How are oral and written language different?

Written language is not just oral language “written down”, but is different in both style and function. Whilst oral language is typically less formal, with concrete, familiar words and simpler sentences, written language tends to be denser and more information-heavy, with specialist vocabulary and complex sentence structures (Benson, 2009).

These differences can be traced back to the different functions of each type of language, and the contexts in which they occur. Whilst oral language is typically face to face, with communication partners who are known well to us, written language is more solitary, to an unknown readership. It follows that oral language tends to communicate more personal and social content, whereas written language tends to convey more logical and informational content. (Rubin, 1987).

Writing may take place over an extended period of time, whereas oral language is typically more spontaneous. When you speak, the words disappear, but writing leaves a permanent visual trace, which “serves as an adjunct to short- and long-term memory” (Rubin, 1987, p.2), allowing the writer to reflect on and revise the ideas generated.

Having briefly outlined the broad differences between the two modes, I will now detail the resulting differences in structure and style. Much of the content for this post was drawn from Rubin’s still highly relevant article, “Divergence and convergence between oral and written communication” (Rubin, 1987).

Firstly, the face to face context of oral communication results in language that is less precise, with  a smaller, more familiar lexicon. Since speakers are typically in the same place at the same time, and may share a whole range of common experiences and associations, they may refer to objects in the surrounding environment, or discuss “in jokes” more obliquely. Prosody and other non-verbal communication also support the oral message, allowing speakers to be less specific (Rubin, 1987).

The spontaneous nature of oral communication also influences its informal style, filled with hesitations, interjections, false starts and self-corrections. Since speakers must invent their subject matter in real time, language tends to be more fragmented and less cohesive with more tenuous connections. Sentences tend to be more basic as well as redundant, joined by simple connectives such as “and”, “but” or “so” (Rubin, 1987).

This repetitive, more simplistic style of communication not only takes the pressure off the speaker, but also serves a role for the listener. Since they have no control over how fast or clearly their communication partner speaks, or any distracting environmental stimuli which may further affect the message, these integral elements of oral communication can help them to interpret the message the second time around. What’s more, immediate feedback allows any misunderstandings to be cleared up immediately (Rubin 1987).

Writers, on the other hand, share no common physical or temporal context with their readers and cannot assume any prior understanding on their behalf. Unlike oral communication, writing is unsupported by any nonlinguistic clues and must stand alone. For the message to be understood, language must be precise, with referents clearly specified, using more advanced, technical terms and a greater range of vocabulary to clearly delineate meaning (Rubin, 1987).

Since writing also allows time for reflection, it encourages greater creativity and higher level thought, which require more complex means of expression. This results in more elaborate language distinguished by longer clauses, advanced syntactic structures and a wider range of connectives as well as greater use of subordination as different propositions are organized in hierarchical fashion. Revision also allows writers to pack information more tightly and avoid repetition (Rubin, 1987).

To support readers to understand this more complex, written language, writers need to ensure that their texts are cohesive, and appear as a unified whole. Writers also use organizational cues, such as transition statements, and orthographic markers such as punctuation and splitting ideas into paragraphs to support their readers to decipher their messages (Rubin, 1987).

Rubin (1987) is quick to note that oral and written language are not completely distinct from one another, but overlap, and exist on a spectrum. At times, oral language may appear more “literate”, as in the prepared, formal speech of a barrister, whilst written language may contain more “orality”, as in a first person narrative, where we really “hear” the character’s voice (Rubin, 1987).

He observes how the written language of novices is often not that far from their speech. But with repeated exposure to written text, students begin to develop an awareness of the differences between written and oral communication. Intent on exhibiting this distinction, some insecure writers may attempt to write in a hypercorrect way, in an unrealistic stereotype of what they think written language is. However, “for those who develop into expert, practiced writers… writing and speech reconverge” (Kroll, 1981 cited in Rubin, 1987, p13).

As Speech and Language Therapists, knowing the differences between oral and written communication may help us in better understanding our students’ needs. Working in a secondary school context, I come across many who are competent oral communicators, but who struggle with the more technical vocabulary and advanced sentence structures characterized by the written form. These students will need our support to access the curriculum as they progress through school and are expected to engage with increasingly complex written materials.

For more information about expository discourse, the heavily literate language of secondary school, please see my post: https://secondaryschoolslt.wordpress.com/2026/04/15/what-is-expository-discourse-and-how-is-it-relevant-at-secondary-school/

Notes

Benson, Susan E. “Understanding Literate Language: Developmental and Clinical Issues.” Contemporary Issues in Communication Science and Disorders 36 (Fall 2009): 174–78.

Rubin, Donald L. “Divergence and Convergence between Oral and Written Communication.” Topics in Language Disorders 7, no. 4 (1987): 1-18.