Language Registers/ Registers of English

When it comes to language variation, the terms genre, register and style are often
encountered.

• Style – refers to the degree of formality attached to a particular interpersonal social

situation which is reflected by differences in language
o Example:
The kind of language used while talking to a friend will differ noticeably from
that used in addressing a superior

• Register – Refers to the formality of language which one speaks. It is understood as the
context-specific variety of language to which the field-mode-tenor framework is
important.
o Field – analyzed in terms of the social setting ad the communicative purpose in
which the text is produced.
o Tenor – may be described in terms of the roles required of the writers and
readers including the cultural values shared by both.
o Mode – could be explained in light of the knowledge of other texts required of
speakers/listeners and writers/readers as regards the genre including the formal
text features.