Error Tolerance in Oral and Written Communication

We accept different forms of oral communication errors without penalty. Should we do the same with written communication?

For the most part, I don’t think we should increase our acceptance of errors in written communication. I say this mainly because speaking is a more immediate form of communication, whereas someone writing a message has time to re-read and edit. Having said that, there are other factors that need to be considered when determining the error tolerance for both of the above mentioned language modalities.

The purpose of communication needs to be considered before the degree of acceptable errors is determined. If a piece of writing is for one’s own use, such as a list of questions to ask the doctor, the number of errors is unimportant as long as the person can read their writing when the need arises. The purpose of a text message is to send a message in the shortest possible way which involves using untraditional abbreviations. Therefore, the number of grammar and spelling errors should not be a factor. The purpose of a sending all letters is to convey information. A friendly letter sent to a well known acquaintance, will have greater tolerance for errors than a cover letter with a resume to a company requesting a job interview.

The purpose of spoken language also determines the degree of accepable errors. Speech errors during a casual conversation between friends are unimportant and will probably go unnoticed. Error tolerance for a politician making a campaign speech at a convention would be much lower and could have a negative effect for him or her on Election Day.

The affect errors have on the message’s meaning should also be considered when deciding if the errors should or should not be accepted. For example, confusing ‘weather’ and ‘whether’ in writing alters the meaning more than mixing up ‘a’ and ‘an’; therefore, the later error will be less noticeable and more acceptable than the former error. Speech errors are less acceptable when the meaning is changed too. If need be, we usually ask for clarification and/or correct the person’s speech in a subtle way.

Overall, I think we will always be more accepting of speech errors than written errors. However, as discussed above, the degree of acceptance should vary depending on the purpose of communication and the affect on the message’s meaning.