Style and Register Done By : Razan Alhassoon Nouf Alghofili Sarah Alomar

The main topics : - Style - Factors influencing style variation - The process of speech accommodation Definition Reasons How it happens - speech divergence - Register - Style - Factors influencing style variation - The process of speech accommodation Definition Reasons How it happens - speech divergence - Register

Linguistic variation is the core of sociolinguistic research which can occur at any level of language phonologically, Syntactically and lexically. It can also be attributed to language users or uses. Moreover, linguistic variation is at the heart of the concept of style -without variation there is no basis for distinguishing social meanings. Introduction ..

 is a set of linguistic variants with specific social meanings.  Language variation according to its uses as well as its users, according to where it is used and to whom, as well as according to who is using it. Factors influencing style variation : 1-Addressee. 2-Age of addressee. 3-Social background of addressee. Style

Addressee  Addressee is the person you are talking to.  The better you know someone, the more casual and relaxed the speech style you will use to them.  People use considerably more standard forms to those they do not know well, and more vernacular forms to their friends.

For example: In a study in Northern Ireland, people used more standard English forms with an English stranger visiting their village than they did talking to a fellow villager.

The same pattern has been reported from research in a range of different places, including Sweden, Hawaii’i and Mombasa. The same pattern has been reported from research in a range of different places, including Sweden, Hawaii’i and Mombasa. So, the speaker’s relationship to the addressee is crucial in determining the appropriate style of speaking. So, the speaker’s relationship to the addressee is crucial in determining the appropriate style of speaking.

Age of addressee *The different addressees clearly influence the language used. *People generally talk differently to children and to adults. For example: When talking or writing to a 6-year-old as opposed to a 30-year-old, most people choose simpler vocabulary and grammatical construction.

Social background of addressee The influence of the addressee or audience on a speaker’s style. For example: A person may read the same news on two different stations during the same day. In this situation, newsreaders produce consistently different styles for each audience. The news is the same and the context is identical except for one factor- the addressees. So the same person reading the news on the middle-level station reads in a very much less formal style than on the higher brow radio station.

The process of speech accommodation Accommodation : It is a polite speech strategy that happens when a person’s speech converges towards the speech of the person he\she is talking to.

Reasons of speech accommodation: 1-liking. When the speakers like one another. 2-Pleasing. For example: Travel agent want to gain her customers’ orders. 3-Putting a person at ease. For example: Interviewer want to gain his\her interviewee’s cooperation. 4-Humor.

How accommodation happens in the language? 1-When people simplify their vocabulary and grammar in talking to foreigners or children. For example: In an interview with the hospital matron, a nurse adopts some of the matron’s pronunciation features. In an interview with the hospital matron, a nurse adopts some of the matron’s pronunciation features.

2-Imitation of intonation: In multilingual countries accommodation takes place by selecting the code or variety that is most comfortable for their addressees. In multilingual countries accommodation takes place by selecting the code or variety that is most comfortable for their addressees. For example: in Singapore, India, Congo and Zaire. 3-Motives for accommodation in their context: In order to secure goodwill and get a good bargain and a good sale. In order to secure goodwill and get a good bargain and a good sale.

Speech Divergence Speech Divergence It is the opposite of speech accommodation where a person no longer wishes to be seen as accommodating to the other’s speech. Speech divergence deliberately choosing a language not used by one’s addressee. Divergence doesn’t always have a negative attitude towards the addressee. divergence refers to a process in which a speaker linguistically moves in the opposite direction in order to make his/her speech sound more unlike that of the person (s) he is talking to. divergence refers to a process in which a speaker linguistically moves in the opposite direction in order to make his/her speech sound more unlike that of the person (s) he is talking to.

e.g. French opposite of western English speaking powers. Think of other situations where speech divergence happens ? How does the context determine language use ? Is the language one use inside a court room similar to that at home ?

Factors determining contextual language : 1. Context Formal Informal 2. Social Roles (relative status and solidarity )

 Example of William Labov’s study of New York speech of the distribution of the post-vocalic {r} over 5 speech styles for 4 social groups revealed interesting points about the relationships between language use, a social group membership and style.  Example of William Labov’s study of New York speech of the distribution of the post-vocalic {r} over 5 speech styles for 4 social groups revealed interesting points about the relationships between language use, a social group membership and style.

Register The term register describes the language of groups of people with common interest or jobs. Others use the term register in a narrow sense to describe the specific vocabulary associated with particular occupational groups. The term register is also associated with particular groups of people or sometimes with particular situations of use: E.g. baby talk, journalese, legalese, sports talk announcer, and airline pilots.

Sports- announcer talk For example Example to explain the term "Register" : Sports- announcer talk : when people describe a sporting events, the language they use is clearly distinguishable from language used in another contexts. The most distinguishable feature is the vocabulary. For example, here is vocabulary which is only used in cricket : Googly, off break, leg break to describe deliveries and silly mid on, square leg, the covers and gully to describe positions.

syntactic inversion The way of a sport announcer is known as play-by- play language which focuses on the action. It also characterized by telegraphic grammar which involves syntactic reduction and the inversion of normal word order in sentences. For example, the verb (be) and the subjects (he) or (it) are omitted. The omitted parts are predicted in the context so they do not affect the meaning. In syntactic inversion, the announcer focuses on the action. In such sentences the word order is not normal (Subject-Verb-Object) but rather the subject comes at the end of the sentence.

Routine and formulas is another interesting feature of sports announcer’s talk to reduce the memory burden on the speaker. Registers like hockey commentaries or need excessive oral formulas. The formulas are made up of small number of fixed syntactic patterns and a narrow range of lexical items. In this case information about the sports even is given or conveyed formulaically (in pre- determined formulas). So in horse races for example, we have a start formula, and a horse locator formula. These formulas indicate information about the start and the position of the horses. Pauses and hesitations are not acceptable in sports commentary. The commentator must sound fluent and fast. The use of formulas allows for giving information with the minimum demand on short term memory.

Give examples of terms used only in the football game ?? volume and intonation. Sports commentators must also maintain the drama of the action. That is why they use volume and intonation.