ABSTRACT
The medium of expression affects the style of a text. This may be a matter of conventions of politeness or layout, as in a business letter, or of constraints made by the channel of communication-such as not being able to use intonation in written texts,
Style is always to some extent shaped by and stimulated by the medium used by the writer or speaker. Speaking provides slightly different contraints and opportunities from writing. Postcards, inscriptions on rings or gravestones, headlines and slogans affect style because of the limited physical space they allow. Television commentary gives rise to a slightly different style from radio commentary, different again from newspaper reporting. When we write a small ad to sell our car the cost per word makes for economy of expression. We write
(1) Car for sale.
