Varieties and Registers of

Spoken and Written Language

CHAPTER
3
 OBJECTIVES
At the end of the chapter, the students will be able to:

a. Discuss various issues in local and global communication in

multicultural settings;
b. Determine culturally appropriate terms, expression, and images;
c. Distinguish varieties and registers of spoken and written language;
d. Use culturally appropriate terms, expressions and images in oral and
written communication; and
e. Adopt cultural and intercultural awareness and sensitivity in
communicating ideas
COMMUNICATION KNOWS
NO BOUNDARIES.
 Lesson 1
DIVERSITY IN
CULTURE,LANGUAGE, AND
COMMUNICATION
 Diversity is reality.
It is increasingly affecting traditional and digital media trade, labour practices and
even casual conversations. Changes in registers in one part of the world affect
people everywhere. These types of diversity include socially excluded group,
nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual preference, social class, religious beliefs,
and practices, and physical or mental disability. They do this by integrating in their
speech a set of linguistic features drawn from a particular variety in English. In the
west Midlands, people may pronounce "YOU" as "YOW" , use "BRUM" for
"BIRMINGHAM", and "COR" for "CANNOT" or "CANT“.
 For Barry Tomalin, culture is the fifth language skill.

Traditionally, culture is defined as set of collection of traditions, beliefs,

values and customs of particular community. However for Tomalin, there
is another way of understanding culture. This is how you develop
cultural sensitivity and cultural skills. This covers how you build
cultural awareness, what qualities you need to deal successfully with
other cultures, and how to operate successfully with people from other
cultures. This is often considered to be a business skill for adults, such as
international sales manager or explorers. This is referred to as
"CULTURAL COMPETENCE“.
 Lesson 2
Varieties and Registers
of Spoken and Written
Language
 The fifth language skill, “cultural competence”, teaches you is the
mindset and techniques to adapt your use of English to learn about,
understand and appreciate the values, ways of doing things and unique
qualities of other cultures.

It also involves understanding how to use language to accept

difference, to be flexible and tolerant of ways doing things which
might be different to yours. It is an attitudinal change that is
expressed through the use of language.
 Varieties of Spoken and Written Language
There are two factors that distinguish spoken language from the written one. First, the actual situation
or context in which the language is used, and second, the purpose of communication.

CHARACTERISTICS OF SPOKEN LANGUAGE

1. The situation in which the spoken variety of language is
used and in which it develops presupposes the presence of
an interlocutor.
2. The spoken language is mostly maintained in the form of a
dialogue.
3. The spoken language utilizes the human voice and all kinds
of gestures which give additional information.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF SPOKEN LANGUAGE

4. The spoken language is spontaneous but momentary. It vanishes after having fulfilled
its purpose, which is to communicate the thought, no matter how trivial or important.

5. The spoken language cannot be detached from the user of it.

6. The spoken language widely uses intensifying words. These are interjections and
words with strong emotive meaning, as oaths, swear-words, and adjectives which have
lost their primary meaning.

7. The spoken language is characterized by the insertion into the utterance of words
without any meaning, which are called “fill-ups” or empty words (as well, and all, so to
say, whatever). 
Varieties of Spoken Language
5 Types of Spoken language:

1. Interactional- having a social function. This makes use of informal type of

speech which aims to develop relationships between interlocutors.

2. Referential- providing the listener some information referring to objects or

abstract concepts. The speaker assumes that the listener has knowledge on
the matter at hand. In return, the listener has to know the context before
they can understand the references.

3. Expressive- showing the speaker’s judgments or feelings about a person,

event or situation.
Varieties of Spoken Language
5 Types of Spoken language:

4. Transactional- getting information or making a deal. It has a specific

purpose and is driven by needs and wants rather than sociability.

5. Phatic- engaging in small, plain talk. The speaker and listener use
minimal amount of language to engage in the conversation.
Characteristics of Written Language:
1. The written variety presupposes the absence of the
interlocutor.

2. The written language is mostly maintained in the form

of a monologue.

3. The written language is more carefully organized and

more explanatory. More often, the word choice is more
deliberate.
Characteristics of Written Language:

4. The written language is able to live forever with the

idea it expresses.

5. The written language can be detached and objectively

looked at. The writer has an opportunity to correct and
improve what has been put on paper.

6. The written language bears a greater volume of

responsibility than its spoken counterpart.
Both varieties, however, may be different in terms of their phonetics, morphology, lexicon and syntax. Yet the
most striking difference between the spoken and the written language is in the vocabulary used. There are
words and phrases typically colloquial, on the other hand, and typically bookish, on the other hand. If
colloquial words and phrases find their way in the written language, they immediately produce a marked
stylistic effect and can be used for the speech characterization.

Colloquial Neutral Literary

Daddy Father Parent
Get out Go away Retire
Go on Continue Proceed
Chap Fellow Associate
Guys friends comrades
Forms/Types of Spoken and Written Communication

SPOKEN WRITTEN
Face-to-face Reports
Telephone conversation Memos
Dictating letters Emails
Group discussions Fax messages
Meetings Business correspondence
Speech Illustrations
Virtual conferencing, etc. Notices, etc.
Culturally Responsive, Engaging and Appropriate Language

“Calling an illegal alien an undocumented immigrant is like calling a

drug dealer an undocumented pharmacist.”- Anon

The choice of words is a powerful strategy in communication. When

Confucius said, “when words lose their meanings, people lose their
freedom”, the control of language is an essential tool for and engaging
and responsive communication.
POLITICAL CORRECTNESS

Hence, cultural appropriateness of language is conforming to a culture’s

acceptable expressions and standards of behavior and thoughts. This is
referred to as “political correctness”. However, “politically correct” is
not about being right, it is more of being respectful and considerate.
Being politically correct means that you avoid expressions and actions
that may exclude, marginalize, or offend a particular group of people.
The term first became popular during the 1970’s and 1980’s.
Ways on how to choose appropriate language (Hogan-Garcia, 1999)

1. Notice and reflect on disrespectful language, thoughts, and actions

2. Respect people of different races
3. Use language that includes LGBTQIA+ people
4. Avoid exclusionary, gender-specific language
5. Avoid using explicitly religious terms in mixed religious company
6. Avoid expressions that devalue people with physical or mental
disabilities
7. Refrain from language that groups people into large category
 Some Politically Correct Words and Expressions

● Source: https://www.google.com.ph
 Culturally (In)Appropriate Images

Cultural appropriation of images is the adoption of the iconography of another culture,

and using it for purposes that are unintended by the original culture or even offensive to
that culture's mores. This poses deeper concerns and issues of communication in which
the origin of that particular culture gets offended.

Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/
 Thanks!
Does anyone have any questions?

sophiajean.ocampo@cvsu.edu.ph
Reference:

Agustin, R. G. et al. (2018). Communication in Multicultural Contexts:

Meanings and Purposes. Philippines: Panday Lahi Publishing House Inc.
ISBN 979-621-8094-26-0
 Credits

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