The Role of Context in Written Communication

Abstract

This chapter, first published in 1983 (Nystrand, 1983), deconstructs the prevailing notion that written texts differ fundamentally from spoken utterances in that written texts function independently of context whereas spoken utterances, as in conversation, fully depend on – indeed define – the contexts in which they function. Challenging this binary Doctrine of Autonomous Texts, the author argues that all meaningful communication – written or spoken – relies on context, though writing draws on a context of eventual use rather than immediate, synchronous interaction. Through analysis of genres such as notes, signs, and scholarly essays, the author demonstrates that effective written communication depends not on categorical explicitness of texts but on the writer&s;s ability to balance what must be said with what can be assumed, given the reader&s;s knowledge and situation. As a process of communication, writing possesses its own paralinguistic resources including punctuation, layout, and typography, which perform communicative functions akin to gestures in speech. Chapter 1.2 reframes written communication as a socially situated act, advocating a shift in composition theory and pedagogy from structural autonomy toward functional, context-aware practices. This approach invites further interdisciplinary inquiry across semiotics, linguistics, and education.

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