ORAL VS. WRITTEN
The Oral-Written division is a continuum where both types of texts are not sharply
divided or independent, but in fact they overlap in several aspects. For example, poems
are written but performed, and so they adhere to features of both. Still, there are many
characteristics that intrinsically belong to one or the other:
Oral Written
Prosodic Natural Punctuated Taught
Evanescent Other-paced Permanent Self-paced
Contextualized Transparent Autonomous Dense
Involved Fuzzy Detached Precise
Redundant Concise
GRAMMAR
Oral Written
Tendency to ellipsis. Full phrases and clauses with little abbreviation
or ellipsis.
Abbreviations of verbs (he’s). Standard grammar as to word order and
sentence construction.
Active verb forms. Longer and more complex clauses with
embedded phrases and clauses.
Short chunks (TUs) à phrases, especially
NPs, standing for complete utterances.
Explicit marking of clause relations
(conjunctions and sentence adverbs).
Existential clauses. Passive structures, cleft and wh-cleft structures.
Non-standard forms (what for which, is for
are).
Simple and short clauses, with little embedding
(particularly within NPs).
High frequency of coordinated
clauses.
Use of simple logical connectors (and, but,
because, so; no connectors).
Fronting (The twins, have you seen them?).
Passive structures, cleft and wh-cleft structures
are uncommon.
LEXIS
Oral Written
Low lexical density à no integration devices
(nominalizations, embeddings, heavy pre-
modification).
High lexical density à integration devices
(nominalizations, heavy pre- and post-
modifications).
Generalized and simple vocabulary > short
words, few content words, general terms. Complex vocabulary à precision.
No tendency for abstract vocabulary. Frequent abstract terms à words of Greek or
Latin origin.
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The Oral-Written division is a continuum where both types of texts are not sharply
divided or independent, but in fact they overlap in several aspects. For example, poems
are written but performed, and so they adhere to features of both. Still, there are many
characteristics that intrinsically belong to one or the other:
Oral Written
Prosodic Natural Punctuated Taught
Evanescent Other-paced Permanent Self-paced
Contextualized Transparent Autonomous Dense
Involved Fuzzy Detached Precise
Redundant Concise
GRAMMAR
Oral Written
Tendency to ellipsis. Full phrases and clauses with little abbreviation
or ellipsis.
Abbreviations of verbs (he’s). Standard grammar as to word order and
sentence construction.
Active verb forms. Longer and more complex clauses with
embedded phrases and clauses.
Short chunks (TUs) à phrases, especially
NPs, standing for complete utterances.
Explicit marking of clause relations
(conjunctions and sentence adverbs).
Existential clauses. Passive structures, cleft and wh-cleft structures.
Non-standard forms (what for which, is for
are).
Simple and short clauses, with little embedding
(particularly within NPs).
High frequency of coordinated
clauses.
Use of simple logical connectors (and, but,
because, so; no connectors).
Fronting (The twins, have you seen them?).
Passive structures, cleft and wh-cleft structures
are uncommon.
LEXIS
Oral Written
Low lexical density à no integration devices
(nominalizations, embeddings, heavy pre-
modification).
High lexical density à integration devices
(nominalizations, heavy pre- and post-
modifications).
Generalized and simple vocabulary > short
words, few content words, general terms. Complex vocabulary à precision.
No tendency for abstract vocabulary. Frequent abstract terms à words of Greek or
Latin origin.
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del documento.
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