Language Varieties and Registers

Introduction to Language Varieties and Registers

• Language varieties are linked to the context in which they are used.
• Registers are language varieties based on the specialty of language use.
• Registers are vocabulary sets tied to specific occupational or social groups.
• One person can be proficient in multiple registers.

Learning Content

• Varieties of English
• Language Registers

Learning Outcomes

• Understand English varieties in Asian contexts.
• Discuss the importance of English varieties in oral and written communication.
• Identify grammatical, lexical, and syntactic features of post-colonial English in Asia.
• Distinguish the lexicon of some Asian English varieties.
• Demonstrate knowledge of English registers in spoken and written language.
• Use appropriate registers, and cope with communication breakdowns.

Varieties of English

• Communication is diverse due to different backgrounds and identities of communicators.
• Dapat and Chang (2018) explained terms about cultural relevance.
• Multicultural refers to a society with different cultural or ethnic groups that do not interact.
• Cross-cultural communication acknowledges cultural differences, potentially leading to individual change while one culture is often considered "the norm".
• Intercultural communication involves deep understanding and respect for all cultures, encouraging mutual exchange and growth.
• Cotton (2013) identified cultural factors of communicators in multicultural settings.
• Mother tongue is the basis for initial thoughts, behaviors, and communication, while secondary languages have less influence unless predominant.
• Race influences perspectives on cultural characteristics and perceptions, with racial equality increasing.
• Ethnicity involves varying preferences within a race due to life experiences.
• Gender affects how individuals are viewed across cultures, impacted by varying gender equality.
• Local culture combines home life, environment, and community influences, establishing cultural beliefs and values.
• Religion is a dominant cultural factor connected to a culture's history, influencing judgment between cultures.
• Regional attire differs due to industry, climate, and cultural preferences.
• Ancestry, parents, and families form the foundation of a person's roots and impact communication.
• Teachers influence beliefs and values, especially in career and personal decisions.
• Friends impact behavior and decision-making.
• Neighborhood influences a person within their community, implying status, class, or ethnicity.
• Education supersedes old cultural factors.
• Profession contributes significantly to the development of other cultural factors.
• Life experiences alter perspectives on people, cultures, and comfort levels.
• Politics impact the global perspective, with leaders' decisions causing diverse reactions.
• Physical features influence self-confidence and relationships.
• Media is significant in altering values and culture.

World Englishes

• Language is dynamic, evolving with environment, technology and people.
• English remains international, with variations beyond two types; glocalization recognizes local influences.
• World Englishes (WE) are localized English varieties.
• Kachru (1982) described the concept of World Englishes in three concentric circles:
  • Inner circle: traditional bases of English, native language countries (UK, USA, etc.)
  • Outer circle: diverse large speech communities (Singapore, Philippines, India, etc.)
  • Expanding circle: countries where English is a foreign language (China, Japan, Egypt, etc.)
• Outer and Expanding Circles are ESL and EFL-speaking with post-colonial influences.
• Linguistic and cultural backgrounds vary, making intercultural communication significant.

Philippine English

• The Philippines is globally recognized as one of the best users of the English language.
• Philippine English is a distinct variation with a localized accent, vocabulary, and creative writing.
• Features of Philippine English are legitimate and used in science, technology, and other domains.
• Philippine English shares some linguistic properties with other Asian Englishes, but has unique features.

Linguistic Features of Philippine English

• Phonological features:
  • Devoicing of sibilant consonants: beige, pleasure, seize, bees, cities (articulated as [s]).
  • Rendering "th" as [t], [d]: this [dis], thin [tin].
  • A-loss of distinction between long and short vowels: sheep/ship, full/fool, boat/bought.
  • Reduced vowel inventory, compared with American English.
• Lexical features:
  • Borrowed vocabulary from Spanish: despedida, estafa, scandal, querida.
  • Borrowed vocabulary from Tagalog.
  • Loan translations: "open/close the light/radio," "joke only," "you don't only know."
  • Local coinages: carnap, highblood, hold-upper, topnotcher.
  • Archaic American English: comfort room (CR), solon, viand.

Varieties of Philippine English

• Acrolectal: Associated with academics, bilinguals, and English majors.
• Mesolectal: Spoken by non-English major professionals, with a noticeable accent.
• Basilectal: Differs significantly in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar; characterized by copula and do-deletion, slang, and colloquialisms.

Developing Intercultural Competence

• Communication helps people understand changes and varieties.

• Communicative strategies include negotiated skills and repertoire.

• Intercultural competence is the ability to communicate across different English varieties (Ahn, 2017, in Dapat & Chang, 2018).

• Houghton (in Dapat & Chang, 2018) described features that World Englishes and intercultural competence share:

  • Skills in interpreting, relating, discovery, and interaction.
  • Addressing prejudice toward language varieties.
  • Promoting equality and democratic participation regardless of language.

• Myles (2019) says that communicators need to improve attributes to develop intercultural competence:

  • Respect for other cultures, worldviews and communication styles.
  • Understanding of behaviors, customs, and ways of thinking.
  • Ability to accept different behaviors and ideas without judgment.
  • Awareness of subjective behaviors and unbiased responses.
  • Willingness to adapt and be open.

Language Registers

• A language register is a language variety used in a particular social setting.
• Language register is a level of formality with tenor, tone or style.
• Language register should be distinguished from regional or age dialects.
• Language register should be distinguished from jargon, which is technical terms used by a specific group of people.
• Five language registers exist, each used based on the audience.
• The five language registers are static or frozen, formal, consultative, casual, and intimate.

Language Registers

• Static or Frozen: Rarely changes; learned and repeated by rote (prayers, laws)
• Formal: Impersonal, prescriptive format (speeches, academic writing)
• Consultative: Professional discourse, mutually accepted structure (doctor-patient, teacher-student)
• Casual: Conversational, informal "group" language (friends)
• Intimate: Private communication (family members, partners)
• Skipping levels is usually inappropriate.

Language Registers in Writing

• Formal: Professional writing, business (objective, no contractions)
  • Spell out numbers less than one hundred.
  • Use third-person point of view
  • Use active voice
  • Avoid slang, idioms and clichés.
  • Spell out acronyms first, abbreviate later.
  • Use transition words
• Informal: Conversational with friends (personal emails, blogs)
• Neutral: Non-emotional, factual (technical writing)
• Formal and informal registers may sometimes be mixed in writing.