Lesson 3 VARIETIES AND REGISTERS OF SPOKEN AND WRITTEN

LANGUAGE

 Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:

 Identify the different varieties and registers of spoken and written language in the
proper context;
 Determine words and expressions that are very distinct among American, British,
and Australian English; and
 Revise sentences to make the tone conversational yet professional and eliminate
gender-biased language.

The word “register” was introduced in the field in the 1960s. It was described by
Halliday et al. (1964) as a variety according to use in the sense that each speaker has a
range of varieties and chooses between them at different times. A register is a set of
meanings that can easily become identified with particular groups. Different occupations
and activities have a variety of registers that are not typically identified with any speech
community but is tied to the communicative situation. For example, the register of a
speech in a conference for engineers has a variety of registers for accountants,
psychologists, teachers, lawyers, nurses, marketing officers, agriculturists, and others.

Register also refers to the level of formality of the speech. In a casual conversation with
friends, you will likely use more colloquialisms, contractions, and incomplete sentences
than you are talking with the dean of the college. The first is an informal register, the
second a very formal one.

Considerably, our linguistic repertoire consists of a set of linguistic varieties that we

have at our command, each of which enables us to use as dictated by the speech
community. Speakers of the same geographic location may speak the same language,
meaning they use a dialect, which is a variety according to users, in the sense that each
speaker uses variety at all times. Varieties of language are identified through certain
levels: phonological (sounds) and lexical (word) levels. For instance, Boholanos speak
the same dialect but people in each town or each barangay do not speak the same level
as to sounds and lexical meaning. Another example, in the Philippines, the word
apartment means a dwelling that is rented, but it has its similar meaning to the word flat
which is used in other countries like in Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Cambodia, and
England. The variations of terms are brought by the region or the geographic location
of speakers; hence one’s knowledge of these variations is important to foster
understanding in communication.
  Varieties of English

Varieties of English refer to the different kinds of English used around the world based
on geographical locations. Several major varieties are American, British, Australian,
New Zealand, and Black. Other varieties have already been identified like Singapore
and Philippine English which are identified as variations based on the phonological and
lexical levels of use.

The following are the major varieties of the English language which were taken from
ICALTEFL (1998).

1. American English (AmE)- It is a variant of the English language which is

spoken mainly in the United States.
2. British English (BrE)-It is a variant of the English language which is spoken
in the United Kingdom. Along with American English, British English is one of
the main variants taught in English as a second language or English as
foreign language programs.
3. Australian English (AuE)- It is another variant of the English language which
is spoken in Australia. Australian English began to diverge from the British
shortly after Australia was settled in the late 18th century.
4. New Zealand English (NZE)-It is the variant of the English language spoken
as the first language by most people in New Zealand. It is most similar to
Australian English in pronunciation, with some key differences.
5. Black English- It is called the African American Vernacular English. It is a
broad term used to refer to American English and British English as spoken
by black communities in the United States and the United Kingdom
6. Singapore English- (also called SingEng or Singlish). Singapore English is a
language variant that is considered the most popular medium of
communication in the academe.
7. Philippine English- It is another variety of English language related to
American English in terms of spelling and grammar. Besides the Filipino
language, the English language is native to the Philippines and is considered
an official language.
  Varieties of English Vocabulary

The table below shows major differences in vocabulary among the three different
varieties of English. This is a type of English variety at the lexical level, which means
that the difference lies in the vocabulary or words.

AMERICAN ENGLISH BRITISH ENGLISH AUSTRALIAN

ENGLISH

drug store/pharmacy chemist’s chemist/pharmacy

afternoon afternoon arvo

apartment flat apartment/flat

attorney barrister/solicitor lawyer

billboard hoarding billboard

Candy sweets lollies

liquor store Off-licence bottle shop

Chips crisps Chips

Stroller push-chair pusher

New Zealand English, Black English, Singapore English, and Philippine English have
also their main lists of vocabulary unique in the country. Some of these words and their
meanings are given below.

New Zealand English:

New Zealand Word Meaning

chunder vomit

Crook sick or ill

footpath sidewalk or pavement

Footy football

Lolly candy
Smoko rest break during work

Wagon car

Waka any kind of vehicle or any means of transport

Scarfie a university student

Manus a derogatory term meaning idiot or imbecile

Black English

Black English Meaning

Word

Bogus fake

Cat a friend or a fellow

bad-eye nasty look

big eye greedy

Buckra white man

Hip knowledgeable

homies close friends

goober peanut

Whities white people

Bae an abbreviation of the word “babe” and means

significant other

Singapore English:

Singapore Meaning
English Word

Shiok similar to “cool” or “great”

hawker centre a food market at which vendors sell cooked food from
small stalls, with shared seating areas for customers
 Blur slow in understanding; unaware, ignorant, confused

Paiseh embarrassed or shy

Obiang ugly

Terok troublesome or difficult

Yaya boastful or arrogant

Havoc wild and uncontrollable

Kiasu someone selfish and trying to get ahead of others

Philippine English:

Philippine Meaning
English Word

Holdup A forcible robbing of a person

Nose bleed Overwhelmed by having to speak or think too much in

English

gimmick A night out with friends

frigidaire Means refrigerator

Live-in An unmarried couple living together

overpass A bridge used to get to the other side of the street

Carnap To steal a car

brownout Similar to blackout, complete failure of electrical power

Bad shot To express frustration

bedspace A limited space rented for use by bed spacers

  Varieties of English Spelling

In terms of spelling, British English and American English have a few rules which cover
the majority of spelling differences in terms of usage. Writers, however, must observe
consistency whenever they write. If you want to use American English, you are required
to use the variant consistently. Hence, consistency of use in all aspects: pronunciation,
grammar, vocabulary, and spelling should be upheld for effective communication. The
following are some guides to achieve efficiency in spelling in American English and
British English.

American English British English

favor favour

behavior behaviour

labor labour

honor honour

color colour

center centre

theater theatre

fiber fibre

maneuver manoeuvre

liter litre

advice advise

defense defence

offense offence

pretense pretence

criticize criticise

organize organise

realize realise

centralize centralise
 analyze analyse

catalogue catalog

dialogue dialog

analogue analog

monologue monolog

dreamed dreamt

leaped leapt

learned learnt

 Forms of Language Register

Language register is the level and style of your writing, and it should be appropriate to
the situation you are in. It determines the vocabulary, structure, and grammar of your
writing. The three most common language registers in writing are provided in this
section.

1. Formal Register. This form of language register is most appropriate in

professional and business writing. It entails the use of formal writing which
seems to be the most difficult type of writing. Formal writing includes business
letters, business reports, announcements, some essays, official speeches,
professional emails.

Rules of Formal Language Register

a. Do not use contractions.

b. Spell out numbers less than ten.
c. Write in the third-person point of view.
d. Avoid using too much passive voice.
e. Avoid using slang, idioms, exaggeration, and clichés.
f. Avoid abbreviations and acronyms.
g. Do not begin a sentence with words like and, so, but, also.
h. Always write in complete sentences.
i. Observe the economy in writing. Longer and complex sentences are
acceptable as long as they do not become wordy. Write using simple but
substantial and meaningful sentences.
 2. Informal Language Register. Informal writing is written in the way we talk to
our friends and family. This form is used when writing to someone you know
very well. It includes personal emails, short notes, most blogs, phone texts,
friendly letters, diaries, and journals.
There are no rules in informal writing. The rules mentioned in the formal
register can be used in the informal language register.

3. Neutral Register. Some writings are written in a neutral language, which

means that they are not specifically formal or informal, positive, or negative.
The neutral language register is used with non-emotional topics and
information. It includes reviews, some letters, technical writing, articles, some
essays, and some reports.

 Bias-Free Language

Whenever we communicate, our language should be sensitive and bias-free. This is

one way of adapting a message to its audience. Sometimes communicators become
offensive maybe because the words that they used were not thought of carefully before
their production. Therefore, we should be careful about the words we say that might be
biased regarding gender, race, ethnicity, age, and disability.

1. Avoiding Gender Bias. Sexist or gender-bias language oftentimes abounds in

our speeches or writings. This kind of language should be avoided. You can
defuse gender-bias language by replacing words that exclude stereotyping. It
would be better if you will find a little effort and construct your sentence in a
manner that is graceful, grammatical, and unself-conscious.

Examples:

Gender Biased Improved

female dentist, media man dentist, media representative
chairman chairperson
businessman, salesman businessperson, sales representative
manpower workforce, labor
man-made synthetic, artificial
office girls office workers
foreman, flagman, workman lead worker, flagger, worker
average housewife average homemaker
When a teacher talks, he When teachers talk, they must….
must
 Each contributor must submit Each contributor must submit an
his abstract by March. abstract by March.

2. Avoiding Racial and Ethnic Bias. Racial and or ethnic identification should only
be indicated if the context demands it. Ethnic and racial insults are unacceptable
in professional writing. However, less and clear-cut labels are most acceptable
for identifying specific ethnic and racial groups.

Examples:

Racially or Ethnically Biased Improved

A negro lawyer won the case. The Black American lawyer won the
case
An Asian writer was hired. A writer was hired.
Jona Chan, an African American, was Jona Chan was interviewed.
interviewed.

3. Avoiding Age Bias. Age should only be specified if it is relevant. Avoid

expressions that are demeaning or subjective.

Age Biased Improved

The senior citizens are to be
helped.
Architect Roby Tan, 65, was a
loyalty awardee.
The weak, old woman sat on a
rocking chair.
People over 59 should be helped.
Architect Roby Tan was a loyalty
awardee.
The woman sat on a rocking chair.

4. Avoiding Disability Bias. Do not refer to an individual’s disability unless

relevant. The APA Manual of Style also recommends using emotionally neutral
expressions when describing people with disabilities such as:

Disability Biased Improved

an AIDS victim person with AIDS
the schizophrenics people diagnosed with schizophrenia
confined to a wheelchair uses a wheelchair

 Achieving an Appropriate Level of Diction

The tone of the language is necessary for communicating in the workplace. Nowadays,
most instant messages (IM), email messages, business correspondence, and report
conversations are more effective when they convey an informal or conversational tone
instead of a formal, imposing tone. The use of IM in the workplace has been accepted
by many companies as a serious workplace tool. IM and email have been constantly
used which developed major problems in professionals’ levels of diction. Sloppy,
unprofessional expressions (e.g., totally awesome, you know, kind of, I know, right?) as
well as needless abbreviations such as FYI and BTW. Workplace messages should not
be so casual that they sound love-level and unprofessional. Your goal is to write using a
warm, friendly tone that sounds conversational but professional. Study the examples
taken from Guffey (2008).

LEVELS OF DICTION

Unprofessional (Low- Conversational (Mid- Formal (High-level Diction)

level Diction) level Diction)

Badmouth Criticize Denigrate

Guts Nerve Courage

Pecking order Line of command Dominance hierarchy

Ticked off Upset Provoked

Rat on Inform Betray

Rip off Steal Expropriate

360-degree thinking Think creatively Explore ideas effectively and

critically

Low-hanging fruit Easily achievable targets Goals that require less effort

SENTENCE EXAMPLES

If we just hang in there, If we don’t get If the principals preserve,

we can snag the discouraged, we can they can secure the contract.
contract. win the contract.

I’d like to air some I have some things I’d We must discuss the action
things like to talk about. points.

Politics wasn’t even on I didn’t think of politics A career in politics was not
my radar way back. at that point. considered before.
Some writers are too casual, others are overly formal; hence, they impress their readers
by using jargon, hifalutin words, long sentences, and third-person constructions. Avoid
expressions that are unprofessional and overly formal. Improve your sentences by using
a conversational but professional tone. Study the following examples to see how to
achieve this tone of language.

UNPROFESSIONAL IMPROVED

Hey, friendship, the figures in your It seems that your report does not
report are 100 % questionable. Send provide accurate data. Please,
orig stats. provide source statistics.

Lodi, got some chikas about your Congratulations on a very successful

presentation. Congrats!!! presentation, Mr. Rubio informed me
about it.

FYI, free miscellaneous now It is my pleasure to inform you that

approved. Inform studs ASAP. free miscellaneous has been
approved. Please disseminate the
information to our students.

OVERLY FORMAL CONVERSATIONAL

All nurses on duty are herewith Please check the patient’s medical
instructed to pay strict attention to the clearance.
medical clearance of patients who
have significant medical conditions.

Prior to the approval of your request, We will schedule a committee

we must set a meeting first with the meeting before deciding on your
project committee so the request.
administration could study possible
consequences that would deter the
company’s operation.

Pertaining to your project contract, The client is requesting you to

the client discovered some vague improve the language of your
statements that require contract.
reconstructions of its sentences.

 Using correct Diction

To understand your message in writing, it is necessary to use the appropriate or exact
word. This is known as precise diction, in contrast to imprecise or inexact diction. One
possible source of inexact diction is the similarity of pronunciation and spelling of words
or expressions like maybe vs. may be, awhile vs. a while, adapt vs. adopt. This problem
can be addressed by understanding the usage of a word, especially if there is another
word that sounds or is spelled like it. Additionally, your choice of word may be colloquial
or formal, standard, or non-standard. Colloquial words are those that are only
permissible in spoken language. Formal words are used in formal or scholarly writing
although it is no less considered Standard English, which is accepted as the correct
form of English and is used in formal speaking or writing. Non-standard English, on the
other hand, is a form of English that does not conform to the correctness or rules of the
English language. It should not be used in writing because it reflects illiteracy or an
uneducated form of writing. Meanwhile, the use of formal and Standard English also
reflects a particular register or style of speaking and writing.