Register and Style

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Register and Style
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Register Style

• Register Language choices based on the
  situation, the information being communicated,
  and the target audience.
• There are linguistic similarities within and
  across media.
• Certain restrictions particular to the media, and
  style rules to be followed.
• Most people can alter their register (level of
  formality) depending on to whom they are
  communicating.

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Register Style

• Various media formats (and genres within each
  format) have their own register and style.
• Factors include nature of sender, purpose, and
  audience.
• Register and style are an integral part of
  genres!
• How does this help us to critically approach the
  communicative act?

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Being Critical

• Pay attention to the choice of vocabulary, tone,
  emphasis, and other elements that reveal register
  and style.
• A discerning audience can use this to read
  beneath the words and between the lines.
• If someone speaks to you as they would to a
  5-year-old, it implies is condescension towards
  you.

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Dialect, Jargon, Pronunciation

• Each plays an important role in register and/or
  style.
• Help to develop genre and set audience
  expectations for the content.
• There is a variety within a genre, but an
  overarching theme.
• E.g News reporters have neutral accents,
  exceedingly clear pronunciation, formal register
  but not highbrow vocabulary.