What is the Difference Between Written and Spoken Language

How to understand written language and how it differs from spoken language

Welcome, aspiring polyglot! It is very natural to assume that the things you are learning within a new language will be universal between spoken and written variations, but that is rarely the case. I was shocked to find out how little the French I was reading ended up being used while speaking. But I was reading older texts with language that had largely died off, at least in speech.

If you are unaware that this is something you can expect when you embark on your language acquisition, it can be a shock to the system. A deeper look into why, however, reveals that we do this in English as well. Depending on the material that someone uses to learn English, they may find themselves just as lost as I was when I learned that much of the older, more proper, French had largely been lost to time.

What’s the difference?

Most of us are willing and able to acknowledge that there is a vast difference between professional or scholarly writing and colloquial writing like texting our friends. In the thick of learning a new language, though, it is easy enough to forget the different modalities you can expect. With this in mind, you can and should learn every variant. Especially if your goal is to work or live in a country that speaks your target language natively.

Professional writing can be done in a targeted way in short bursts. Rather than attempting to master professional writing all at once, attacking it in bursts allows you to add grammar structures and vocabulary words to your repertoire between sessions. This additional material can and should fuel your progress. Trying to always be perfect will cause you more frustration than it is worth.

In order to write professionally, you are going to need to read professional writing. Fortunately, just about every country with just about every language has universities that are publishing papers. While they are not always free, there are free studies that you can read and study. Even if you don’t understand the material in its entirety, the proximity will have ripple effects in your study sessions.

The way people write is not the way they write papers. Thank goodness for that, too. But if your goal is to do something along those lines you have to keep in mind that the difference exists and you must learn it. Having language exchange partners or a teacher who can explain the difference to you is crucial here. Without that it can be exceedingly difficult to find and define the line.

Another way to figure out what is and is not natural in speech is by speaking to people. You will quickly learn if the vocabulary you know and use is the vocabulary that they expect in casual conversation. Of course it is always nice to shock a native speaker by using elevated vocabulary from time to time. That said, it can sometimes be difficult navigating the best approach.

Navigating the more important parts

Deciding where to place your focus early on and throughout your language acquisition can be difficult. At first you may be working to figure out absolute necessities, but by the time you are delineating academic speech from colloquial speech, the lines get a little more blurry. The key remains the same, though. You need to be focused on the things that you are going to use most often.

Reading is a good way to find and consume all of the academic language you can handle. Choosing older literature will give you a window into what the language once was and how many of the people with whom you will be communicating learned it. Language always has and likely always will change over time. Learning the foundations that everything upon which everything is built will pay dividends every time you study.

That said, the way people write is rarely the way they speak. One of the best ways to learn how you will be expected to sound and what you will be expected to understand is by watching unscripted shows or videos. Podcasts are great for this, especially if you can find one where there is a group of people who will be able to provide you with a variety of tempos, accents, and vocabulary words.

Personally, I like reality shows in short stints. While some of it may be produced, it is undeniable that people are going to speak the way they speak, even in a produced situation. The rules are going to change depending on what your intentions are when using the language. Learning to navigate a plethora of situations will ensure you are prepared for anything and everything.

Ways to level up

If you really want to take it to the next level, the best way is to jump in feet first to the deep end. Start by joining gaming servers with native speakers. This is what the vast majority of the Germans I know did to learn English. At least the ones who speak English proficiently. If you aren’t a gamer, start by thinking about the slang you use in your native language.

One of the best parts of slang is that many of the words invented in a given language often have a corollary in other languages. The easiest example of this is the word “dude”. Almost every single language on the planet has a word for “dude” that you can learn and use. Examining your own speech patterns will help you develop similar patterns in each new language you learn.

Studying pop culture is another way to get a window into the evolution of language. Good or bad, language is often taken and popularized from iconic or classic moments in literature, music, and art generally. Not only that, but popular music and literature will often integrate colloquialisms to add layers of depth to their art. Engrossing yourself into the dominant cultural aspects of the countries that speak your target language natively is a powerful way to level up.

Conclusion

Diversifying your comprehensible input is the best way to learn a new language. At the end of the day, irrespective of your preparation you are not going to be able to control every conversation you have. By focusing exclusively on phrases, preplanned conversations, and most common words list, you put yourself in a situation where you can be caught off guard and destroy any and all confidence you may have built up.

Understanding colloquial, daily speech and technical, professional speech will put you in a position that few ever get to experience. That is, the ability to enter any conversation confident that, even if not perfect, you will be able to hold your own. Blending in with native speakers requires both academic and common speech. It is difficult to learn both, but you can do difficult things and be great. So get out and have some conversations to become great. I am rooting for you.

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