Friday, October 7, 2011
Question of the Week (10/7/11)
Compare and contrast spoken and written language. What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of each? What can the purveyors of written language learn from the masters of spoken language that can enrich their writing? Use the language Gloria Naylor uses in the "A Question of Language" essay as an example. All the usual rules apply, but your posts are not due until Tuesday at 3 p.m. Enjoy your long weekend!
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The spoken language is given meaning from the tone of the speaker. How the speaker talks and uses the words makes the language. In written language the words derive their meaning from the context and placement. The spoken language has the advantage of bringing the speaker and receiver together face to face, but this also means the speaker has less time to really think about what and how they are talking. In a spoken conversation the speaker has to think on their feet. The written language has the advantage of giving the writer time to really process what they are saying and how. The writer can go back over their work, tweak it, and make sure their main point is coming across how they want it to. The disadvantage of writing is that the words have to be used in their literal sense unless there is sufficient context provided. “Girl was a token of respect for a woman. The one-syllable word was drawn out to sound like three in recognition of the extra ounce of wit, nerve, or daring that the woman had shown in the situation under discussion” (A Question of Language, Gloria Naylor). Naylor describes what the word ‘girl’ means in her community for the reader. This is necessary because otherwise the reader might think it is a derogatory term. If someone heard Naylor use the word ‘girl’ they would automatically be able to understand, by her tone, what she was trying to describe. Great orators know how to manipulate the spoken language. Down to the slightest pause everything the orator does adds to the overall emotion and flow of the speech. Writers can make their writing more powerful by capturing the power and emotion inside the orator’s voice. Writing can be powerful because of its message, but if the writer could harnessed an orator’s voice the writing would have a whole new dimension.
ReplyDeletei do not have a page number listed for the quote because i accidentally left the book at school. i got the quote off line. if you need it here is the url: http://www.csun.edu/~hcpas003/language.html
ReplyDeleteSpoken and written language are both the same and different at the same time. With spoken language, one can imply more tone into his language in order to get more effect. Since it is vocal and it can be heard, spoken language can almost be like music. Adjusting one’s tone and adding in rhetoric devices is just like how musicians embellish songs to increase the fervor within the audience. Spoken language is incredibly useful for getting a point across. Examples of when spoken language is used are speeches, debates, and lectures. A unique feature of spoken language is dialogue. Though dialogue can also be written down in books and stories as formal and unchanging, the conversations that we engage in everyday are usually impromptu and the topics often just pop up in our heads. Because of all these features of spoken language, we can engage in conversations much more quickly and much more efficiently due to the nature of spoken language. If someone needs to get a point across or if they need quick answers, they will often use spoken language to accomplish their tasks.
ReplyDeleteThough there are many benefits of spoken language, it could not have existed without written language. Written language is the foundation of communication. Without the alphabet, the English language would have been highly unstable and prone to change. With the alphabet, the English language has grown into a rigid tool that people can use to contact others. Written language has many advantages. While conversations can only happen in short distances, written language can get very far, very fast. Newspapers spread ideas to countless sections of the world. Internet articles can be viewed from the other side of the world. Instant messages allow us to have conversations even though we may be very far away. Written language has enabled us to have conversations just like in speech, but in a much larger reach.
Like the common people know about a fashion sense, writers should also know of what words are popular in modern culture. The world is changing at an alarming rate and the language that we speak is changing along with it. In fact, the English that people spoke two hundred to fifty years ago may seem a bit silly in our ears. That is because popular words change. Writers should know what words appeal to the public and what words don’t in order to enhance their writing.
Obviously, common people aren’t always considered the “masters” of spoken language. For that, we turn to professionals such as politicians, poets, and even some singers. In order to enhance one’s writing, one should know how to incorporate rhetoric devices in speech into their essays. Writers can learn how people interpret issues through professional speakers. That way, they know how to write it into their stories or whatever else that they may write. In the essay “A Question of Language” by Gloria Naylor, the word “nigger” is explored to great detail. In the essay, the word is given multiple definitions from, “In the singular, the word was always applied to a man who had distinguished himself in some situation that brought their approval for his strength, intelligence or drive” (p 228) to, “if the word was used in a third – person reference… it always involved some element of communal disapproval” (p 229). This shows us that every word has a different connotation and usually not just one. Writers should learn from speakers the different definitions that people give words that are not necessarily the dictionary definition of the word.
I agree with Bethany when she says that people get more time to process their thoughts when they are writing. I can relate to this quite well. Even though my public speaking is superb as it is, I believe my writing is by far much better than my speaking. This is because I get time to carefully process what I write when I forge an essay I also feel much more comfortable knowing that whatever I may write comes out to be an organized, coherent piece of writing. It is a personal opinion but for me, writing is easier than speaking.
To speak and to write are very different ways to express an opinion. If I were to write something like “that’s so funny,” the reader would not know in what way I was saying this statement. I could be saying it while laughing my head off or I could have said it in a very sarcastic way. If I was laughing it would have expressed that it was funny but if I was being sarcastic it would have shown a totally different feeling. It is in this way that speaking shows a word’s or phrase’s meaning more effectively than writing does. Without context, a written word has only one meaning. With context, a written word or phrase still cannot be fully portrayed and demonstrated like a spoken word can. One would have to write more and express what they were trying to say from a word in written language, but would only have to use a certain tone to express the same meaning in spoken language. It is in this way that speaking is easier and has an advantage over writing. Even so, writing also can be advantageous over speaking. With writing, one can plan out what they want to say and think about. Speaking is much more instinct and can be hard to say the “right” thing in so little time. Another difference between the two is that once a written word is put into context and on paper, it will always have that definition it has on the page. A spoken word is always evolving and can have so many different meanings depending on how it is used. Gloria Naylor in “A Question of Language” also demonstrates how a word changes from how it is said. She talks about how the “n” word for her family has changed meaning just by how the family uses it. Gloria says how “In the singular, the word has always applied to a man who had distinguished himself in some situation that brought their approval for his strength, intelligence, or drive” (A Question of Language). Gloria’s family has changed the meaning of the “n” word form associated with “weak” to being associated with “strength” just by using it in a different way. Writing changes according to how a word is spoken. Speech is really the bringer of all meanings.
ReplyDeleteI really like what Ziqi said about how written language is also important in that is the root and stabilizes speech. Even though speech determines meaning, literature helps to keep and stabilize these meanings in everyone’s mind. I also like how Ziqi said how the written language is also easier to access and is more widely used across the world. I never thought of how we speak and write are directly related to each other in all these ways. I feel as though the world and our culture is changing all the time because of this reflection.
I agree with Gloria Naylors comment on the spoken word (dialogue), about how it is fleeting like a sight or a smell. I believe that dialogue can convey so much more meaning than a sentence on a page. With the spoken word there is tone, dynamics, and rhythm, while a sentence is a few words open to interpretation. I am not saying this to ridicule writing, but I think that the potential meanings for a spoken sentence are much more numerous than the meanings for a written sentence. On the other hand though, writing can be a much more powerful tool for telling a narrative, and you can't exactly make a speech out of an essay. You may list your arguments, but speaking is never as clear and concise as a refined essay.
ReplyDeleteThe masters of writing should keep in mind (as Ziqi said) of how rapidly words are created now a days, and make an effort to keep their writing in the present by including words of the present. Masters of writing also need to understand the parameters of their medium in order to fully use the written word to it's potential. They need to know that writing can only convey so much emotion or so much stress.
In Gloria Naylor's "A Question of Language" essay, she talks about the varieties of definitions she knows for the "n" word growing up in her house. She describes the meanings, and conveys to the reader to connotations associated with the word. This is a perfect example of how the spoken word has the potential to explain so much more than just what is on the surface. When I was reading the passage with the definitions of the "n" word, I felt as though what she was describing was really a "be there moment", and she was trying to describe an ephemeral experience that she knew. In short, dialogue can convey so much more meaning in so few words, where writing might take an entire paragraph to convey one emotion.
I agree with Ziqi about how his (and my own) writing is probably better than either of our speaking skills because writing involves more preparation and sometimes much more time. I also liked what brendan said about how speech determines meaning and how literature helps to keep and stabilize these meanings in everyone’s mind.
Written and Spoken words are extremely different, but they share one similarity: they are both forms of communication. Nearly all animals communicate in some shape or form, and humans have the unique ability to communicate through writing in addition to the sounds produced by all animals for communication. Writing has several major advantages over speaking: in the first place writing transcends the author, making the author’s thoughts and beliefs available to future generations. But in this age, with multiple methods of recording voice, this aspect of written communication is not as nearly as important. But if we consider all the great works that have defined human civilization for the past two or three thousand years, from Homer and Virgil, to the Bible and the Koran, from the great classic literature and philosophy works of the last two or three hundred years, it is difficult to imagine a world without written words. We would know nearly nothing of history, except for the legends passed by mouth through the generations. Civilization might be stuck in the dark ages, with-out the ability of scholars to spread their teachings to wide audiences. The United States might never have come into existence without the declaration of independence and the constitution, written documents that define our values as a nation. Truly our ability to communicate complex ideas through writing is what makes us unique, setting our minds apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. But writing has had many negative effects through-out history as well. The propaganda of Hitler comes to mind. A major part of Hitler’s war machine was his written propaganda, characterizing Jews and the Allies as barbarians. As writing can be used for good and evil the spoken word is often even more powerful. The people who listened to Hitler’s speeches about the mother-land were carried up in his enthusiasm; if it were not for his breath-taking powers of speech the Nazi movement would have died before it gained momentum. But speech has been used for good as well. Martin Luther King Jr. communicated his emancipation of blacks from segregation by speech, and Abraham Lincoln communicated his emancipation of slaves by speech. Speech allows us to communicate to each other on a deeply personal and complex level. Through speech it is possible to communicate much more than words; through speech you can reveal the emotions connecting you with the words. The tone you use with the words can tell the audience just as much, and often more, than the words you use. In “A Question of Language” by Gloria Naylor, the author explores these differences. Naylor states that the “n” word must have been used constantly by her family when she was young, but she didn’t realize the significance of the word until her classmate said it. Naylor explains, “I didn’t know what a nigger was, but I knew that whatever it meant, it was something he shouldn’t have called me” (228). Naylor’s classmate and her family used the same word, but that word had completely different meanings, based on the way it was said and the tone used. I agree with Naylor that what is in written word often “falls short of the richness of life” (227). Writing Is essential for civilization, but speech is essential for reality. However the main difference between written and spoken word is that speech is innate. Barring impairment, everybody can talk. Reading and writing, however, is acquired. Not everyone can do it. Even though we nearly all speak for our entire lives, it takes practice to speak effectively. And, though we speak our entire lives and acquire the ability to read, I agree with Ziqi and Oren that my writing is usually better than my speaking because there is time to carefully choose words and revise sentences. In speaking to an audience one can’t go back and edit. But as with many famous speeches in the past, from Lincoln, to MLK, to FDR, they were written before hand; which brings us back to the way speech can be delivered, with the dynamics of tone and emotions.
ReplyDeleteSpoken and written language both have their advantages and disadvantages. One thing that stands spoken language apart is the fact that it is all about how it is said. When words are being read off a page you have very little idea what tone of voice is being used or if sarcasm is present or not. You can hear how loud they are speaking and whether they are angry or not without actually listening to the words they are speaking. When listening to someone speak there is no guessing about what they mean. Another advantage of spoken language is you can see what the person looks like and what their facial expressions are while they are saying whatever. A lot more can be expressed with spoken language, but that is also one of its disadvantages. When it comes to written language it is a lot easier to say exactly what you mean because you have all the time in the world to put it down on the page. You can revise it all you want and go over it many times to critique whatever errors you want. But when you are talking to somebody you are on the spot. There is no taking your time and once you say something it is out there on the table and hard to take back. You have to pick your words carefully unlike in written language where it doesn’t matter at all what you say at first because you can always go back and change it. Also, in spoken language you have to think of stuff to say right of the top of your head, while in written language you have time to think about what to say. A great example of this is in Gloria Naylor’s essay “A Question of Language”. If she were put on the spot she probably couldn’t come up with all of her definitions of the word “nigger” as she did in her essay. Things are can be a lot more thought out and well constructed when they are in written language and her essay is a great example of that.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Bethany said about how when a person is writing something they have time to go over it many times to make it right, while in spoken language when you are face to face with a person you only have one chance to get it right. When you say something to a person’s face there is no taking it back and that is a lot of what makes spoken language so difficult. You also have to look the person in the face while in written language they are just reading your words instead of hearing them from your mouth. For example, if you were to say something hateful to someone it would one hundred times easier to just send him or her an email opposed to delivering the hurtful message in person.
ReplyDeleteI think that both written and spoken language have a lot of very powerful parts of them. When you write you can work on exactly what you want to say and how you want to say it. What emotions you want the reader to see in the writing, and what you want the reader to understand about the point you are expressing. I think that spoken language on the other hand is much rawer. You do not have to work to convey the emotion you have in you language, the way you say the words does that for you. The problem with spoken language is that although the listener will understand the core emotion, because you can't go back and revise what you said as easily, you might say the wrong thing with out meaning to. I think that writers can learn how to better convey the emotion behind their words by listening to people who are really good a speaking. Gloria Nayler describes the use of a certain word an how that one word can mean so many different things when spoken, that would be much harder to recognized if the word were just written. She describes the use of the "n" word when she says, " Gathering there together, they transformed nigger to signify the varied and complex human being they knew themselves to be" (229). Naylor describes the power that the "n" word had when spoken, and how it described emotions and even identities that could never truly be articulated.
ReplyDeleteI think that Ziqi makes a good point about writing, and how it has enabled language to spread much more easily. I hadn't thought about that part of writing and how it allows us to keep our language stable, and how we are able to communicate with it in written form to a lot more people, in lots of different places.
The spoken and written word are very different. The written word is stated, recorded, and permanent. It’s always there for reference. Spoken words tend to change, in meaning, and context. A story told a thousand times soon has added features to enrich the story, whereas as published book if final, a set story. The spoken word has emotion and meaning behind each word. When we speak with each other we can tell a sentence is a question by the way our voice rises at the end. We can tell the mood of the speaker through the tone of their voice. When someone sarcastically tells someone something we can easily tell by the sassy tone of their voice. If someone were to write this rather than speak it, it would be much more difficult to understand whether the writer was sarcastic or serious.
ReplyDeleteIn Gloria Naylor’s essay “A Question of Language” she expressed how compared to the written word, the spoken word evolves. She describes the original orientation of the “n” word compared to the definitions it has a acquired today. She discussed how it was a swear, a hateful name to shame black people. But now the black community uses the “n” word as a term of endearment. Girlfriend’s call boyfriends “my n-word,” friends call each other the “n” word. They’ve transformed a once repulsive word into an ordinary term, as if it meant buddy, or pal. The spoken word evolves, it changes with the times and the people; the written world is solid, it’s forever the same, never changing.
In response to Bethany: you make a good point when you talk about how the spoken word gives less time to respond to the person- but it gives the advantage of seeing the emotion and reaction of the other speaker. This really applies today with all the technology that allows us to speak without ever seeing or hearing out recipient (aka emails, facebook, and texting.)
There are many advantages of spoken language and also advantages to written language. When you speak, you can use hand motions, facial expressions, body language, but most importantly, tone of voice to convey your message. You could say something very mean in a joking manner, but if it was on paper it would look cruel, but in person with the right tone and body language it becomes clear it is a joke. Not being able to tell how a word or phrase is being used can be an advantage when you’re writing, it lets the reader take the matter any way they want to, and can be the subject of debate about a writers piece of work, and writers love when their work is talked about. A disadvantage of spoken word is if you are in conversation it shows your automatic response, but written word can cover up your instinct. One might not want to show their automatic response, as they may disagree with someone else but do not want to show it, and that is when written word comes in handy. Also, when writing one can look back on their work and make sure their message is coming across like they wanted to. In spoken word one can try to make a point but if they phrase it wrong it can make them look terrible, even if they did not mean it in such a way. In Gloria Naylors “A Question of Language” she explains how the n-word is used in a friendly, endearing way in some communities. However, if this word was written it could be taken extremely badly and be very hurtful, but when it is spoken it has no ill-effect whatsoever, as long as it is used in the right context.
ReplyDeleteI think Matt brings up a great point when he uses Hitlers use of written and spoken language and how powerful they can be. Language used in the right way rallied a whole nation to do terrible things to other human beings. Of course it can also be used for good, as you mentioned, but I think the spoken word can have much more effect than the written word
ReplyDeleteThe written word and the spoken word are tools of language that can be used to communicate and express oneself. Both modes of communication have their strengths and weaknesses and it is important to realize which one is most useful for certain situations. The spoken word is great for expressing tone and emotion. It is impromptu and does not have a format. Speaking is quick and easy and often is the easiest way to make ones feelings or thoughts clear to another person. Speaking is transient, you can say something and it will simply dissapear into the air. Speaking has a personal feeling to it that can only be captured with sound. To read a written speech is often a dull affair. Spoken word is often used to inspire while the written word is used to inform.
ReplyDeleteThe written word is a valuable tool. Writing can be used to make things official, to substantiate what you had previously said. Writing has a clear format and can help educate the minds of people all over. Writing can try to express emotion but it is never fully a success. Writers often use rhetorical devices to try and bridge the gap between emotion and writing. When Naylor speaks about her impressions of the "n"- word, she says "I remember the first time I heard the word nigger" (227). She is not actually referring to the first time she heard the word because she had heard it many times before in her own house. She is talking about the first time she heard the word as a derogatory word used to insult her. In this way writing can be manipulated to express different feelings.
To write with passion and to successfully express that passion and feeling on the page is a difficult task. However one can learn from spoken language how to do so. Many speakers use metaphor, like MLK talking about the check that bounced in the bank of liberty in his famous "I have a dream" speech. The check represented equality and it bouncing represented the USA's failure to give equality to the African Americans. His use of metaphor helped strengthen his argument and made people really think about what he is saying. By using rhetorical devices one can improve ones writing and make it more fluid and rich.
I agree with Carl that the written word can be unwieldy when trying to express emotion because you cannot put your tone of voice or body language on the page. I think that he is right that writing is helpful because it allows to you to look back at your thoughts and go over them in your head. I hadn't thought about that.
The written word and the spoken word are tools of language that can be used to communicate and express oneself. Both modes of communication have their strengths and weaknesses and it is important to realize which one is most useful for certain situations. The spoken word is great for expressing tone and emotion. It is impromptu and does not have a format. Speaking is quick and easy and often is the easiest way to make ones feelings or thoughts clear to another person. Speaking is transient, you can say something and it will simply dissapear into the air. Speaking has a personal feeling to it that can only be captured with sound. To read a written speech is often a dull affair. Spoken word is often used to inspire while the written word is used to inform.
ReplyDeleteThe written word is a valuable tool. Writing can be used to make things official, to substantiate what you had previously said. Writing has a clear format and can help educate the minds of people all over. Writing can try to express emotion but it is never fully a success. Writers often use rhetorical devices to try and bridge the gap between emotion and writing. When Naylor speaks about her impressions of the "n"- word, she says "I remember the first time I heard the word nigger" (227). She is not actually referring to the first time she heard the word because she had heard it many times before in her own house. She is talking about the first time she heard the word as a derogatory word used to insult her. In this way writing can be manipulated to express different feelings.
To write with passion and to successfully express that passion and feeling on the page is a difficult task. However one can learn from spoken language how to do so. Many speakers use metaphor, like MLK talking about the check that bounced in the bank of liberty in his famous "I have a dream" speech. The check represented equality and it bouncing represented the USA's failure to give equality to the African Americans. His use of metaphor helped strengthen his argument and made people really think about what he is saying. By using rhetorical devices one can improve ones writing and make it more fluid and rich.
I agree with Carl that the written word can be unwieldy when trying to express emotion because you cannot put your tone of voice or body language on the page. I think that he is right that writing is helpful because it allows to you to look back at your thoughts and go over them in your head. I hadn't thought about that.
Though founded in the same language, used by the same people, and for the same reasons, to convey meaning and expression to others, spoken and written language are very different from one another in there construction, depth, communicative power. In both written and spoken forms of language we communicate our ideas in an intelligible way, transforming human thought into transmittable code, for the purpose of sharing and benefiting. Both forms of language, however, have different constructions. Speech is much faster, back and forth, and immediate than writing. One does not have as much time to organize one’s thoughts and create elegant, sophisticated sentences when speaking, as one does with writing. For these reasons, speech is shorter, less verbally complex, and les intellectually compelling or reasoned. What speech lacks in construction, it makes up for in depth. Unlike written language, spoken language holds the power of tone, pauses, enunciation, and spoken nuance. As Brendan says, the words of written language can be changed or spoken to express many different meanings. Unlike writing, where the uncertainty of tone requires sophisticated clauses and structure to intimate subtle meaning, spoken language has a depth of meaning unparallel in most other forms of communication. One can discern another’s mood, intent, confidence, and character from the way they speak, not the words they speak. The power held in spoken language comes from the depth of meaning which one can attach to certain words and take from others simply by using their spoken language to alter the nuance of their words. This is why speeches are often so inspiring, and the people who deliver them, often so revered. In speeches, one can combined the construction, eloquence, and sophistication of slow, planned writing with the power, depth of meaning and emotional strength of speech to create wholly inspirational arguments and opinions. Both Spoken and written language, each with their individual strengths and weaknesses, when combined become exponentially more powerful. Though the differ in many ways, both forms of language have similarly strong communicative power. Language, having the power of nuance, can communicate the most subtle or wordless emotions and meanings. Writing, having the power of logical construction, reason, and sophistication, can communicate even the most complex of ideas. The purveyors of each have much to learn from the other. The speaker can learn to think out his or her intended meaning, slowly and careful, realizing that people will listen to the clear and logical before the hasty and misleading. The writer can learn from the speaker how to create in the flow of ones writing a tone, mood or spoken nuance otherwise indiscernible if a written word were to be isolated, taken out of context, and singly understood. The differences between spoken and written language are highlighted in the essay A Question of Language, by Glorlia Naylor. In the essay, Naylor says, “whatever we [novelists] manage to capture in even the most transcendent passages falls far short or the richness of life” (A Question Of Language, 227). Here she, herself a writer and novelist, demonstrates that spoken and written language are no match for each other. This realizations pertains to her ensuing point that there was a huge difference between being called a “nigger” by he classmates and hearing the word “nigger” used by her family. The simple difference between tone, context, and intent, for her separated one use into commonplace meaning and the other into a formative childhood experience in the depravity of racism and hate.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brendan that the meaning of language can often depend on the way it is spoken or written, and that it is important to listen and read for the nuances from which we can discern meaning and tone.
In the modern world, spoken and written language have become extremely similar. Written language used to always be formal. In the 1700s for example, people would write carefully planned letters written in perfect handwriting. They would spend hours writing and proofreading these letters. Nowadays, we spend a minute or two typing out an e-mail, and then we push the send button, often without even correcting spelling errors. In this sense, writing is no longer the formal affair it once was. Both modern speaking and modern writing are very informal.
ReplyDeleteDespite this similarity, speaking and writing are not always the same. Despite the fact that writing has become more informal, modern people still write formally in scientific papers, medical journals, and other important forms of communication. Another thing that separates speaking and writing is emotion. Spoken words contain power due to the speaker’s tone and body language. Written words, on the other hand, don’t have the same effect on us; We see them as nothing more than words on a page.
If a writer wishes to improve his or her writing, then he or she must learn an important lesson from speakers. As mentioned earlier, spoken language has the power to convey emotions. A speaker can use body language and tone of voice to cause people to feel a certain way. A good writer should attempt to mimic this tactic. Using rhetorical devices, a good writer can convey certain emotions. For example, if a writer uses anaphora to repeat a certain phrase, the emotion behind that phrase will be stronger.
In her essay, “A Question of Language,” Naylor uses emotion to enhance her writing the same way a speaker would. When discussing the “n” word, Naylor states that she “didn’t “hear” it until it was said by a small pair of lips that had already learned it” (229). Naylor palaces quotation marks around the word hear, to place emphasis on that word. If one was speaking her words out loud, one would pronounce the word hear particularly clearly and loudly. In other words, Naylor is mimicking a speaker’s technique of placing emphasis on certain words.
I agree with what Brendan said about how spoken words are always changing. Words we use out loud have different meanings than they did many years ago. Written words, however, change very little. The dictionary definition of a word generally stays the same.
The spoken language and the written language are both different ways to express ones thoughts. They both have advantages and disadvantages. The spoken language is all about how it is said, what tone it is said in, but the written language when read there is question to what tone of voice is being used in context. The spoken word has emotion and meaning behind each sentence. When a person speaks we can define what is sarcasm and what is not. If someone were to write this instead, it would be difficult to understand if it was sarcasm or not.
ReplyDeleteIn Gloria Naylor’s “ A Question of Language” she expresses how the spoken word compared to the written word means something more derogatory then the written word does. She mentions the older definitions of the “n” word that are no longer how the word is used today. Saying that today the “n” word is used in a derogatory or hateful way against or towards the coloured race. Where the coloured community turned the “n” word into a term of endearment. Amazing how the spoken language can be transformed a once derogatory word into a normal term, as if it meant friend or one of the same race. Naylor’s portrays the power behind the “n” word when spoken, and how it describes emotions that cannot be described the same way if the word was written.
I agree with Brendan when he said that the spoken language is constantly changing, in definition. Words can mean something different today then what they meant many years ago. While the written words do not change, or change a little bit because the written word has been solidified by many people and or the dictionary.
Spoken and written language both have their pros and cons. The most obvious pro for spoken language being that tone is very easily conveyed to the listener. The opposite can be said for writing. Writers have to be sure to add enough details and descriptive words to give their work a palpable emotion to the reader. Another advantage to speaking out loud is that the speaker can go further and clarify what they were saying if it wasn’t immediately understood. However, with spoken language, certain words may hold different connotations for different people, leading to miscommunications. That is a risk for any kind of communication. One of the best advantages of written language is that there will always be a record of what was said as opposed to it being passed down through memories. Also, written language tends to be more precise, with much more description and background information.
ReplyDeletePurveyors of written language can learn a lot from masters of spoken language to add depth to their pieces. They acquire certain words that hold a lot of power for audiences and use them to trigger reactions from readers. Masters of spoken language must be very adept at phrasing their words in interesting and engaging ways because otherwise they will lose their audience’s attention very quickly. Writers can see the methods speakers use to clearly and concisely communicate their message and use those ways as a model for themselves. Everything in communication is about getting your point across in an engaging way.
Gloria Naylor describes the power of spoken word in her first paragraphs of “A Question of Language.” She says that words on their own are meaningless letters, but when they are given context they build reality. She says, “dialogue achieves it’s power in the dynamics of a fleeting moment of sight, sound, smell, and touch” (227). In this phrase she is talking about how dialogue is the most vivid recreation of reality. She compares this to writing when she discusses the difficulties writers face, because no matter how hard they may try, their passages are never quite able to fully capture the entire image. Their will always be some detail the writer could not describe; while a voice has so many more ways, through tone, facial expression, gestures, etc. to describe a situation.
I think what Parker say’s about speaking is interesting. He says that talking back and forth is much faster and you generally don’t have nearly as much time to form your thoughts before you are expected to say something. This is why writing is often acknowledged as being more eloquent. This makes a lot of sense to me, for example, if I am writing an apology note or email I can reread it and edit it until it is perfect. But when I say an apology to someone, I have a much higher chance of stuttering or leaving an important part out.
I also agree with what many people said (stemming from Brendan) that the words themselves don’t change overtime but their meaning sometimes can. I think this would be a good answer to Gloria Naylor’s chicken or egg question in which shapes which, the reality or the word. What Brendan is saying would suggest that it is reality that shapes a word not a word that shapes reality.
I feel that through speaking, we can express ourselves in a much more vivid way. To go with what Brendan said, the meanings of words change over time not the words themselves, so the way we speak and express them is very important. That expression differs greatly from our writing to our actual language. In "A Question of Language," the author expresses the many different uses of the "n" word, and explains how certain contexts change the meaning of the word. The meaning differs throughout writing too.
ReplyDeleteI think that to improve writing you must listen to others speaking and writing, and learn from that. Through this you can learn how certain words sound when expressed but also learn how to convey ideas so they mean what you want them too, and aren't taken the wrong way.
I agree with what Ellen said about being able to edit something you write until it is exactly the way you want it. When saying something in person you can only have one shot, you can't take something back after its out of your mouth. While writing you can go back to change your wording, grammar, and tone as many times as you need.
ReplyDeleteWritten language compared to spoken language can vary a lot depending on the tone in which each are said. I think personally that the advantage of spoken language is you are able to portray emotion by using facial expressions as well as your tone of voice. In written language it is much more difficult to convey emotion unless you use the correct writing skills. Also, written language can be used as a way to hide behind something in order to portray your true feelings. For instance, being on the computer and writing emails about your feelings instead of actually telling someone. If you are shy, this may be used to your “advantage.” Although it is not the most mature way to go about handling conversations. The purveyors of written language learn from the masters of spoken language by observing deep and meaningful words that can be used to make sure emotion gets across the paper. Also, by describing the way someone’s expression appears while they are speaking will enrich emotion in writing. In Gloria Naylors “A Question of Language,” she discussed the definition to which the “n” word means in her family. She gives many different examples of how certain types of people use it in her community. The way her family uses the “n” word is casual and not meant to be the hurtful word that I think of it as. Although, when someone outside her family/community calls her the “n” word in class one day, its meaning instantly changed because of the tone it was said in.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Bethany said about written language and how it has the time to be perfected. (“The written language has the advantage of giving the writer time to really process what they are saying and how. The writer can go back over their work…” ). Where as speaking language is said off the top of your head. You may not always say “the right thing” when speaking aloud, which is normal because we are human and no one is perfect.
The major benefit of written language is the ability to plan out what you writing, then good back and change it. When you speak, even if you’ve practiced, if you make a mistake, you’ve made a mistake, there’s no taking it back. When you are writing, you can look back, and make edits, and work out what you actually want to say. Usually, writing is slower than speaking, however, reading tends to be faster, so there is a time concern as well.
ReplyDeleteThe major advantage of speaking, however, is tone. Text is an imperfect medium when it comes to getting across emotions. Often, it is easy to misunderstand, or falsely assign author intent. This is a problem which rarely manifest in speech, because when we’re listening to someone speak, we can hear vocal tones, and see subtle facial cues and body language.
As others have said, in “A Question of Language,” the author needs to spend nearly a paragraph describing what the specific intonations of “Girl” and “Nigger” mean. If we were listening to her say those words, we likely could understand her meaning simply by her tone.