Oral versus Written Discourse in Adolescents and Young Adults: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Discourse may vary as a function of modality of presentation. Studies on oral and written discourse have shown mixed findings. The present study was carried out with the aim of comparing the relationship between conceptual unit and the output across oral and written modalities. The participants were divided into two groups based on their age. The first group (Group 1) comprised of young adults while the second group (Group 2) comprised of adolescents. The participants were asked to speak about two topics and write about two topics. The order of presentation was counterbalanced across the two groups. The C units were emphasized to compute the output. Statistical analysis revealed significant difference for the two groups on written discourse. Within group analysis revealed that there was significant difference between oral and written discourse for Group 1 only. Oral and written discourse could have been better in Group 2 participants as they were more spontaneous and were able to adhere to time as the task was time bound. Discussions and essays would be in their curriculum; this could be the other reason.