Speaking Through the Written Word

When I finished reading Book 1 of "The Book of the Courtier" it struck me as odd (and somewhat humorous) that the group spent a good deal of time debating over the language that a Courtier both speaks and writes with. The gentlemen went back and forth offering ideas of word usage that a perfect Courtier might employ.

The way a man speaks and carries himself are often the most evident in first impressions. How often do we unconsciously discriminate against others due to their speech? And then there is the question of the written word and spoken. Should a Courtier speak the same way he talks, or is he allowed more freedom to use intellectually stimulating words when he writes?
I love how Count Ludovico says it.

For it is my opinion that writing is simply a form of speaking which endures even after it is uttered, the image, as it were, or better, the soul of our words.

When we speak, the words we say are soon forgotten or lost, drifting away not long after they are spoken. Words written, however, are not so easily erased. They are more pervasive, lasting until that which they are written on is destroyed. I agree that care should be taken to the words and language used in writing, and since we are able to study works long after they are written, complexity can be apprectiated.
I do not think that this is an excuse for slackness in speech. While speech should lack some of the complexity of writing, a level of intelligence and grace should be maintained.
Words may quickly be forgotten when they are spoken, yet they leave a mark in the minds of those listening.