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Language Varieties

The document outlines various language varieties, including pidgin, creole, regional dialects, minority dialects, and indigenized varieties, explaining their characteristics and contexts of use. It also discusses language registers, which are determined by social occasion, context, purpose, and audience, categorizing them into five types: frozen, formal, consultative, casual, and intimate. The content emphasizes the importance of adopting cultural and intercultural awareness in communication.

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joannamarie.puruganan
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2 views

Language Varieties

The document outlines various language varieties, including pidgin, creole, regional dialects, minority dialects, and indigenized varieties, explaining their characteristics and contexts of use. It also discusses language registers, which are determined by social occasion, context, purpose, and audience, categorizing them into five types: frozen, formal, consultative, casual, and intimate. The content emphasizes the importance of adopting cultural and intercultural awareness in communication.

Uploaded by

joannamarie.puruganan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Laoag City, Ilocos Norte

UNIT IV: VARIETIES OF SPOKEN AND WRITTEN


LANGUAGE
At the end of this unit topic, you will be able to:
a. identify the different language varieties;
b. identify the different language register;
c. identify the different types of language register; and
d. adopt cultural and intercultural awareness and
sensitivity in communication of ideas.

expl re!
LANGUAGE VARIETIES

1. Pidgin

- It is a new language which develops in situations where speakers of different


languages need to communicate but don‟t share a common language.
- The vocabulary of a pidgin comes mainly from one particular language (called
the „lexifier‟).
- An early pre-pidgin is quite restricted in use and variable in structure. But the
later stable pidgin develops its own grammatical rules which are quite
different those of the lexifier. Once a stable pidgin has emerged, it is generally
learned as a second language and used for communication among people who
speak different language.

2. Creole
- When children start learning a pidgin as their first language and it becomes the
mother tongue of a community, it is called creole.
- Like a pidgin, a creole is a distinct language which has taken most of its
vocabulary from another language, but has its own unique grammatical rules.
- Unlike pidgin, however, a creole is not restricted in use, and is like any other
language in its full range of functions.

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Laoag City, Ilocos Norte

3. Regional Dialect
- It is not a distinct language but a variety of language spoken in a particular
area of a country.
- Some have been given traditional names which mark them out as being
significantly different from standard varieties spoken in the same place.

4. Minority Dialect
- It is created when members of a particular minority ethnic group have their
own variety which they use as a marker of identity, usually alongside a
standard variety
- example: African American Vernacular English in the USA, London Jamaican
in Britain, and Aboriginal English in Australia

5. Indigenized Varieties
- They are spoken mainly as second languages in ex-colonies with multilingual
populations.
- example: “Singlish” (spoken in Singapore) is a variety very different from
standard English, and there are many other varieties of English used in India.

EXPLAIN!

LANGUAGE REGISTERS

Language register is the level and style of one‟s writing. It should be


appropriate for the situation one is in.

Registers are determined by such factors as social occasion, context, purpose


and audience. They are marked by a variety of specialized vocabulary and turns of
phrases, colloquialisms and the use of jargons, and a difference in intonation and
pace.

The language register determines the vocabulary, structure, and some


grammar in one‟s writing and even in one‟s oral discourse.

Registers are used in all forms of communication, including written, spoken


and signed. Depending on grammar, syntax, and tone, the register may be extremely
rigid or very intimate. (Nordquist, 2018).

Some linguists say there are just two types of registers: formal and informal.
This is not incorrect, but Nordquist (2018) considers this is an oversimplification.
Instead, most who study language say there are five distinct registers:

ENGL 101 PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Page 2 of 4


Laoag City, Ilocos Norte

1. FROZEN (Static Register)

- This refers to historic language or communication that is intended to remain


unchanged.
- This style of communication RARELY or NEVER changes.
- It is “frozen” in time and content.
- example: the Preamble to the US Constitution, The Bible, the Lord‟s Prayer,
Laws

2. FORMAL REGISTERS

- This language is used in formal settings. This use of language usually follows
a commonly accepted format
- Used in professional, academic or legal settings where communication is
expected to be respectful, uninterrupted, and restrained
- Slang is never used, and contractions are rare
- example: a TED talk, a business presentation, the Encyclopedia Brittanica,
Speeches

3. CONSULTATIVE REGISTER

- This is a standard form of communication.


- People use this register often in conversation when they are speaking with
someone who has specialized knowledge or who is offering advice.
- Tone is often respectful, but may be more casual if the relationship is
longstanding or friendly.
- Slang is sometimes used.
- People may pause or interrupt one another.
- example: the local TV news broadcast, doctor and patient, lawyer and client,
teacher and student, counselor and client, when strangers meet

4. CASUAL

- This is informal language used by peers, friends, co-workers, and family.


- It is probably the one you think of when you consider how you talk with other
people, often in a group setting.
- Use of slang, contractions, and vernacular grammar is all common, and people
may also use expletives or off-color language in some settings,
- example: chats and emails, blogs, vlogs, letter to friends

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Laoag City, Ilocos Norte

5. INTIMATE

- Linguists say this register is for special occasions, usually between two people
and often in private
- Intimate language may be something as simple as an inside joke between two
college friends or a word whispered in a lover‟s ear
- example: boyfriend and girlfriend, husband and wife, parent and children

ENGL 101 PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION Page 4 of 4

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