English 104 Essays (405 words) - Culture, Communication, Linguistics

English 104 Essays (405 words) - Culture, Communication, Linguistics English 104 Journal 4 December 2, 2016 Electronic communication has quickly become the most prominent form of transferring ideas and information between persons within the twenty-first century. Platforms such as emailing and instant messenger are most commonly used to facilitate communication, regardless of the formality of the setting. In this way, social media platforms are utilized among friends, social groups, businesses, and organizations. The relevancy of these platforms is undeniable, as the use of oral features and oral styling is a distinct feature of these communication methods. The exchange of thoughts between persons has both a syntax and characteristics which are standard, regardless of the medium. As discussed in the essay, computer conversations and oral conversations have many similarities. One such feature of communication present in both forms is personal involvement. This is seen in the use of names at the beginning of and throughout messages sent during online communication. The aim of this is to directly address and engage the person with whom they're corresponding. The use of pronouns and rhetorical features is also seen in computer conversations. Similarly, in oral conversations persons may regularly use names, pronouns, and questions to connect with who they're communicating with. The presence of this feature of communication within computer conversation is one indication of its relevancy to personal thought. Additionally, the use of formal and informal grammar are features of orality which are present within social media communication as well as speech. Disfluencies and neologisms aren't restricted to speech. Conversations via the internet can also be found to have contractions, slang, and fragmentation of sentences. Social media sites such as Twitter are well known for the use of informalities such as slang shorthand and contractions to work around the dreaded character limits. This commonality also speaks to social media relevancy as the same distinct speech patterns used to convey thoughts orally are found in social media. In conclusion, as social media applications are the most popular means of communication, their relevance to styling oral features and thought is undeniable. The similarities social media shares with oral speech such as informalities, personal involvement, and the use of the active voice only further reiterate its applicability. The oral stylings found in the formal aspect of communication only serve to enhance it, not detract, and are as such appropriately utilized. Limiting the orality of formal communication can only be detrimental and as such should be avoided at all costs.