WEEK 4: register vs style, genre Flashcards
What is Register? What is it connected with? What are the types?
= Language variation based on the use
Connected with situational context and linguistic features + functional relationship between them
e.g. Language of religion, of management, newspapers…
Types - general, specialized
How did Halliday and Hassan define register?
As a model of text variation
Register is influenced according to:
1. Field - topic of language event (field of marketing,etc)
2. Tenor - formality level, social relationship btw P and R of the discourse
3. Mode - text function, channel of delivery, genre, rhetorical mode
What Field consist of?
- Setting - time, place of communication
- Communicative purposes - general, specific, factuality, expression of stance
- Topic - general, specific
What Tenor consists of?
- Participants (addressor, addressees)
- Relationship between participants (interactiveness, social roles, personal relationship, shared knowledge)
What Mode consists of?
- Channel - written, speech
- Production circumstances - real time, planned, scripted
What are Speech acts?
= an utterance is considered as an action, with regard to its intention, purpose, or effect
What are the types of speech act theory?
- Locutionary act
- meaningful utterance
- e.g. “If you release the children, we will pay you 1000 dollars” - Illocutionary act
- what is done when something is said
- intentional utterance
-e.g. offering a deal - Perlocutionary act/effect
- effect of utterance on the addressee as per the aim if the sender (persuation, angering)
- the effect of the meaningful, intentional utterance on the addressee
- e.g. The negotiator brought about the release of the children
What are the different types of speech acts (classification)? What is the act, register, genre of it?
- Representative/assertive
- act: announce, claim, predict, swear
- register + genre: science + lecture; journalism + weather forecast
“No one makes a better cake than me” - Commisive
- act: promise, offer, vow, threaten, plan
- register + genre: business + contract; conversation + promise
“I’m going to Paris tomorrow” - Directive
- act: ask, beg, recommend
- register + genre: conversation + advice giving; administration + regulation
“Could you close the window?” - Rogative
- act: question, request, suggest
- register + genre: journalism + interview; business + questionnaire - Expressive
- act: apologize, thank, regret, congratulate
- register + genre: conversation + apology; business + thank-you note
“I’m sorry that I lied to you” - Declarative/performative
- act: call, define, name, declare
- register + genre: civil service + marriage; law: action (žaloba)
“I now pronounce you husband and wife”
What is Style?
What are the 5 styles?
= typical linguistic features associated with a collection of text samples from a variety
- influenced by aesthetic preferences and attitudes about language
- exist within register or genre
5 styles:
- belles-lettres
- scientific prose
- publicistic
- newspaper
- official document
What is the difference between Register and Style?
They are the same in the way that: they analyse the use of core linguistic features that are dostributed throughout text samples from a variety
BUT
- Register is functionally motivated by situational context
- Style features rather reflect aesthetic preferences, associated w particular authors/historical period
What is Genre?
= a message type that recurs regularly in a community will tend over time to develop an identifying internal structure, differentiated from other types in the repertoire of the community
