ABSTRACT
Common Core Language Standard 3.3 calls for students to “Recognize and observe differences between the conventions of spoken and written standard English” as part of a more general statement that students should “Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening” (Common Core, 2010). In this chapter, we’ll look at the differences between spoken and written standard English and consider how to help students understand these differences and apply this understanding to their writing. Robert MacNeil and William Cran’s book Do You Speak American? (2005) highlights distinctions between the different ways English is typically spoken and written. These authors explain that, although spoken English is often informal and not standardized, written English generally conforms to the expectations of standard English. To further understand the differences between spoken and written English, it’s helpful to think about the ideas of audience, purpose, and language expectation. All communication has a particular audience in mind and varies in certain ways based on that audience. For example, students may use certain expressions and slang terms with their friends that they would not use with teachers and other adults. However, audience does not completely control the style of communication; purpose also plays a major role in how one communicates. When recently working with a third-grade class, I listened to a teacher talk with a student about the basketball jersey the student was wearing. They talked about the student’s favorite teams and players and how long he had played basketball. In this conversation, the student had a much
more casual tone than the persuasive essay he turned in during that day’s language arts period. The basketball conversation included expressions and some basketball-specific jargon; the persuasive essay was much more formal and observed more of the conventions of standard English. Though the audience was the same in each instance, the purpose of each was different, resulting in a different style of communication. As this example shows, the combination of audience and purpose affects the language expectation associated with the communication. This “equation” can be used to help students understand the differences between spoken and written standard English. Spoken English is often more informal because the audience and purpose do not require formal communication. Written English, however, needs a more formal tone when required by the audience and purpose. There are times when written English is not especially formal, such as in a note or text message. Similarly, there are times when spoken English is rather formal, such as in a speech or class presentation. Because of this, considering the audience and purpose when determining the expectations of a particular situation is especially important. As this chapter continues, we’ll look at some even more specific ways of bringing the ideas of audience, purpose, and language expectations into the classroom to help students write effectively.
