The history of language study shows widely different attitudes concerning the relationship between spoken and written language. After a person's born,he or she learns spoken language before learning written language; therefore,many linguists consider written language a written form of spoken language,the function of which is to record the human sounds. Meanwhile,for centuries,the written language held a preeminent place. It was the medium of literature,which was felt to provide language with permanence and authority (David Crystal,2002). Therefore,what are the general differences between spoken and written language to make them present totally different functions? Accordingly,this essay will compare spoken language and written language to identify their general differences in three aspects.
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