UNIT 3: DIAPHASIC VARIETIES OF ENGLISH
REGISTER
"Systematic relation between a context of situation and the language variety used in
that context" (Alameda & Fernández, 41)
Appropriateness in a given context:
FORMAL LANGUAGE: situations that are serious or that involve people we don't know
well more common when we write. Official, literary, academic, edited and complex
sentences. Examples: News, books, articles or audio books.
INFORMAL LANGUAGE: situations that are more relaxed and involve people we know
well more common when we speak. Conversational, improvised and simple sentences.
Examples: everyday conversations, podcasts, talk shows or radio conversations.
However, there are some examples in between: movies, TV series, videogames,
personal e-mails, forum posts or blogs.
Formal language and informal language are associated with particular choices of
grammar and vocabulary.
CONTINUUM OF FORMALITY
Changes in style and formality are not a yes/no question, but a gradual aspect to be
considered within language.
Very formal – impersonal – Polite - Casual - Intimate – Colloquial - Stang/rude
WRITTEN VS SPOKEN ENGLISH
Written: Spoken:
Graphic substance (marks or a Phonic substance (air-pressure movements)
surface)
Final draft status First draft status
Vocabulary (density of content) Repeating / Vocabulary / Grammar / Intonation /
Grammar (complexity) Variation in speed / Loudness or quietness /
Gestures / body language / Stress / Rhythm
Speed control: punctuation Spontaneity phenomena: pausing, rephrasing, false
starts, incomplete clauses, hesitations...
Neutrality of social roles Social roles are not neutral, emotions
Clarification
Interaction
Written Spoken Example
Because kuz I don’t wanna go to the party. Kuz it sounds boring
Bet you betcha I betcha can’t eat ten hot dogs
Could have kuda Ya kuda called me before
Got you gotcha I gotcha that candy bar you asked tor
Has to hasta He hasta know how much he means to me
Have to hafta I hafta clean the house before I go out
FORMAL / INFORMAL ENLGLISH
FORMAL ENGLISH
Sentences are longer and more complicated, for example: Toyota's US sales bounced
back in March as substantial discounts helped to win back customers who had been
shaken by the firm's mass safety recalls.
INFORMAL ENGLISH
Sentences are simpler and shorter, for example: Did you see Toyota's sales figures?
Looks like the discounts have actually worked.
The standard of correctness. Some phrases are considered correct (or at least
acceptable) in informal English, but wrong in formal English. For example:
• I have made less mistakes. (Formal: I have made fewer mistakes.)
• She's liking it. (Formal: She likes it.)
• I feel real good (Formal: I feel really good.)
FORMAL ENGLISH
Formal English is well planned according to an organized structure and often following
conventional written and spoken patterns.
INFORMAL ENGLISH
Because informal English is “improvised ", it is sloppy. Speakers (and sometimes
writers) often do the following:
• Use "delaying expressions" to give themselves time: Well, I think they should
have asked us first, you know?
• Use "correcting expressions to correct themselves: He ' not well. I mean, he’s
not sick, but he's very tired.
• Use "qualifying expressions" to show that what they said is not exactly right: This
whole blogging thing is getting kind of old.
FORMAL ENGLISH
Formal English can get highly formulaic “My condolences," "We are glad to inform you,""
"On account of your petition
INFORMAL ENGLISH
Informal English contains useful “everyday phrases", for example:
• Here you are. There you go. (when giving something to someone)
• Excuse me? Come again? (to ask someone to repeat something)
• What do you mean? (to ask for explanation)
• So, you're saying that...? (to ask for confirmation)
• Exactly! couldn’t agree with you more. (to agree with someone)
• By the way... Anyway... (to change the topic)
• See you. Take care. (to say goodbye)
FORMAL ENGLISH
A huge number of words and phrases are used mainly in formal English. For example:
nevertheless, to disclose, to constitute, to undertake. daunting. impervious. anew.
truly, solace, to enchant, frantically, sizeable, to clutch heyday, as it happens.
upsurge, retrieval
INFORMAL ENGLISH
A huge number of words and phrases are used mainly in informal English. For example:
dude, freaking, uh- huh. nope (= no). to puke. trashy. grownup, awesome, to chill out,
stuff, hard-up, to tick somebody off, to sell like crazy.
FORMAL ENGLISH
Many (but not all) phrasal verbs are avoided.
INFORMAL ENGLISH
Phrasal verbs are used frequently. For example, in informal situations, people usually
say found out instead of discovered, came across instead of encountered and got away
instead of escaped.
Words and phrases are sometimes pronounced in a shortened and simplified wav. e.g.-
Lemme go! !'m doin' / fine, Whassup? Whatcha gonna do?
Informal language: Linguistic features
• Incomplete sentences: Ellipsis / Speaker changes his/ her mind / Speakers
interrupt each other
• Use of fillers: "Well", I mean ", "I know", etc
• Repetitions: Of words/ phrases/ clauses - To make sure y have been understood;
to emphasize, to give yourself time.
• Question tags (To check that the phatic function is working), contractions
colloquial pronunciation and short, uncomplicated syntactic structures.
Kinds of ellipsis:
• Words: (the) fact is…(article) / (What's) your name? (question word + verb) / (I’m
a) fraid not. (subject + verb) / (You/ I've) got it / How could you (do this to me)?
(rest of the sentence).
• Syllables: (a)bout (be)cause
• Sounds: (I)s anyone there?
Thematic fronting:
• That, I told you before / Mark, his name was
• Usually, the theme position is devoted to given information and the second
position is reserved to the focus. If we want to deliver our point first or emphasize
something we use thematic fronting.
Informal version of the bank letter
Thanks for your letter. I got it 14 Sept. I've sent a copy to comp. H.Q. along with a memo
re, your financial situation. I've set a meeting for 3 Oct at 11am to talk about another
bank loan. So, please let us know if you can make it a.s.a.p.
But we might ask you a few things to do with your inc. and exp. before giving you a
loan. Also, I need to get in touch with the G.M. to okay it. Plus, we'll first have to think
about the last time you didn't keep up with your payments.
Anyway, in the meantime, you need to fill in this business plan. Bring it to the
meeting with you.
SLANG
• Particular kind of colloquial language
• Refers to words and expressions which are extremely informal
• Helps to make speech vivid, colourful and interesting
• It can be risky
o Because some slang expressions may cause offence
o Words date very quickly
• Often used by one particular group and unintelligible to other people
• Examples:
Money: dough, bread, dosh, loot, brass, spondulicks
Police: pigs, fuzz, cop(per)s, bill
Drunk: pissed, sozzled, paralytic, legless, arseholed
Stupid person: wally, prat, nerd, jerk, dickhead, plonker, pillock
Lavatory: loo, lav, bog, john
Drink: booze, Plonk (wine), a snifer, a snort
Drugs: a fix, dope, grass, high, stoned, snow (heroin)
Prison: nick, nark (informer), screw (warder)
Examples: tired / knackered, pleased / chuffed, silly / daft, annoyed / miffed,
disappointed / gutted, energetic / full of beans, how are you / alright and ages / yonks,
pyjamas / jimjams.
Real London Accent / Multicultural London English / Jafaican: ask / axe, wear / buss,
cotch / relax, sort out / fix up, house / yard, friend / fam blud yout, neighbourhood /
endz, happy / haps, good / sick, ugly /butter, strong / hench, cool / safe and good / peng.
Insults: pussyhole, sket, pattymout, wasterman and begfriend.
American slang: Crash / suddenly fall asleep, shotgun / front passenger seat, creep / a
weird or unpleasant person, bucks / dollars, for real / being honest, Knock / a bad or
disparaging remark, sweet / expression of happiness due to a favourable situation,
zonked / tired, jonesing / strong craving or desire and bail / leave somewhere or
abandon plans leaving someone behind.
COKNEY RHYMING SLANG
Definition: Cockney rhyming slang is a form of English slang which originated in the
East End of London. Many of its expressions have passed into common language and
the creation of new ones is no longer restricted to Cockneys.
Rhyming slang developed as a way of obscuring the meaning of sentences to those who
did not understand the slang, though it remains a matter of speculation whether this
was a linguistic accident, or whether it was developed intentionally to assist criminals
or to maintain a particular community. Rhyming slang works by replacing the word to be
obscured with the first word of a phrase that rhymes with that word.
• An expression is used in place of something that it rhymes with:
o Let's have a butcher's (short for butcher's hook) at your homework.
Examples
• An expression is used in Place of something that it rhymes with:
o Let's have a butcher's (short for butcher's hook) at your homework. Look.
o Just look at those Gawd forbids playing football! Kids.
o I's on the Cain and Abel next to the phone. Table.
o What a set of Hampstead Heath! Teeth.
SMS LANGUAGE
• Has evolved over the years.
• Has almost become a different language (difficult to understand).
• Main linguistic features: use of single letters, numerals, and symbols to
represent words or parts of words initialism shortened words nonstandard
spelling logograms.
o Use of single letters, numerals, and symbols to represent words or parts
of words “b" stands for "be” “r" stands for "are” “2" stands for "to” “4"
stands for "for"
o Initialism: use of initial letters for whole words or common phrases “n" for
"no” “gf' for "girlfriend” “cmb" for "call me back” “1OU" for '"1 owe you"
o Shortened words “2bctnd" for "to be continued"
o Nonstandard spelling “cu2nite" for "see you tonight"
o Logograms (graphemes which represent a word or a morpheme) “2" in
"CU2nite" or "2bcntnd"
• Many are not used any longer, because; replaced by emoticons you don't pay per
character qwerty keyboards available predictive keyboards
• Most frequently used nowadays: LOL (Laughing Out Loud), TTYL (Talk To You
Later), IDK (I Don’t Know), YOLO (You Only Live Once), WTF (What The F***),
ASAP (As Soon As Possible), and FYI (For Your Information).
o Acronym for Laughing Out Loud one of the most common Internet and
SMS slang terms could also mean: Lots Of Love or Lots Of Luck. It
appears in the Oxford English Dictionary people may even use "lol" in
face-to-face conversations.
SWEARING
• To what areas of reality does swearing refer generally speaking? Swearing
usually talks about taboo topics like religion, sex, and bodily functions.
• Why is English unusual in regard to swearing according to the text? English is
unusual because it includes not only bodily functions and sexual references in
swearing but also concepts that are impossible or pleasurable. For example,
when we say, "Get fucked!" we're asking someone to engage in something that
might actually give them pleasure, which is an odd and counterintuitive way to
express anger.
• Do you know what the word expletive" means? An expletive is a swear word or
a word used to show strong feelings.
BODY LANGUAGE
Part of the body Action Possible emotion or attitude expressed
Fist Clench Anger, aggression
Brow Crease / Furrow Concentration, puzzlement
Finger Drum Impatience
Lips Lick Anticipation
Lips Purse Disapproval, dislike
Eyebrows Raise Inquiry, surprise
Shoulders Shrug Doubt, indifference
Tongue Stick out Disrespect
Nose Wrinkle Dislike, distaste
Match them with the appropriate definition.
a) Pick out some people. → 3. choose or select from a number of people
b) The average sitting space → 4. standard or level regarded as usual
c) His best assets. → 5. things owned by a person that have special value
d) One of the most interesting facets of body language. → 2. aspect of a situation,
problem, or issue
e) How they come across. → 6. make an impression of a specified type
f) He is gonna get the hints. → 1. small piece of practical information, advice, tip
g) They will never be in rapport. → 7. in sympathetic and harmonious relationship
h) A couple holding hands → 8. take each other's hands
TRUE OF FALSE
1. During a conversation, the feet point to where the body wants to go. T
2. Men and women are both equal at deciphering body langusge. F ( Women are better)
3. The way a couple holds hands shows who the powerful one in the relationship is T
4. Using more space than the average shows that you feel good and powerful. T
5. Peopte are fully aware of the messages they send with their body language F
Answer the following questions:
a. What is the meaning of Tonya's feet pointing that way she exemplifies? The feet
point where the person want to go
b. What is Tonya's advice for women trying to flirt with a man? To insist and to repeat
doing clues because men struggle more to understand the body clues.
c. In the 'space bubble" situation. How does body language show it? Stepping
backwards.
d. When a couple holds hands, who is typically the one who holds the hand on top?
What does it mean? The dominant or protective partner (man) holds the hand on top,
showing leadership or care.
e. What is Tonya's final message about the importance of body language and of
what a person wears or uses? Body language and appearance strongly affect first
impressions and perception.