Introduction
Communication is an important aspect in all living creatures. Other than human beings who have modified communication channels, other animals also have their own way of communicating.
For instance, even the little creatures such as ants have their own ways of communicating, which makes them move in a straight line towards something or their anthill. Human beings have the most sophisticated ways of communicating as they can speak to each other and get immediate response.
There are different forms of communication among the human beings, some of which include writing, direct verbal, phone communication and signals just to mention a few. The method and mode of communication used normally depend on various factors such as time, situation, distance, and availability among other factors (Chafe and Tannen).
Among the many forms of the communication is the spoken language, which is achieved by way of mouth to produce speech (Hughes). However, at times the spoken language is used in writing to convey the same message that could be conveyed by way of mouth. This paper is therefore, an analysis of the spoken language to determine why it is used in writing, the current statistics and examples on the same.
Why spoken language is used in writing
Spoken language can be used in writing whereby the people involved write speech-like sentences, phrases, or words (Hughes). In this, the people communicating using this mode may be close or distant from each other. The whole scenario is such that one person writes a question or statement that provokes the other person(s) to respond in the same way, hence leading to a conversation.
This is the case evidenced in Facebook, MSN, and blackberry chats. The same is also applicable through the SMS services of the mobile phones. In all these, people communicate as if they are directly talking to each other but do it in writing. There are various reasons that make people write the spoken language, which include:
First, written spoken language comes in handy for the deaf and dumb people (Sutton 1). Writing of spoken language usually makes it possible for such people to be able to communicate with other people without necessarily using the sign language (Sutton 1). This makes them feel comfortable since they are able to pass their opinions in the way that they would do if they were not challenged by these disabilities.
Another reason for using spoken language in written form is the convenience it has in terms of time. Unlike other forms of written communication such as letters, which take time before they reach the recipient of the information and have them respond, this mode of communication is fast (Pereltsvaig 1). This is because the recipient and sender of the information send and get response immediately.
Thirdly, use of spoken language in written form ensures the communication of as much information as possible compared to other modes (Pereltsvaig 1). This is because, despite the fact that those involved in the communication are not close, they are able to communicate as if they are next to each other. As such, they can discuss on several issues since response is immediate giving room for other issues in the discussion forum. This is not the case in written communication, whereby issues are handled one at a time.
In addition, through spoken language it is possible to use words that have no standard written form. Research has shown that there are there are many languages around the world that lack a standard written form but can be spoken (Pinker). It has further been noted that languages of this nature are expressed in written form using International Phonetic Alphabet. Nevertheless, using spoken language in writing has made it possible to use some of these languages.
The cons of using spoken language in writing
In the above discussion, the reasons and advantages of using spoken language in writing were discussed. Nevertheless, there are disadvantages that come about because of using the spoken language in written form. For one, this type of communication is very addictive thus hindering the involved people from performing other duties bestowed on them.
For instance, workers working in offices with internet connectivity may spend much of the time chatting through Facebook, Skype, and G-talk among other forms of chats instead of concentrating on the work allocated to them.
Communication of spoken language through writing is not applicable to people who are illiterate. This is because they are not in a position to read and write what has been communicated to them or what they would wish to communicate respectively. This type of communication is also not applicable to people who are visually impaired as they will not be able to see what has been communicated to them.
Another disadvantage of this mode of communication is the high vulnerability of cases of criminal offences such as assaults. In the recent past, cases of kidnapping and assaults of minors have been prevalent. Most of them were after the minors had several chats with the criminals, from which they give their full information and address leading to their kidnap and assaults.
These cases are not possible through written forms, as the time in between the responses would definitely cause suspicion leading to the arrest of the criminals.
The current statistics and Examples of spoken language in written form
It is true to say that the invention of the spoken language in written form came along with the invention of modern communication channels. The new technology is what has made it possible to communicate from far distances apart in a manner that they seem very close (Miller 1).
Most of these modes of communication have virtual or real images of the people communicating. For instance, in the case of Facebook, one is able to upload images of themselves and post them on their profiles. Other people then view these images when they look at their profiles or even during chatting. The same case applies to the blackberry chats, twitter, my space, and MSN just to mention a few.
In this section, the current statistics of the different types of spoken languages that are in written form will be discussed. This is because of the mere fact that each mode of this communication type has different number of users, and is used in different scenarios.
- Facebook: This is the most used mode of spoken language in written form through the Facebook chats. From the statistics, it was noted that by 5 February 2010, Facebook had more than 400mm users. Currently, it is speculated that Facebook has reached the 500mm users mark according to its founder Mark Zuckerberg (Owyang 1).
- Twitter: This is yet another way of using spoken language via what are referred to as “tweets”. According to the twitter company, about 50 mm tweets are created on a daily basis. On average, it means that in every second about 600 tweets are created (Owyang 1). This data shows that this mode of communication is being used at a very high rate throughout the globe.
- Tagged: This social networking site allows people to communicate and tag each other. In tagged, there is the “meet me” application, which is used to link and create new people into the group. Current statistics as at 2010 indicate that there are 100 million registered users, who create about 40 million the “meet me” page each day (Owyang 1).
- LinkedIn: This is more than a social networking site as it has some professional bit in it by allowing professionals of a certain area to meet and mingle on the internet. Statistics indicate that there are about 60mm users of LinkedIn all over the world (Owyang 1).
The aforementioned are just some of the many forms of the spoken language in written form whose list cannot be exhausted. Others in this category include SMS, My space, blackberry chats, and MSN among others.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it is clear that the use of spoken language in written form is widely used throughout the globe. This can be attributed to the advantages it has in terms of speed and convenience as well as other supporting factors such as its invention and spread around the world. Nevertheless, this mode of communication has led to an increase in cases of assaults of minors by pedophiles and other criminal offenders (Guangrong 3).
Works Cited
Chafe, W., and Tannen, D. “The relation between written and spoken language.” Annual Review of Anthropology 16.1 (1987): 383-407. Print.
Guangrong, R. “The Negative Impact of the Internet and Its Solutions.” The Chinese Information Center for Defense Science and Technology. 1998. Web.
Hughes, R. English in Speech and Writing. London: Routledge, 1996. Print.
Miller, H. “How Internet Access Has Affected Society and Businesses.” Ezine Articles. 2011. Web.
Owyang, J. “A Collection of Social Network Stats for 2010.” Web Strategy. 2010. Web.
Pereltsvaig, A. “On the primacy of the spoken language.” Languages of the World. 2011. Web.
Pinker, S. The language instinct. New York: William Morrow, 1994. Print.
Sutton, V. “Why Write Sign Language.” Deaf Action Committee for Sign Writing. Web.