Brief Definition of Style According to Janet Holmes
- Style is language variation which reflects changes in situational factors, such as addressee, setting, task or topic.
- Style is often analyzed along a scale of formality.
- The level of formality is influenced by some factors like the various differences among the participants, topic, emotional involvement, etc.
Addressee as an
Influence on Style
•
Age of
addressee è
People generally talk to the very young and to the very old è For example: Baby-talk
•
Social
background of addressee è
People talk differently to the higher class and to the lower class è For example: The
pronunciation of newsreaders on different radio station
(Janet Holmes, 2001)
Some Examples of Context, Style and Class
•
Formal
contexts and social roles
•
Different
style within an interview
•
Colloquial
style or the vernacular
•
The
interaction of social class and style
Brief Explanations of Register According to Janet Holmes
l
Registers
are specific sets of vocabulary items associated with different occupational
group or the language of groups of people with common interests or jobs.
l
For
example: the language used by airplane pilots, surgeons, bank managers, jazz
fans, commentators, etc.
Short Definition of Slang According to Contemporary Linguistics 1997
•
Slang is
a label that is frequently used to denote certain informal or faddish usages of
nearly anyone in the speech community
•
Slang is
special vocabulary used by any set of persons of a low or disreputable
character; language of a low and vulgar type (Oxford Dictionary).
•
Nowadays,
slang is often applied to aspects of the language of adolescents or others who
are perceived as speaking non-standard varieties of the language.
•
Slang
exist alongside jargon and argot
•
The use
of slang plays a major role in the maintenance of the gang’s group identity.
•
It
separates the in-group, who use the slang, from the rest of society who do not
and are not part of the gang.
•
For
example: Glasgow slang, American university (UCLA) slang, etc.
•
Slang is
area of vocabulary which reflects a person’s age.
•
Current
slang is the linguistic prerogative of young people and generally sounds odd in
the mouth of an older person.
•
It
signals membership of a particular group – the young.
•
For
example: spiffing, topping, super, groovy, fab, etc.
The Examples of Glasgow Slang
Jargon and Argot Based on Contemporary Linguistics, 1997
•
It is a
label for speech varieties associated with social groups whose members wish or
must conceal themselves or some aspects of their communication from
non-members.
•
Jargon
or argot is restricted to a smaller number and is more obscure to outsiders
than slang.
•
It is a
label for speech varieties associated with social groups whose members wish or
must conceal themselves or some aspects of their communication from
non-members.
•
Jargon
or argot is restricted to a smaller number and is more obscure to outsiders
than slang.
The Examples of Jargon and Argot
•
Cockney
rhyming slang è English argot used among navies in London’s East End in the 19th
century (bees & honey è money, merry-go-round èpound sterling)
•
Gay
lingo è used among homosexual co.
•
Hacker
jargon (freeware, happiware, etc.)
•
Cyberspace
jargon (www, mailing list, e-mail, etc.).
Reference: Contemporary Linguistics, 1997: 558-561
