Supporting Students in the Move from Spoken to Written Language

Abstract

One way of thinking about ‘Englishes’ is to consider the English language as a repertoire of registers that vary depending on the context. A major contextual factor is the mode or medium being employed. The casual, fluid language characteristic of the spoken mode is very different from that of the heavily crafted, compressed written mode. In multilingual educational contexts, it is important that students are provided with support as they move along the continuum from oral interaction through to written academic texts. This chapter will examine the different linguistic demands of oral and written modes and how teachers can use the ‘mode continuum’ as a framework to sequence learning activities.