Reflect Spoken -

: While real-life speech can be inefficient, adding a "flavor" of its natural stumbles to written dialogue makes it feel authentic rather than "written" or glib.

: Words like "yeah," "ok," and "um" signal active listening and engagement in an interaction. Reflect Spoken

The need to "reflect spoken" dialogue appears in several specialized fields: : While real-life speech can be inefficient, adding

: Speakers often become less fluent when emotional; reflecting these verbal fumbles in writing can signal a character's internal state to the reader without explicit narration. Key Markers of Spoken Language Reflect Spoken

To accurately reflect spoken discourse, writers and linguists look for specific markers that distinguish it from formal writing: