a swearing in ceremony, in an interview or in a classroom etc. The language used
in these settings is comparatively rigid and has a set, agreed upon vocabulary that is well documented.
In other words, the language used is often of a standard variety.

3. Consultative: This describes language used for the purpose of seeking assistance as is suggested by
the word 'consult'. It also describes the language used between a superior and subordinate. In both
cases one person is deemed as more knowledgeable and having greater expertise and the other person
is the beneficiary of such knowledge and expertise. The language dynamism between lawyer/client,
doctor/patient, employer/employee and teacher/student are examples of this type of register.

4. Casual/Informal: This describes language used between friends. It is often very relaxed and focused
on just getting the information out. Slangs are quite often used in these instances.

5. Intimate: This is used to describe language used between persons who share a close relationship or
bond. This register would take into account certain terms of endearment, slangs or expressions whose
meaning is shared with a small subset of persons. For example lovers having special terms of
endearment, mothers giving pet names to their children based on some character trait and best friends
formulating slangs based on some shared past experience.

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 Clinch It Well…
Accomplish the assessment activity that follows. Then submit your output to your
instructor for evaluation and grading.

Name: ___________________________________ Section: _______ Date: _______ Score: ________

A. Did You Know? Use the Internet and view the video presentation titled ―The Most Spoken
Languages in the World‖ at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fzg2gdCu3Qw. After watching the
video, write a commentary of 50 – 75 words based on the content of the video.

My Commentary

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B. Varieties of English. Using online and non-online references, make distinction among varieties of the
English language, namely: British English, American and Canadian English, Australian and New Zealand
English, Asian English (Chinglish, Singlish, Filipino) and African English. Use the table below.

Varieties of English Description

British English

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 American and Canadian
English

Australian and New Zealand

English

Asian English (Chinese,

Singaporean, Filipino)

African English

What advantages does studying varieties of the English language have in your communication skills as a
global citizen?

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C. Language Registers. Use the following pictures to provide necessary sentences or dialogues in
exemplifying the indicated language register.

Frozen (Flag Ceremony) Frozen (Miranda Rights/Warning)

Formal (Speech Delivery) Consultative (Teacher-Student-Parent)

Casual (Friends) Intimate (Mother-Daughter)

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References:

Aronoff, Mark. (2007). Written Language and Spoken Language. Retrieved from
http://scholarpedia.org/article/Language_(linguistics)

D'Educator Admin CAPE-Communication Studies (2011, February 9). Language registers. Retrieved
from https://capecommstudies.blogspot.com/2011/02/languageregisters.html#:~:text=1%20
Frozen%3A%20This%20is%20where%20the%20use%20of,a%20superior%20and%20subordinat
e.%20...%20More20items...%20

General Knowledge. (2019, May 25). The most spoken languages in the world. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fzg2gdCu3Qw.

Hamilton University. (n.d.) A comparison and contrast of spoken and written language. Retrieved from
https://www.hamilton.edu/academics/centers/oralcommunication/guides/spoken-language-vs-
written-language

Hasa (2016, July 2). Difference between spoken and written language. Retrieved from
https://pediaa.com/difference-between-spoken-and-written-language/

Linguistics UoN. (2014, May 18). Spoken vs Written Language. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoxMAXd78o4

Nordquist, Richard. (2020, February 11). Definition and examples of language varieties. Retrieved from
https://www.thoughtco.com/language-variety-sociolinguistics-1691100

Omniglot.com. (2020). Differences between Writing and Speech. Retrieved from

https://omniglot.com/writing/writingvspeech.htm

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