Oral and Written Communication Genres

Understanding the Statement in Communication

A statement is the minimum unit of speech communication that can convey a full and complete message within the communicative situation in which it occurs. It can constitute a text by itself. Its characteristics include being a complete message in a given situation, framed as a sequence of sounds between two silences, and pronounced with a melodic contour.

Statements can be classified as:

• Non-sentence: Phrases without a verb phrase.
• Sentence: A structure containing a verb.

Planned Oral Genres

The Conference

A conference is a dissertation or rationale based on a written text that is delivered to an audience. Its structure begins with a greeting, followed by an introduction, development, and conclusion, and ends with a farewell and an expression of thanks. Textual features include a predominant representative function, the use of connectors, exemplification, and the appellate function.

The Interview

An interview is a formal dialogue in which an interviewer asks a series of questions to a person for the purpose of gathering information and obtaining their views. The structure starts with a presentation of the character, followed by the word-shift (turn-taking). The appellate function predominates, and deictic elements are frequently used.

The Debate

A debate is an exchange of different views in which an individual defends their opinion, guided by a moderator. The structure follows a sequence of presentation, exhibition, development, and recapitulation of the idea. Its features include the expression of opinions through argumentation in a formal oral exchange.

The Get-Together

A get-together is a conversation between a group of people where each participant shows their opinion on a case that is moderated by a moderator. It shares the same features and structure as a debate.

Unplanned Oral Genres: The Conversation

A conversation consists of oral texts that do not correspond to pre-planning or pre-arrangement. The structure relies on word-shifts that are not prepared beforehand. Predominant features include the phatic function, the use of the appellate function, and flexible language within a colloquial register.

Rules of Conversation

• The Principle of Cooperation: Includes quantity, relevance (linked to the field), quality (truth), and mode (orderly).
• Comity: Showing respect through expressions such as "please" and "thank you."

Classification of Textual Forms

• Narrative: Texts that relate events occurring to characters in a given time and space.
• Descriptive: Texts that represent people, animals, or objects by referring to their attributes or parts.
• Dialogue: Texts that reproduce a conversation between several characters.
• Exhibition: A report on a subject that develops data and concepts.
• Argumentation: A review used to reasonably defend a point of view.

Differences Between Oral and Written Texts

The differences between oral and written language are as follows:

• The oral is fleeting, while the written character is durable.
• Oral communication is an immediate exchange, while written communication is deferred.
• The essence of oral communication is interactivity, whereas written communication is unidirectional.
• Oral communication is usually spontaneous, while written communication requires planning.
• Oral language is more colloquial and less prescriptive, whereas the formal written standard is more rigid.
• Unlike written language, oral language relies heavily on nonverbal communication.

There are also scheduled oral texts such as conferences.