Essay Example on Spoken and Written Texts

Written Text

For much of the last decade, Dr. David Rawlings, director of Seattle Children's Research Institute's Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies, has dreamed of developing a therapy for children with type 1 diabetes that doesn't involve insulin injections but uses a person's own immune cells to target and treats the disease. Now, new research and a fresh infusion of funding bring this dream closer to reality, and nearer to opening a first-in-human clinical trial of an experimental therapy at Seattle Children's in collaboration with research partner Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason. "What started as a dream is now within reach," Rawlings said. "My hope is that our research will lead to a new treatment that turns off the destructive immune response leading to the development of type 1 diabetes in children."

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The research led by Rawlings, who is also the Division Chief of Immunology at Seattle Children's and a professor of pediatrics and immunology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, along with co-investigator Dr. Jane Buckner, president of BRI, focuses on T cells, the immune system's disease-fighting white blood cells. In type 1 diabetes, specific types of immune cells called effector T cells mistakenly attack insulin-producing islet cells in the pancreas. The job of these islet cells is to sense when glucose levels are rising in the bloodstream and to respond by releasing Insulin. The attack continues because other components of the immune system, regulatory T cells, do not function normally." A healthy immune system requires regulatory T cells to balance the attack of effector T cells," Rawlings said. "Regulatory T cells tell the effector T cells to calm down and limits damage to tissues like the pancreas." Once destroyed by the unchecked effector T cells, the islet cells can't release Insulin. Glucose levels in the bloodstream then rise unabated, causing the early symptoms of diabetes such as frequent urination, unquenched thirst, insatiable hunger, and extreme fatigue.

Spoken Text

Another one of the great students who are here, who've — who've demonstrated great character in and out of the classroom, is a sixth-grader at Horning Middle School. I'm told he learned how to sew in summer school a few years ago, so he worked with his grandmother to sell his own creations at a local crafts fair. But when — when he heard from his aunt, who is a nurse at a children's hospital in Iowa, that they needed more masks, he didn't wait to be asked; he started making and donating them himself. And it's — he was already an inspiring person. He was actually diagnosed with cancer in kindergarten, but I'm so grateful to hear that he's been cancer-free for six years. He's out there making a difference — making a difference in this state, in Iowa, and inspiring the country. Where is Collin Anderson? Collin, are you here? Stand up and take a bow, young man.

Well, you know it’s — it’s no surprise that support for educational choice for families is growing all across America. Since 2011, the number of Wisconsin schools and students participating in the Parental Choice Program has doubled. Last year alone, I’m told it increased by 37 percent. And now one in eight Wisconsin students are educated with public funds at the school of their choice. We really believe school choice is an idea whose time has come. And I particularly believe that — that every parent should be able to choose where their kids go to school — goes to school goes to school, regardless of their area code or income. And I just want to say thank you to everyone that’s gathered here. I look forward to the updates on Wisconsin’s progress in advancing parental choice in this state. But just know that you’ve been — you’ve been opening doors of opportunity for these great young people.

Task 2 Variable Analysis and Lexicogrammatical Features

Variable Used in the Texts Lexicogrammatical Feature Parameters

Written Text Spoken Text

Field

The medical field, as indicated by some lexicogrammatical features such as Insulin, cells, diabetes. The education field is explicit in the text through the use of some features like education, school, and classes.

Mode

The Text used present tense as a medium of communication. Most of the written items are presented in the current tense The use of direct speech in the speech brings about the mode used. An example is “Collin, are you here?”

Tenor

Tenor used non-standard language as most of the items are in medical terms like Immunology, T-cells. There is the widespread use of standard language in the Text understood by all parties. An example is education, children.

Task 3 (Essay Writing)

Introduction

The comparison of the selected texts based on key variables and lexicogrammatical features depicted in each Text enables explicit understanding of their fields, modes, and the tenors used. While the two may seem different and similar to some extent, differences and similarities do exist. Importantly, the definition of spoken and written texts in their settings reveals the following.

Comparison of the Chosen Texts (Similarities and Differences)

Spoken and Written Texts: Differences

The two selected text talks are from different fields. There are various lexicogrammatical features that group the selected texts in the written and spoken field. Some of these features that identify the field of written texts into medical class in this context include the lexis, tenses, and the tone (voice) used in the Text. The key variables include the use of the field, mode, and tenor such as medical terms like Immunotherapies, Insulin, diabetes, and human cells. The Text exploits the use of mode as present tense is used as the means of communication where most of the items discussed in writing are put in current situations. Tenor utilizes the use of non-standard language as the intonation used in the Text focuses on the medical field as the voice articulates health care issues.

On the other hand, the spoken Text in this context is classified by the use of various lexicogrammatical features. Some of such features also like the written Text include the use of lexis, voice, and tense elements that are essential in identification of the context of the talked phrase selected. The field of the Text is education matters, for example, school, kindergarten, and the education sector. The lexicogrammatical mode features used in the context is the dialogic interactivity of the parties involved. Finally, the tenor is displayed in the Text where the speaker uses standard language and direct speech in passing the message, for example, "Where is Collin Anderson? Collin, are you here?” the interactivity of in the Text shows that the theme is on education relationships.

Similarities between the Spoken and Written Texts

The definitions of spoken and written texts reveal immense differences, but the nature, agent for information, and form or medium are the main distinguishing factors. However, analysts agree that the existence of discourse without the text aspects is contestable. Noteworthy, spoken, and written texts represent the communication of information that requires the use of sentences (Hultgren, 2019). Therefore, the use of sentences for the communication of information is the fundamental similarity between spoken and written texts. The following section presents a fundamental puzzle that faces every new analyst of spoken and written texts.

It is not possible to research studies on spoken and written texts without getting its text dimensions. Importantly, both spoken and written texts use sentences to communicate information despite their many differences (Crawford, 2012). Additionally, explaining any aspect of spoken and written texts requires the possible negation of the same aspect in the Text. For instance, saying that spoken and written texts have an interactive social character requires opposition that Text is non-interactive.

Conclusion

The interchangeable nature of spoken and written texts raises analytical confusion, depending on the context of use. However, the two terms are distinctive components of communication and linguistic studies based on the interactive aspect each possesses. An agent is crucial to spoken and written text analysis, as opposed to Text, which is non-interactive.

Bibliography

Crawford, W. (2012) "Grammar Analysis Techniques," The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. DOI: 10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal0461.

Hultgren, A.K., 2019. English as the language for academic publication: On equity, disadvantage, and 'non-nativeness’ as a red herring. Publications, 7(2), p.31. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6775/7/2/31

NPR Choice page (2020). Available at: https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/09/25/494740056/donald-trumps-plan-for-americas-schools (Accessed: 21 June 2020).

The White House (2020). Education Available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/ (Accessed: 21 June 2020).

University of Geneva, 2020. Cells that change jobs to fight diabetes. Available at: https://www.google.com/amp/s/medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-cells-diabetes-closer-clinic.amp (Accessed: 21 June 2020).