Although we have
advanced on this topic, I would like you to ponder over these questions and
answer them intuitively, without using any resource.
- What is writing?
- What do people write for?
- Who do we write for?
- Has writing changed over time?
If yes, how and why?
- What are the main differences between spoken and written English?
We will discuss the answers to these
questions in class, yet I want everyone to provide the answers in the comment section of this blog.
Due date: Monday, October 8th
6 comentarios:
1. Writing is a complex activity which consists of representing oral language by using symbols.
2. People write for different reasons: to express their feelings, because they like it, to share something (information with others), because they have been required to do so (academic papers).
3. We write for teachers, classmates, people in the same field as us (education).
4. Yes, in a way writing has changed over time. Many centuries ago, only a few people were able to read and write, so writing was something very restricted. Nowadays, most of the people know how to read and write, so writing is a very common activity in modern society.
5. The main difference between spoken and written language is that while spoken language is context-dependent; written language is not. This means that written language is more complex in the sense that all the information must be provided by the writer for the reader to understand the text.
In addition, spoken language originated much earlier than written language. Also, while spoken language is acquired almost effortlessly by children during early infancy; written language requires a lot of tuition for children to grasp it.
1.What is writing?
Writing is an epistemic tool which consists on the translation of ideas into symbols.
2.What do people write for?
People write to express their ideas and knowledge; to convey meaning; to communicate.
3.Who do we write for?
We write to different audiences according to the purpose of the message we want to convey. Among these we can find messages to friends, mails to teachers, essays and reports as assignments for a particular subject, letters of application for a job and resumes, comments on blogs, etc.
4.Has writing changed over time? If yes, how and why?
Yes, I think writing has changed over time due to the advances in technology. The main means of communication nowadays is through the internet (mails, blogs, etc.) and cell phones text messages. Thus, as a result of the hectic lives we live and character limits in messages, writing has become shortened and simplified.
5.What are the main differences between spoken and written English?
When we write, we have the possibility of going over to what we have written as many times we want. However, as there are no prosodic features or non-verbal cues present in writing, sometimes meaning can be confusing. The language used in written English is generally more formal than the one used in spoken English. When we write, we usually plan what we are going to express and the way we will do it, speaking on the other hand, is more spontaneous. Also, when we speak, the person we address our message to is usually present and provides instant feedback, whereas when we write, our audience is not usually present and we cannot know right away their reaction to our message.
Dear Mariel, as usual your answers are interesting and trigger other questions, they are food for thought.
I would like you to re-think your first answer under the light of the theory we will see today. Let me know if you change your mind later or would you still assert the same.
Do you think that academic papers are written just as a requirement? What happens at conferences, seminars, workshops where specialists are supposed to write in order to persuade an audience of their point?
Gloria
Dear Candice,
Your answer is thorough; however, there is a discrimination that needs be made.
Writing is an epistemic tool since it helps us rethinking, review and shape our ideas as we write. Something that does not happen as we speak.
Writing consists on the translation of ideas into symbols is a narrower interpretation of what writing is.
As regards the evolutionary nature of writing, we need to go back in time and imagine how writing has evolved with the appearance of new activities, new professions, and new needs.
1- Writing is a way of representing speech sounds in a visual form
2- People write for many reasons:entertaining (writers, cartoonists, ect), for informing an audience (reseacrh papers, newspapers, medical precriptions, instructions in a device etc.)everiday activities (Facebook, mails, etc)
3- We write because we want or need to convey meaning. We write because we have to do it (school, university papers, or requierements), we write because we want to send a card to a friend, we write because we want to express ourselves.
4- Writing has changed. From the very begining people used to write on a board, or in a papirus, symbols were carved, painted, becoming eventually more abstract up to represent sounds of speech
5- The main differences between spoken language and written language is that wereas spoken language is context dependent, written language is conext dependent, that is to say that people use spoken language to communicate with peers in a certain place and time. Witten language is independent because the written material can reach an audience that is in another time and space
Gloria, could you send us the slides on writing you showed in class? Thank you!!
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