Ruggero DRUETTA • L’oral est-il soluble dans l’écrit (et inversement) ?

This article aims to examine the main differences between the ‘phenomenology’ of spoken and written French and to investigate the nature of the distortions that occur in the perception, comprehension, and evaluation of media varieties. Where do the stereotypes and axiologies that condition the possibility of conducting an objective study come from? What characterises the linguistic approach to spoken language? Besides physical differences, three aspects are focused on with regard to speech production: the indelibility of speech, memory constraints, and the relationship to context. On the reception side, the three biases considered for analysis are: the axiological interpretation of differences in speech production, the desire to establish a hierarchy between the two manifestations of language, and the conflation of represented and authentic spoken language. In all three cases, the spontaneous attitude of speakers is contrasted with the stance of linguistic research.