Speech Styles: Formal and Frozen

Module 9
Formal

Used only for imparting information

Well-organized and correct in grammar and diction
Prepared in advance and follow strict rules in word choice
and content
Technical vocabulary and exact definition are important such
as presentation
Straightforward and direct
Does not allow interruption
Dressed in formal attire
Example is the President’s SONA
Even if a president uses humor in some parts of his or her
speech, such humor is well chosen and fits the stature of the
presidency and the occasion
President Benigno S. Aquino III’s SONA 2014

This was our situation in the past: To dream was an absurdity.

We had a senseless bureaucracy; padded contracts had become
the norm; and corruption was endemic to the system. We were
known as the “Sick Man of Asia”. The economy was weak;
industry was sparse. We failed to gain the confidence of
investors. With heads bowed, we had come to accept that we
would never be able to rely on our government or our society.
Frozen

Follows much stricter rules in wording, content and format

The words used for this speech style cannot be changed as
they are permanently inscribed in a document such as the
preamble of the Philippine Constitution or a dedication on a
commemorative marker for a historical site or a plaque of
appreciation
Speakers of frozen speech merely read from a source
They can employ an oratorical style of delivery to lend more
formality to the speech
 PREAMBLE

We, the sovereign Filipino people, imploring the aid of Almighty

God, in order to build a just and humane society, and establish a
Government that shall embody our ideals and aspirations, promote the
common good, conserve and develop our patrimony, and secure to
ourselves and our posterity, the blessings of independence and
democracy under the rule of the law and a regime of truth, justice,
freedom, love, equality, and peace, do ordain and promulgate this
Constitution.
Register

Refers to a variety of a language or a level of usage, as

determined by degree of formality and choice of vocabulary,
pronunciation, and syntax, according to the communicative
purpose, social context, and standing of the user
Register is more technical term for the level of formality
used in a communication situation
Speech style is about the manner of expression