1. Lexical Complexity:
* Vocabulary: Written language often uses more complex vocabulary and technical terms than casual speech.
* Formal Diction: Written language employs a more formal and precise vocabulary, avoiding slang and contractions.
* Figurative Language: While casual speech uses some figures of speech, written language often utilizes more complex metaphors, similes, and other literary devices.
2. Syntactic Complexity:
* Sentence Structure: Written language frequently uses longer and more complex sentence structures with multiple clauses and modifiers.
* Subordination and Coordination: Written language relies heavily on subordination and coordination of clauses to create complex relationships between ideas.
* Grammar: Written language adheres to stricter grammatical rules and punctuation conventions than casual speech.
3. Discourse Complexity:
* Organization: Written texts are structured with clear organizational principles, such as paragraphs, headings, and transitions.
* Cohesion and Coherence: Written language emphasizes cohesion and coherence, using connectors, pronouns, and other devices to create a smooth flow of information.
* Audience Awareness: Written language takes into account the specific audience and purpose of the text, adjusting its complexity accordingly.
4. Conciseness and Clarity:
* Precision: Written language often prioritizes conciseness and clarity, using precise language and avoiding ambiguity.
* Accuracy: Written language places a high value on accuracy and factual correctness.
* Repetition and Redundancy: Written language typically avoids unnecessary repetition and redundancy, using a more streamlined style.
5. Lack of Paralinguistic Cues:
* Non-Verbal Cues: Unlike spoken language, written language lacks the benefit of non-verbal cues such as tone of voice, facial expressions, and gestures. This requires writers to rely more heavily on language itself to convey meaning and nuance.
6. Revision and Editing:
* Iterative Process: Written language allows for extensive revision and editing, resulting in a more polished and refined final product.
* Time Constraints: Unlike casual speech, which is often spontaneous and unedited, written language is typically crafted with more deliberation and time for revision.
Overall, written language is more complex than casual speech due to its emphasis on formal vocabulary, complex syntax, clear organization, conciseness, and the need to convey meaning through language alone. However, it's important to note that the complexity of written language can vary greatly depending on the genre, audience, and purpose of the text.