Page 41 - Cyberculture and New Media

32 Formalisms of Digital Text
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Table 1. Characteristics of “orality” and their relationship to facilitated communication (FC)
CHARACTERISTICS OF ASSOCIATED
SOURCE
“ORALITY” WITH FC?
Westby, 1985; Hildyard & Hidi,
Used to regulate social interactions Yes
1985; Chafe, 1985
Topic usually here and now Westby, 1985; Rubin, 1987 ?
Familiar words; repetitive syntax Westby, 1985;
?
and ideas Rubin, 1987
Intonation and non-verbal cues Westby, 1985; Tannen, 1985;
important for cohesion and Hildyard & Hidi, 1985; No
conveying meaning Wallach, 1990
Usually has fragmented quality Chafe, 1985; Redeker, 1984 ?
Rapid rate contributes to Chafe, 1985 No
dysfluencies
Usual lack of permanence Chafe, 1985 Depends on medium
Listeners often give immediate Redeker, 1984;
feedback Rubin, 1987 Yes

Table 2. Characteristics of “literacy” and their relationship to facilitated communication
CHARACTERISTICS OF ASSOCIATED
SOURCE
“LITERACY” WITH FC?
Slow, deliberate process because Chafe, 1985; Yes
of mechanical constraints Rubin, 1987
No need to worry about keeping
Chafe, 1985 No
the listener’s attention
Often abstract or unfamiliar
topics Westby, 1985 ?
Concise use of syntax and ideas Westby ?
Cohesion based on linguistic Westby, 1985; ?
markers Tannen, 1985
Hildyard & Hidi, 1985;
Can be polished and perfected
Chafe, 1985; Redeker, 1984; Yes and no
before it is read
Rubin, 1987
Chafe, 1985; Redeker, 1984;
Integrated quality ?
Westby, 1985; Rubin, 1987
Usually detached spatially and Chafe, 1985; Redeker, 1984; Yes and no
temporally from readers Westby, 1985; Rubin, 1987
Chafe, 1985; Redeker, 1984; Depends on
Visually permanent
Rubin, 1987 medium

From patterns evident in the communications research literature on
this subject, Janzen-Wilde concludes that “characteristics of orality which are
common in facilitated communication include its use in regulating social