One can define communication as the process of exchanging messages “…views, ideas, knowledge, skills and emotions among others through use of symbols, words, pictures, graphs, figures from a sender to the receiver through a medium with the aim of stimulating a response” (Strawson, 1964, p.450).
Communication is an art, which has kept on evolving day-by-day with people using of the past using signs and body language to communicate. However, the scenario has significantly changed with the introduction of technology leading to other alternatives of communication like email and telephone.
There are various modes of communication for instance of oral and written. Oral communication is the traditional mode of communication used by almost everyone. It involves use of spoken word for communication. On the other hand, people consider written communication a formal mode, which follows certain formats and procedures.
Email communication lies in the category of written communication since the sender inputs information into the computer and dispatches electronically. As the paper unfolds, email communication resembles the written and oral communication in a number of ways.
Similarities
As a mode of communication, email communication borrows from both the oral and written communication largely. This form of communication serves the purpose of creating understanding and stimulating certain response. Email communication core role is to enhance understanding.
This seems true when it comes to both oral and written communication. In oral communication, the sender of the information sends a code that seems understandable to the recipient. It is through this that communication usually takes place.
Furthermore, when it comes to written communication, the sender transmits the information from oral imaginations to a code or symbols that are understandable to the second party to which the information seems intended.
There are also close links when it comes to the purpose of communication. In both modes of communication, the interactions are basically meant to achieve certain objectives for instance, for business purposes, administration, socialization, networking, and motivation.
Nowadays, people use emails in accomplishing such different objectives, which they initially met through oral and written communication.
Electronic mail is a form of written communication that has of recent gained prominence and popularity as one of the fastest and convenient mode of communication. This seems attributed to the advancement of technology and high level of literacy. This has facilitated interactions between individuals and even groups.
The mode of communication is the most widely and familiar computer mediated communication in the contemporary time as a method of information exchange. The sender of the information inputs information in the computer using a code that is understandable by the intended recipients (DeVito 1986, p.34).
After inputting this information, the sender sends the message or the information to the recipient by commanding the computer to transmit the information. Like wise in oral and written communication, the sender must dispatch the message in an encoded style through a medium.
Therefore, similarities exist between these three modes of communication as the parties employ symbols in form of words in written communication as well as in email communication. Furthermore, written communication and email communication are forms of communication, which enable interactions of people from distance destinations.
In addition, both communication through email and written is not a complex process as it involves the use of symbols that the sender and the receiver can encode and decode. Email communication is rooted from written communication.
Communication through the email as well as written communication requires the application of a coherent flow of information or thinking. However, it is also true that communication through email came about because of “advancement in technology from the traditional forms of communication like oral to electronic modes” (Danet, 2001, p3).
Email communication moves towards the unofficial language communication, a case that Crystal (2001, p.107) refers to as “contemporary bias towards informality.” There exists certain level of easygoingness currently even in the formal trademarks communication.
This changing trend is affecting the carrying out of communication in the job market in general. For instance, the evident use of slang and phrases understood by a given caliber of people through email interactions illustrate a recap of transformation taking place in the oral communication world.
There is remarkable resemblance of emails with usual letters where by emails have adopted formal and professional looking appearances where it follows the memo-like appearance of “To”, “From” and carbon copy among other features that are followed.
Emails also include a goodbye autograph and a salutation separated from each other. Concerning this, Crystal (2001, p.105) concludes that, “farewell serves the purpose of boundary marker and a notification of no other personalized test” Furthermore the signatures plays the role of indicating the instances like the case of sending the email to other users.
In addition, email communication, just like the traditional letters “…tends to help “level the conversational playing field, as relationships of differing social status or power tend to be less apparent within email correspondences” (Harrison 2000, p.71).
This promotes greater intimacy compared to face-to-face communication. Furthermore, Yates (1996, p.41-42), is of the opinion that in email communication intimacy is greater due to the more use of pronouns especially those of the first and second person thus resembling a dialogue communication.
The exclusion of punctuation leads to an unofficial communication. Similarly, emails tend to curtail the use of punctuation marks thereby passing for an oral communication. In fact, Crystal (2001, p.89) observes, “Punctuation tends to be minimalist in most situations…
It is an important area, for it is the chief means a language has for bringing writing into direct contact with (the prosody and paralanguage of) speech”. Analysts of the network like Bolter are of the opinion that the evident improvisation of context and the execution of auxiliary punctuation marks make the communication resemble that of oral communication (Bolter 2001, p.73).
Furthermore, internet communication does not sense the usage of capital letters, as they can appear mixed with lower caps. This seems different from written communication, which cannot tolerate grammatical errors.
These mistakes in email are also attributed to the speed of the sender and therefore do not mean a lot. Other idiomatic abbreviations are also prevalent in electronic mail like “plz” for please and many others.
Linguistic Theories through Email
Even though the debate about electronic mail and computer-mediated communication goes on, all linguistic theories that rely on both the oral and written communication, hold good as well once presented through emails. It seems obvious that email communication to a higher magnitude borrows a lot from both the verbal and written message.
This electronic media has provided an open ground for the user to adapt to various procedures and methods of use. Linguistic (Baron 2001) postulates that email is a language of flux” (252).
Therefore, this flux will always provide the guideline to where these languages will have to reflect on the needs of communication in future in this global community. Various linguistic theorists have their own predispositions concerning how the electronic mail, oral and written communication borrow or link with each other.
Email messages are messages, which many feel like talking to other people even though it is in written form. Based on the expositions of the paper, email communication of today seems quite similar to the written and oral communication.
Reference List
Baron, N., 2000. Alphabet to Email. London: Routledge.
Bolter, J., 2001. Writing Space. London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Crystal, D., 2001. Language and the Internet. Cambridge: Cambridge UP.
Danet, B., 2001. Cyberplay: Communicating Online. Oxford: Berg.
DeVito, J., 1986. The communication handbook: A dictionary. New York: Harper & Row.
Harrison, S., 2000. Maintaining the Virtual Community: Use of Politeness Strategies in an email Discussion Group, Words on Web: Computer Mediated Communication. Exeter: Intellect Books.
Strawson, P., 1964. Intention and Convention in Speech Acts. Philosophical Review, 73, 439–460.
Yates, S., 1996. Oral and Written Linguistic Aspects of Computer Conferencing Computer-Mediated Communication: Linguistic, Social and Cross-Cultural Perspectives. Amsterdam: John Benjamin’s Publishing Co.