way2go! 7. Coursebook, Schulbuch

32 Unit 02 | It’s all relative Imagine you have to prepare a presentation on register for school. During your research, you come across the article below. Go over it quickly: Why could this be a useful source? READING 27 a How did that register? Five levels of formality in language We’ve all experienced the occasional verbal slip-up, whether we’re nervous or the words just don’t come out right. In casual speech between friends, a faux pas like that is usually laughed off and moved on from as quickly as it appeared. However, in business meetings and professional speeches, they’re a little harder to overlook. A major source of faux pas encountered in interpretation work is the tricky element of language known as ‘register’. It’s the difference between walking up to a colleague and saying “What’s up?” instead of “How are you doing?” Spoken language takes on different levels of formality depending on the social situation and the relationships between those involved. Register is the form that language takes in different circumstances, and ‘code switching’ is the ability to go from one register to another guided by context. Register is an essential social skill that provides flexibility and demonstrates competence in speech and appropriate social norms. However, even for experienced interpreters, register is difficult to master as it relies not only on the language itself but also on social customs, culture, and even personal preferences. As a relationship progresses between individuals, the register they use will usually evolve to be more informal. There are two basic forms of register: informal and formal. Contexts where one might use the informal register are with friends, family, and meeting people at casual venues, like a bar. The formal register is reserved for professional settings like classrooms, the workplace and interviews. Place isn’t the only determinant of register: Factors like how long the people have known each other, their previous relationship, if any, and their purpose in speaking to each other affect how formal or informal the speech will be. Speaking with parents and teachers would require less formal speech than at a company networking event, but more formal speech than a peer group. Linguists have actually determined that there are five different levels of formality in most languages: Register Definition Examples 1 Frozen Language that never changes Wedding vows, the wording of a law 2 Formal Standard English Speeches, language spoken in court 3 Consultative Less formal standard English Pupil to teacher, employee to employer 4 Casual Language between friends Conversation in a café, chatting on the way to school 5 Intimate Language between partners or other close family and friends Pet names, inside jokes Read the article again closely to do the tasks below. Compare your answers with a partner. 1 Explain what ‘code switching’ involves. 2 Give reasons why it is important to be able to recognise and use different registers. 3 Name some factors on which register is based. 4 Name some factors which influence the register used between two partners. What (other) examples of written texts for the five levels of formality can you think of? b c Nur zu Prüfzw cken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv