Written Language Is As Natural As Spoken Language: The Neophenogenetic Perspective

• Basic idea of Neophenogenesis is that language is derived from both an innateness and from sociocultural factors.
• Writing was adapted/developed to keep up with cultural needs (i.e Mayan's code for calendrical purposes)

1. Communication

• Language is a social act which involves two people (a speaker and a listener) which affects production and comprehension.
• Written language is more durable than oral language due to it's relative permanency and that script can be adapted to a new language and can represent more than one language.
• Script is relatively permanent due to its documentation function (once something is written in text, it is essentially established and can no longer change).

2. Relationship between Written and Spoken Language

• Written language is not used to represent speech
• Noted in Neophenogenesis, writing is adapted for society's function and used for documentary purposes
• Qualitative differences - Writing is more complex and formal as opposed to spoken language
• Functional differences - "Diaglossia" - relatively stable language situation in that there is a highly codified and grammatically complex high variety that is used for most written purposes but not for ordinary conversation. Meaning, there is a very distinct difference in the way you write and the way you speak. Structure and grammar influence both written and spoken language in this sense, but in the case of written language, the structure and grammar used is on a greater, pronounced level.
• Writing Influences Spoken Language - Typically, a good writer = a good speaker, due to literacy level. Article states if a person knows how to write well, he/she is a more pronounced speaker since they have a wider knowledge of language.