VARIETIES AND

REGISTERS OF
SPOKEN AND
WRITTEN
LANGUAGE
Language
The method of human
communication, either spoken
or written, consisting of the use
of words in a structured and
conventional way.
Spoken Language
- A language
produced by
articulate sounds, as
opposed to a written
language
Written Language

- Is the representation
of a spoken or gestural
language by means of a
writing system.
Language Varieties
In Sociolinguistics, language
variety is also called LECT –
is a general term for any
distinctive form of a
language or linguistic
expression.
A. Standard Language or
Standard Variety
may be defined either as a language variety
used by a population for public purposes or
as a variety that has undergone
standardization.

Examples: English, French, German,

Korean, Chinese, Filipino,
Spanish, Armenian
B. Dialect
is a regional or social variety of
a language distinguished by
pronunciation, grammar,
and/or vocabulary.
Types of Lects
1.Regional Dialect- a variety spoken in
a particular region.
2.Ethnolect- A lect spoken by a specific
ethnic group.
Ex. Ebonics, the vernacular spoken
by some African-Americans.
3. Sociolect- Also known as a social dialect, a
variety of language used by a socioeconomic
class, a profession, an age , group, or any other
social group.
4. Idiolect- the language or languages spoken
by each individual.
Ex. If you are multilingual and can speak in
different registers and styles, your idiolect
comprises several languages, each with
multiple registers and styles.
Language Registers
What is a Register?
According to Nordquist (2018), a register is:
- the way a speaker uses language differently
in different circumstances
- determined by factors as social occasion,
context, purpose, and audience
- determined by the vocabulary, structure, and
some grammar in one’s writing and even in one’s
oral discourse
 5 Language Registers

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and
God Bless!!!