on verbal and written speech

Note: I still have unfinished thought on this matter, and I might come back to it some time later. - Mar 2021

Writing

•  Historical pov

•  Linguistic pov

•  Purpose of writing: to communicate consistently the same amount of information

•  The interlocutors

•  Limitations and advantages of writing over speaking

For a communicative act to happen there has to be 2 parties involved: the speaker or in this case the writer, and the audience.

According to Searle’s Speech Act theory, our speech, whether it be spoken or written, does more than just giving out information, it also performs actions or commands as well. However, that would be a conversation for another time, because of today I would like to focus on the audience of those speeches.

There are mainly 3 categories of audience: the writer themselves, a single individual and a public with a large quantity of people.

Speaking vs Writing

Speaking has been the default communication methods of the human race ever since Homo Sapiens roamed the face of earth.

With speaking, not only do we send and receive information through hearing, but also from non-verbal signals such as tone of voice, facial expressions, and many others...

However, when it comes to writing, the only source of information is limited to the only and only content of your message. The engagement comes down to the interaction between the reader’s mind and your words alone.

To add to the problem, the thought that you want to communicate is also limited by your language capability as well as the reader’s perspective and understanding, and as Heraclitus once said:

No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.

or in this case:

No man ever reads the same words twice, for he’s not the same man.

Our interaction with the world creates experiences, and that process is being done on a daily basis. Experiences adds to wisdom, and whenever we re-immerse ourselves into an old book or letter, it would most likely not give you the same emotions and thoughts as the first time.

This phenomenon is the same to anyone, even to the writer of the text themselves. If one is to go back and revisit their old journal and diary pages, instead of the emotional feeling of joy or melancholy one felt when penned down those words, he might have a sense of nostalgia and gratitude for the events that have passed.

I do not dismiss the feeling of love or sorrow we might reenact when we read an old love letter or a quote that reminds you of a loved one, but eventually with time, our experiences and maturity does grow and evolve, so that we could best look back at those memories with a smile and appreciation, for they also contributed to the person that we are today.

Things to note when we write:

There are many linguistics theory when it comes to the act of writing, but from a discourse point of view, it requires the writer to explain his thoughts in a linear or logically sound way, so that the readers are not confused and have to go back to reread a segment of text.

It really does build up frustration whenever you find a badly explained textbook, or a wandering thought without ends.

However, for some forms of writing, it does turn into an advantage, especially with poetry and stream of thoughts, since our brain does not work in the similar linear fashion of conventional writing theories.

No matter the writing you choose to write,  a writer first and foremost have to sort out what they are trying to convey, thus a lot of revisions are to be expected with the goal of communication, and when the tangible piece of writing is published, there is no going back.

A great deal of consideration must be put into rephrasing or providing as much information and as specific as possible, unless the writer’s aims include having some room for interpretation.

It is inevitable that at some point, the writer has to read their own writing, and comes up with their own interpretation of their own work, and it might not mean the same as he had first thought. This cycle of reinterpreting and adjusting is to be expected, to flesh out the message one wants to communicate and to make it as accessible to as many people as it could, or in some cases to just one special loved one.

With all that in mind, what makes writing so alluring?

From personal experience, there is a sense of accomplishment whenever I look back at a finished piece of my own script or essay, with a bit of doubt and struggle to come up with the suitable words and phrases to describe an idea as accurately and honestly as I could.

This feeling is uniquely mine and there is no materialistic item that could come on top of it.

It’s a mixed state of mind and somehow the urge to write is really addictive, especially when it occurs before the night rest and after the I wake up after dawn, and there would always be a few words or questions that pop up in my mind to kick start the urge to write.

It’s exhilarating to have those thoughts wandering in your head and once you get it out on the page and finalise it, the satisfaction will surely make you keep going.

Not to skip out on the emotional side of things, I do find myself constantly reaching for my writing instruments at times of hardship and turmoil, not only does it help with letting myself becoming more self-aware of my own thoughts, but also through the communication with my “self” in the future, there is benefit to knowing how your thought pattern works and how to get yourself out of a rut.

The process is therapeutic in a way, and hopefully once the words are laid out in front of you on the page, the problems would have been solved itself.