Telephone

I was talking to my sister on the phone last night. During the middle of one of my sentences she started laughing. But I wasn't saying anything I would expect her to laugh at, so I was a little put off. I thought maybe she was laughing at something she was looking at or heard unrelated to me. But I wanted to know what it was. "Why were you laughing?" I asked her. She didn't respond right away which put me off even more. Finally we realized there was a time delay.

I have already mentioned that timing is an important element of speech and can aid in understanding. Clearly, bad timing can also hinder understanding. But is talking on the phone really a good illustration of the spoken word in action?

Nope. Telephone conversations are an example of what Ong calls "secondary orality." The progression of written communication opens up new opportunities for spoken communication as well. Talking on the telephone is possible because of writing.

And it is different from talking to someone in person, as my example demonstrates. Talking face to face isn't just about the words coming out of your mouth. It is also about facial expressions and gestures. It is about being in the same spacial and temporal context.

When you talk on the phone you can't see what the other person is doing. You aren't looking at the same things. And, if there is a problem with your connection, the person you are talking to might not hear what you say right when you say it.