Practice Essay - Score indication perhaps? A mark out of 30 would be nice (:

[jonjon]

Writing has traditionally been given higher status and value than speech. Discuss whether written language still holds higher status in the Twenty First Century.

Throughout history, the more academically abled individuals such as scholars and priests have been held with a higher regard and prestige. The sole reason lies in their ability to write, and transform spoken ideas onto a permanent parchment. As such, language in this regard has always placed emphasis on the written mode as the more intelligent and prestigious mode. Today written language continues to be given a higher status than its linguistic counterpart. Yet the spoken mode is no longer inferior, or disregarded as simply an innate right. Instead, spoken language has been elevated to a higher status, and has been placed with more importance than its past given its advantages over the written mode. Nevertheless, despite each mode containing its own advantages and disadvantages per se, written language will continue to hold its higher status in the Twenty First Century.

Written language has many advantages over its spoken counterpart that gives it its prestige in society. Firstly, the ability to draft and re-draft messages to perfection allows an author to fully utilise the best techniques and features of language to perform a specific function. This includes persuading, informing, and entertaining. For instance, a customer’s complain letter can fully address issues without a restricted time period to process their information. In contrast, a correspondence would require the speaker to spontaneously supply information while maintaining an appropriate tone at the same time. As such, writing allows the espouser to properly address problems without the lack of comprehensive arguments. Secondly the formality of writing and permanence of its records allows it to be perfectly suited for most legal reasons. This is achieved as a written document contains all relevant information that is “correct at the date it was published”, as most documents claim. Subsequently, any following legal transactions can be made official as there will be no excuse for misunderstanding due to the semantic differences as evident in spoken language. The significance of a written signature as such, can be illustrated by Tony Abbott’s impromptu signature on his promise of the “dead, buried and cremated” status of work choices. Despite the spontaneity of the signature, such an action effectively binds him to his promise, which again highlights the high status of the written mode. Lastly, the ability to spell, construct sentences, and communicate ideas on paper gives an indication of an individual’s academic ability. As a Melbourne University Lecturer observed, “more and more students are entering University without a proper grasp of written language”. This highlights the importance of written language and the status that it holds in our society today.

Despite the early dismissal of spoken language throughout history as being inferior to the written mode, the spoken mode has gained considerable importance in the Twenty First Century. Educational systems have highlighted the need for one to be able to speak with sophistication and debate with class. And public speaking and debating programmes are indicators of this newly revised importance. There are also many advantages to the spoken mode that cannot be replicated by written language. Some include spontaneity, prosody, and overlapping. Through these features, interlocutors are able to participate in a face to face conversation that is not restricted by the conventions of writing. Emotions such as elation, anger, surprise, indifference, and secrecy can be very well played out through prosodic features. This regards spoken mode as one that is best suited for everyday discourse as it can convey emotions which is the limiting factor the written mode.

Following the advent of technology, an increasing amount of focus has been placed on “writing the spoken mode", as simply stated by David Crystal. This is illustrated through social networking sites, and electronic communications have effectively created a pseudo-spoken and pseudo-written mode of language. Such is the case with “twitter”, whereby the term “tweet-up” signifies a meet up on twitter, and a tweet, even though its denotative meaning is a vocal sound produced by birds, means to update one’s status. Further, instant messaging allows messages to be sent and received as they are typed, blending the idea of writing and speaking. In effect, this helps place both the written mode and spoken mode on par with one another in terms of their prestige used for casual discourse.

History has set a throne upon which sits the written mode of language. Its official status and academic indicator resides in that written language is not an innate right, but an acquired ability. However, the spoken mode also holds many advantages over the written mode and is best used for communicative efficiency, spontaneous feedback, and for face to face communication. But with the advent of technology creating a pseudo spoken and pseudo written mode, both these conventions of language are beginning to acquire equal status in society. Nevertheless, in the Twenty First Century, the written mode will continue to hold the higher status, prestige, and regard over its spoken counterpart.