DIFFERENCES BETWEEN

SPOKEN AND WRITTEN

ENGLISH

Including the role of both interlocutors: sender

and receiver
Prepared by Natasza Walz
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

1. Background information
2. Characteristics of spoken English
3. Characteristics of written English
4. Differences and similarities between spoken and
written English
5. 4 main differences
6. The sender-receiver model
7. Dimensions of communication
8. Communication barriers
9. Conclusion
B A C K G R O U N D I N F O R M AT I O N  

SPOKEN LANGUAGE WRITTEN LANGUAGE

 Goes back to human beginnings a million  Invented by the Sumerians, in

years ago Mesopotamia, around 3200 B.C.
 Everyone can speak  Some people are nonliterate
 Rather inborn than learned  Learned in the school
 Preserved through memories and by writing  Can be preserved for future generations
 Diverse dialects  Written norms and standards 
 Often informal  Formal style
 1.  It is informal
 Spoken English includes no 
punctuation rules or proper sentence an
d paragraph structure.
2.  It has more simplicity
CHARACTERISTICS
 Speaking is more general and
OF SPOKEN ENGLISH
requires only a knowledge of
intonation, stress, timing, and pitch.
3.  Spoken English has rhythm
 In written English, there is more of a
defined content than a rhythm.
 4.  Use of slang and colloquialism

5.  Narrative form
 Spoken English is more in narrative
CHARACTERISTICS form, event-based, action-based and
story-based.  Written English can be
OF SPOKEN ENGLISH
expository based, idea-based,
explaining ideas and describing future
and past.
CHARACTERICTICS 1.  It has more permanence

OF WRITTEN  Written discourse is fixed and stable so the reading

can be done at whatever time and speed.
ENGLISH
2.  It has more explicitness
3.  It is more dense
 Written content is presented much more densely in
writing (without repetitions, incomplete sentences,
corrections, and interruptions).
4.  It is more detached
 The writer normally works alone (no interaction,
feedback etc.).
CHARACTERISTICS 5.  It is more organised
OF WRITTEN  Usually organised and carefully formulated
ENGLISH (speech – mostly improvised).

6.   It uses standard language (generally)

DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SPOKEN AND
WRITTEN LANGUAGE
4 MAIN DIFFERENCES

1.  Pronunciation
Example: often                   wrong: "of ten"                       right: "of(t)en"
                pronunciation   wrong: "pro noun ciation"    right: "pro nun ciation"
2.  Knowledge of grammar
 People often speak in a casual way, using incomplete sentences, avoiding usage of
punctuations and indirect narration, but when one needs to write an application letter or an
essay, his grammar knowledge is put to test.
4 MAIN DIFFERENCES

3.  Accentuate on specific words while speaking

 Accentuating while speaking provides clarity on your speech by putting stress on
certain words. Accentuating is not needed at all while you are writing in English. Its’ the
reader’s job to get the meaning accurately, and your duty is to write properly.
4.  British accent or American accent
 No matter if  you are writing or speaking in English, some spellings and styles do differ from
American to British English.
THE SENDER-RECEIVER MODEL
 THE SENDER-RECEIVER MODEL

Sender: has an idea or concept he/she wants the receiver to

appreciate.

Receiver: has to accurately understand the sender’s idea.

If the message does not engage the receiver, communication is not

possible! 
 Encode: To translate thoughts or ideas into a form of
language that can be understood by the receiver
(written English).

Message: What is sent - the output of encoding.

THE SENDER-
Medium: The method used for sending the message
RECEIVER (face-to-face, telephone, email).
MODEL
Noise: Something that interferes with the sending or
understanding of the message (distance, culture,
language differences).

Decode: The translation of the message by the receiver

from the medium into their thoughts. 
D I M E N S I O N S O F C O M M U N I C AT I O N
1.  Written or verbal
 Written messages are read. The effectiveness of the communication is influenced by the document’s clarity and
grammatical correctness.
 Verbal messages are heard. The communication is heavily influenced by what the receiver sees (body language,
facial expressions). It makes verbal communication much richer in context then written communication.

2.  Formal or informal 

 Formal  verbal communications are infrequent and usually have pre-planned structure, but still
formal communication can be as well written as verbal.
 Informal communications include all conversations, discussions, and meetings. Private written text messages and
emails can also be informal.
C O M M U N I C AT I O N B A R R I E R S

1. Badly expressed message (sender)

 The sender may not be able to structure his ideas accurately and efficiently. What he wishes to
say and what he finally imparts may not be the same due to bad grammar or poor
understanding of spoken English.
2.  Semantic problem (receiver)
 The receiver is not able to understand the meaning of the message or the intention behind
particular words if they look or sound to "impressive".
 CONCLUSION

To make communication effective, careful thought must be given to the

choice of media and message, how the message will be delivered (and
who will deliver it) and the best writing, or presentation style to use
based on the personality of the person you wish to communicate with,
the receiver.

Effective communication has four key ingredients: all communication

must be clear, concise, easily understood by the receiver, and honest. 
 SOURCES

 https://www.hamilton.edu/academics/centers/oralcommunication/guides/spoken-language-vs-writt
en-language

 https://www.linguisticsociety.org/resource/whats-difference-between-speech-and-writing

 https://thefluentlife.com/content/spoken-english-vs-written-english/

 https://www.ieltsacademy.org/wp/5-differences-spoken-english-written-english/

 https://www.parksandrecbusiness.com/articles/2018/11/mindful-communication

 https://www.mosaicprojects.com.au/WhitePapers/WP1066_Communcation_Theory.pdf

 https://www.iedunote.com/communication-barriers

 https://www.thoughtco.com/receiver-communication-1691899