In linguistics, a register is a subset of a language used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting. For example, an English speaker may adhere more closely to prescribed grammar, pronounce words ending in -ing with a velar nasal (e.g. "walking", not "walkin'") and refrain from using the word "ain't" when speaking in a formal setting, but the same person could violate all of these prescriptions in an informal setting. Linguistics is the scientific study of language, which can be theoretical or applied. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... In linguistics, prescription is the laying down or prescribing of normative rules for the use of a language. ... The velar nasal is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ... Look up aint in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The term was first used by the linguist Thomas Bertram Reid in 1956, and brought into general currency in the 1960s by a group of linguists who wanted to distinguish between variations in language according to the user (defined by variables such as social background, geography, sex and age), and variations according to use, "in the sense that each speaker has a range of varieties and chooses between them at different times" (Halliday et al, 1964). The focus is on the way language is used in particular situations, such as legalese or motherese, the language of a biology research lab, of a news report or of the bedroom. Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... Legalese is the term given to the special technical terminology of any given language (usually English) in a legal document. ... Baby talk, motherese, or child-directed speech (CDS) is a nonstandard form of speech used by adults, particularly mothers, in talking to children. ...

Halliday (1964) identifies three variables that determine register: field (the subject matter of the discourse), tenor (the participants and their relationships) and mode (the channel of communication, e.g. spoken or written). Any or all of the elements of language may vary in different registers — vocabulary, syntax, phonology, morphology, pragmatic rules or different paralinguistic features such as pitch, volume and intonation in spoken English, or size and speed of sign production in a sign language. Registers often also have non-linguistic prescriptions such as appropriate dress codes, body language, and proximity of speakers to one another. Michael Alexander Kirkwood Halliday (born 1925) is a linguist who developed an internationally influential grammar model, the systemic functional grammar (which also goes by the name of systemic functional linguistics [SFL]). In addition to English, the model has been applied to other languages, both Indo-European and non-Indo-European. ... In systemic functional linguistics, the term tenor refers to the participants in a discourse, their relationships to each other, and their purposes. ... A vocabulary is a set of words known to a person or other entity, or that are part of a specific language. ... For other uses, see Syntax (disambiguation). ... Phonology (Greek phonÄ“ = voice/sound and logos = word/speech), is a subfield of linguistics which studies the sound system of a specific language (or languages). ... For other uses, see Morphology. ... In linguistics and semiotics, pragmatics is concerned with bridging the explanatory gap between sentence meaning and speakers meaning. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Metacommunicative competence. ... Intonation, in linguistics, is the variation of pitch when speaking. ... Sign language interpreter on stage A sign language (also signed language) is a language which uses manual communication, body language and lip patterns instead of sound to convey meaning—simultaneously combining handshapes, orientation and movement of the hands, arms or body, and facial expressions to express fluidly a speakers... Clothing has various sociological functions, including: conspicuous consumption stating or claiming identity establishing, maintaining and defying sociological group norms Thus wearing specific types of clothing or the manner of wearing clothing can convey messages about class, income, belief and attitude. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Bus shelter with seats with armrests, designed to deter proximity, as well as sleeping. ...

As with other types of language variation, we tend to find register continua rather than discrete varieties — there is an endless number of registers we could identify, with no clear boundaries. Discourse categorisation is a complex problem, and even in the general definition of "register" given above (language variation defined by use not user), there are cases where other kinds of language variation, such as regional or age dialect, overlap. As a result of this complexity, there is far from consensus about the meanings of terms like "register","field" or "tenor"; different writers' definitions of these terms are often in direct contradiction of each other. Additional terms such as diatype, genre, text type, style, acrolect, mesolect and basilect among many others may be used to cover the same or similar ground. Some prefer to restrict the domain of the term "register" to a specific vocabulary (Wardhaugh, 1986) (which one might commonly call jargon), while others argue against the use of the term altogether. These various approaches with their own "register" or set of terms and meanings fall under disciplines such as sociolinguistics, stylistics, pragmatics or systemic functional grammar. A variety of a language is a form that differs from other forms of the language systematically and coherently. ... Diatype is a term first used by the linguist Michael Gregory to describe a type of language variation which is determined by its social purpose. ... Look up genre in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Stylistics is the study of style used in literary, and verbal language and the effect the writer/speaker wishes to communicate to the reader/hearer. ... An acrolect is a register of a spoken language that is considered formal and high-style. ... A mesolect is a register of spoken language whose character falls somewhere between the prestige of the acrolect and the informality of the basilect. ... In linguistics, a basilect is a dialect of speech that has diverged so far from the standard language that in essence it has become a different language. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article or section cites its sources but does not provide page references. ... In linguistics, stylistics describes the structure of word forms. ... In linguistics and semiotics, pragmatics is concerned with bridging the explanatory gap between sentence meaning and speakers meaning. ... Systemic functional grammar (SFG) is a grammar model developed by Michael Halliday. ...

Register as formality scale

One of the most analysed areas where the use of language is determined by the situation is the formality scale. Writers (especially in language teaching) have often used the term "register" as shorthand for formal/informal style, although this is an aging definition. Linguistics textbooks may use the term "tenor" instead (Halliday 1978), but increasingly prefer the term "style" — "we characterise styles as varieties of language viewed from the point of view of formality" (Trudgill, 1992) — while defining "registers" more narrowly as specialist language use related to a particular activity, such as academic jargon. There is very little agreement as to how the spectrum of formality should be divided. Language teaching has gone through an important evolution in the recent decades and many different principles have been described. ...

In one prominent model, Joos (1961) describes five styles in spoken English:

• Frozen: Printed unchanging language such as bible quotations; often contains archaisms.
• Formal: One-way participation, no interruption. Technical vocabulary; "Fussy semantics" or exact definitions are important. Includes introductions between strangers.
• Consultative: Two-way participation. Background information is provided — prior knowledge is not assumed. "Backchannel behaviour" such as "uh huh", "I see", etc. is common. Interruptions allowed.
• Casual: In-group friends and acquaintances. No background information provided. Ellipsis and slang common. Interruptions common.
• Intimate: Non-public. Intonation more important than wording or grammar. Private vocabulary.

In language, an archaism is the deliberate use of an older form that has fallen out of current use. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Ellipsis. ... Slang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speakers dialect or language. ...

See also

• Diatype and dialect — intra-speaker vs inter-speaker variation
• Sociolect — a socially defined variety of language
• Idiolect — an individual's variety of language
• Acrolect, Mesolect and Basilect — terms used to describe different "registers" in creole languages
• Diglossia — used to describe a speech community where a high-prestige language variety is strongly marked against a low-prestige variety.
• Argot — slang used by various groups to define themselves from outsiders.
• Discourse community
• Speech community
• Genre
• Universe of discourse, technical terminology and jargon — three terms for a specialised vocabulary set
• Post-creole speech continuum
• Cryptolects — "secret code" language registers or sociolects

• Leet
• Polari

• Registers:

• Christianese — a dialect, sociolect or register
• Baby talk — adults use this register with children
• Legalese — register of the legal profession
• Category:Terminology — lists of specialised vocabulary such as sports terminology and Star Trek terminology.
• Category:Slang — lists of slang terms and registers such as medical slang and gay slang.

• Stylistics
• Variety (linguistics)

Diatype is a term first used by the linguist Michael Gregory to describe a type of language variation which is determined by its social purpose. ... A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος, dialektos) is a variety of a language characteristic of a particular group of the languages speakers. ... In linguistics, a sociolect is the language spoken by a social group, social class or subculture. ... An idiolect is a variety of a language unique to an individual. ... An acrolect is a register of a spoken language that is considered formal and high-style. ... A mesolect is a register of spoken language whose character falls somewhere between the prestige of the acrolect and the informality of the basilect. ... In linguistics, a basilect is a dialect of speech that has diverged so far from the standard language that in essence it has become a different language. ... A creole language, or simply a creole, is stable language that originated from a non-trivial combination of two or more languages, typically with many features that are not inherited from any parent. ... In linguistics, diglossia is a situation where, in a given society, there are two (often) closely-related languages, one of high prestige, which is generally used by the government and in formal texts, and one of low prestige, which is usually the spoken vernacular tongue. ... Argot (French for slang) is primarily slang used by various groups, including but not limited to thieves and other criminals, to prevent outsiders from understanding their conversations. ... Discourse community is a term used in linguistics to describe the users of a particular style of language, such as an academic journal or an email list for Madonna fans (see online discourse environment). ... Speech community is a concept in sociolinguistics that describes a more or less discrete group of people who use language in a unique and mutually accepted way among themselves. ... Look up genre in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The term universe of discourse generally refers to the entire set of terms used in a specific discourse, i. ... Technical terminology is the specialised vocabulary of a profession or of some other activity to which a group of people dedicate significant parts of their lives (for instance, hobbies or a particular segment of industry). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A phase that happens to native languages in a peripheral, especially colonial society that emerge from the previous dominance of a high language imposed by the center. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with cant (language). ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Polari (or alternatively Palare, from Italian parlare, to talk) was a form of cant slang used in the gay subculture in Britain. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Baby talk, motherese, parentese, or child-directed speech (CDS) is a non-standard form of speech used by adults, particularly mothers, in talking to toddlers and infants. ... Legalese is the term given to the special technical terminology of any given language (usually English) in a legal document. ... Medical slang is the slang of doctors, nurses, paramedics and other hospital and medical staff. ... Gay slang in linguistics refers to a form of English slang used predominantly among LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people. ... In linguistics, stylistics describes the structure of word forms. ... A variety of a language is a form that differs from other forms of the language systematically and coherently. ...

References

• Halliday, M.A.K. (1964), Comparison and translation. In M.A.K. Halliday, M.McIntosh and P. Strevens, The linguistic sciences and language teaching. London: Longman.
• Halliday, M.A.K. (1978), Language as Social Semiotic: the social interpretation of language and meaning. Edward Arnold: London.
• Joos, M (1961), The Five Clocks, New York: Harcourt, Brace and World.
• Quirk, R., Greenbaum S., Leech G., and Svartvik J. (1985) A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. Longman, Harcourt.
• Reid, Thomas Bertram (1956), Linguistics, structuralism, philology, Archivum Linguisticum 8.
• Swales, J. (1990), Genre Analysis. English in Academic and Research Settings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Trosborg, A. (1997), Text Typology: Register, Genre and Text Type. In Text Typology and Translation: 3-23. (ed: Anna Trosborg), John Benjamins.
• Trudgill, P. (1992), Introducing language and society. London: Penguin.
• Wardhaugh, R. (1986), Introduction to Sociolinguistics, (2nd ed.), Cambridge: Blackwell
• Werlich, E. (1982), A Text Grammar of English. Heidelberg: Quelle & Meyer.