話し言葉と書き言葉。どちらもメッセージを伝えるという点では同じです。ではその伝え方も同じでしょうか？日本語の場合、新聞記事の原稿のような話し方をする人はいませんよね。英語も話し言葉と書き言葉は違うようですが、具体的にどのような点で異なるのかみていきましょう。

Speech is different from written language in many ways. When speaking and listening we use our mouth and ears, and when we write we usually use our hands and eyes. Speech uses sound waves and written language is communicated with light waves. Speech and writing may use different parts of your brain.

When we speak, we have to think about our relationship to listeners. Speakers need to check to see if listeners are listening and understanding. Speakers often need to be careful of how they speak so that listener’s feelings do not get hurt. Speakers and listeners usually work together to communicate. One way they work together is by sending signals of understanding and feelings. In the Japanese language there is a word that is used to describe these signals of understanding called aizuchi. This Japanese word is a combination of the word au that means doing something together and the word tsuchi that means hammer. Like two people hammering away to make ricecake, speakers and listeners work together to have a conversation and communicate. Just as in hammering together, timing and cooperation are important. Japanese often use repeating sounds, such as, “un, un, un,” or “so, so, so” that matches the rhythm of the speech. Speakers of English often use sounds such as “mm”, or “uh huh” in a similar way.

Another way that speakers and listeners work together to make conversation is through polite language. There are many ways of being polite but one way is through using polite words. Using polite words show that a person is trying to be friendly, cooperative, and is thinking about another person’s feelings. Words such as please, excuse me, pardon, sorry, thank you, and thanks, can soften a statement or question to make it more polite. If you talk in a way that shows you are trying to cooperate then another person is more likely to join in.

Polite words can be used in many ways, for example, they can be used in different places such as beginnings, middles, or ends:

Please, one moment.

One moment, please.

Thank you, that’s nice.

That, thank you, is nice.

That’s nice, thank you.

Polite words can be used with different sentence types, for example:

Pass the pudding, please.

Could you pass the pudding, please?

I would like more pudding, please.

They can also be used alone, for example:

Would you like more coffee?

Please. (meaning the same as, Yes, please.)