Cambridge Grammar of English Hardback with cd-rom a comprehensive Guide

REPRESENTING SPEECH IN WRITING

120

In writing, the expressive character of spoken language is represented by

reproducing the sound of core words and phrases as accurately as possible. There

is a wide variety of possible variants but the most common transcriptions are: 

I don’t wanna do it. 

(want to)

Havva nice day.

(have a)

That’s great innit? 

(isn’t it?)

I dunno and she dunno. 

(don’t/doesn’t know)

I’m gonna have an iced coffee. 

(going to)

Dad, you just gotta look at this. 

(got to)

I hafta go now. 

(have to)

SPEECH INTO WRITING: THE SPOKEN-WRITTEN CONTINUUM

121

Informal writing

121a

It would be a mistake to assume that the forms of grammar common in spoken

English are exclusive to speech. Though rare in written English, situational

ellipsis, in particular, appears appropriately in written contexts and is especially

common in signs and notices as well as faxes, email and internet communications.

The relative immediacy of email communication means that informality is the

preferred style and ellipsis marks both informality and a relative symmetry of

relationship in the exchange:

[inter-company fax]

Could you email Kyle Barber and ask him for a quote for a laptop? 

Said we’d

let Tatchell have one for himself as part of the deal. Compaq or Toshiba. At

least 40gb hard disk and 528Mb RAM. 

Good deal, tell David. Worth the laptop.

More in the pipeline. 

In the structure Good deal, tell David, the ellipsis and word order (more typically

in writing: Tell David (that) it is a good deal) are grammatical features which are

much more common in speech than in writing but which are becoming

standardised in many written communications. 

Email messages and personal letters may often display ellipsis of initial

elements, especially the pronoun I, indicating their status as something midway

between written and informal spoken messages:

[email message] 

Hi, Anne. 

Just got back from a terrific conference in Stockholm.

(understood: I’ve just got back …)

[personal letter closing]

Well, 

must go and bake some bread now. Will write again soon. Love, Jane.

(understood: I must go and bake …/I will write again soon.)