[人文社科]Language_and_Society.pptVIP

? 2.7 Register A speech variety (style) that is appropriate for different situations (e.g. formal vs. casual). ?Different registers may be thought of as different grammars within a single person’s brain. ? Halliday’s register theory: Language varies as its function varies; it differs in different situations. There are three social variables that determine the register: field of discourse, tenor of discourse, and mode of discourse. Field of discourse （话语范围）refers to what is going on: to the area of operation of the language activity. It is concerned with the purpose and subject-matter of communication. It answers the questions of ‘why’ and ‘what’ communication takes place. Tenor of discourse（话语基调） refers to the role of relationship in the situation in question: who the participants in the communication groups are and in what relationship they stand to each other. It answers the question of ‘to whom’ the speaker is communicating. This dimension to a great extent determines the level of formality and the level of technicality of the language we use. Mode of discourse（话语方式） mainly refers to the means of communication. It is concerned with “how” communication is carried out. Fundamental to the mode of discourse is the distinction between speaking and writing. But there are finer distinctions, e.g. spoken language may be spontaneous or prepared beforehand and written language may be intended to be read with the eye or to be spoken. Example: a lecture on biology in a technical college Field: scientific (biological) Tenor: teacher - students (formal, polite) Mode: oral (academic lecturing) The three variables are the features of the context of situation which determine the features of language appropriate to the situation. 2.8 Degree of formality Language used on different occasions differs in the degree of formality, which is determined by the social variables, such as who we are talking with and what we are talking about. Formal Eng