Why do we use more words when we write than when we speak?

Answer 1

It's harder to convey emotion in writing than speaking. When speaking to someone you have body language as well as verbal communication and with writing you only have the words so it's going to take more to get the point across.

Answer 2

Because it is often not necessary to use as many words when speaking because our body language or sounds can take the place of words.

Sarcasm needs words to explain in writing, tone is used in speaking. Just one example.

Answer 3

It's definitely because when we speak, we have a thousand gestures, grimaces, signs and our body language accompanying our words.. sometimes, we just make signs and people will know what we want..

that's why telephone conversations are usually hard and confusing, because we try to say things in fewer words, but we can't make the person we are talking to see our body language..

Answer 4

When we speak we use body language, facial expressions, and vocal tone/inflection to help convey the message. When we write we must use only words so it typically requires more of them.

Answer 5

Probably because it's easier to compose our thoughts in writing, when we have time to sit and think about we're saying--as opposed to speaking, when we have to come up with an answer on the spot.

Answer 6

You develop methods to take short cuts in what you are talking about or meaning where it takes much more to express your meaning in writing.

Answer 7

when we write, we're given more time to try to elucidate the meaning of things. we also have more time to try to make things more eloquent, many people adding participial and absolute phrases [like this one] to their sentences.

for example, if you had asked me this on the street, i'd have said, "we have more time to think."

edit:
and, yes, face-to-face communication incorporates much more than just words, things like tone of voice. that's why i find it so awful that i can't use italics on this site.

Answer 8

because to shorten things when speaking is easy enough, people get it but to shorten everything when writing you just look illiterate

Answer 9

Who does?

Answer 10

when we speak we can use tone of voice, facial expressions, & our body to help us communicate