REGISTER

ADVANCED VOCABULARY FALL 2015

ADAPTED FROM S. DUSHKU 2013

“Language ought to be the joint creation of poets and manual workers.”

GEORGE ORWELL, The English People
REGISTER

Overview
 Register- definition and examples
 Spoken and written registers
 Written registers
 Academic register
 Spoken registers
 Casual
 Slang
 Jargon
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REGISTER
Register is the variation in
style that allows us to use language
appropriate to a topic, audience, and
a given situation.
Register determines choice of
words and the level of formality.
Example:
You might describe yourself as:
‘fatigued’ to your doctor formal

‘exhausted’ to your coach less formal

‘wiped out’ to your friend least formal

DOES CHATGPT UNDERSTAND REGISTER?
A GOOD DICTIONARY GIVES YOU REGISTER INFORMATION

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REGISTER

Register varies as a result of:

Occupation
lawyers, teachers, college students
Age
children, teenagers, older adults

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REGISTER

Register varies as a result of:

Purpose
chatting with a friend; interviewing for a job
Relationships
friend to friend; employer to employee
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Why should you care about register?
One of the most common errors learners of a
language make relates to mixing words from
different registers and other inappropriate register
choices.
Example:
Andy, that was a helluva
TOEFL class!
REGISTER

Why should we be aware of register?

 Knowledge of register is empowering because it promotes:
 Flexibility with self expression
 Ability to use language with confidence in a variety of settings (Example: in
academia)
 Language understanding and enjoyment (Example: literature, newspapers)

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 Spoken & Written Registers
Spoken registers = Formal & informal (casual,
slang) language

Written registers = Academic register; technical

register/jargon; informal written register (e-mail,
texting)
COMPARISON OF SPOKEN & WRITTEN REGISTERS

Informal or casual words Formal counterparts

(used in speech) (used in writing)
a lot many, several, numerous, a great number, a large
amount
alright acceptable
get (to obtain) obtain, find, acquire, retrieve
get (to understand) understand, comprehend
gonna I am going to
kind of/sort of somewhat, rather
let allow, permit
awesome impressive 16
 Spoken Registers

Spoken language tends to be:

• casual

• interactive

• dependent largely on who’s talking to whom and about what

• Elliptical (reduced & ‘chopped’)

 Written Registers

Written language is:

• normally more formal than spoken language

• characterized by precise, non-conversational vocabulary (example:

immense instead of big; frugal instead of cheap) and accurate grammar
use

• not supplemented with gesture, facial expression, tone of voice, and the
other ways typical of face-to-face communication
 Academic Register

Academic register is an example

of formal written registers:
• formal English that is specially suited for academic or
educational purposes (across majors)
 Academic Register
What does academic vocabulary
include?
• English words of Greek and Latin origin
• melanoma; pathology; geography
• Language needed in the classroom
• define, abbreviate, speculate, viewpoint
• Word frequency counts of academic materials –
• Academic Vocabulary List in Word and Phrase
 SPOKEN REGISTERS

Spoken registers
Formal_________________________________ Informal
Standard spoken English Casual
English
The Media
Slang
Dictionaries
Jargon
Schools
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SPOKEN REGISTERS

Spoken registers
Formal______________________________________ Informal
Is spoken faster
Uses more chatty or casual vocabulary
Uses more phrasal verbs
Contains more reduced forms
Uses more idioms
Relies on exaggeration
Contains ‘sound effects’
Uses slang and jargon 22
SPOKEN REGISTERS

Slang
Is usually associated with a
particular social, age, or
geographical group
Meanings change frequently

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SPOKEN REGISTERS

Slang
 Appears in many registers but it is most common in colloquial language
 Is often accepted in the mainstream usage of the language (Example: bike, phone)
 Gets in and out of style quickly (Example: groovy, swell, cool, awesome, sweet, tight, sick, boss)
 Some words have one meaning in general use and a very different meaning as slang (Example:
hot, bad, ass )
 Some slang expressions might be obscene and therefore socially offensive (Examples:
www.urbandictionary.com)

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 A HYBRID REGISTER?

Jargon
Jargon refers to specialized words from one field or occupation that are not easily
understood by outsiders. It confirms membership to a group.
Examples:
Business jargon
ESL teachers: input, recast, affective filter, i+1, CALL, MALL, collocations,
AWL..
Internet chat: ‘CU (See you!), 10Q (Thanks!), BBB (Bye-bye, baby!), LOL (Laugh
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out loud)’ L8r, IMHO, and more
REGISTER

To wrap it up:
 Consider register when choosing target words
 Be aware of register differences between languages
 Expect the learning of register to be an ongoing, long-lasting process
 Learn to study register independently
 Develop efficient dictionary skills

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Zimmerman 2009
REFERENCES

 Zimmerman, C. (2009). Word Knowledge. New York: OUP