STYLES AND REGISTERS

Style
1. The Definition of Style
According to Janet Holmes, 2001 the definitions of style are:
a. Style is language variation which reflects changes in situational factors, such as addressee,
setting, task or topic.
b. Style is often analyzed along scale of formality.
c. The level of formality is influenced by some factors like the various differences among the
participants, topic, emotional, involvement, etc.
Wolfram & Schilling-Estes (1998:214) define language style quite similarly, as "variation in
the speech of individual speakers".
Bell (1997:240) is somewhat clearer in emphasizing the linguistic lements:
style is "the range of variation within the speech of an individual speaker".
By these statement above, so we can conclude that style is the varians in the speech whithin
the speech or form of the language used for the same purpose under certain circumstances
2. The function of style
This sociolinguistic tradition of investigating style as an aspect of symbolic speech variation
differs from that of anthropological linguistics or ethnography of communication, which
primarily focuses on ways of speaking including styles and registers as expressing
particular social functions, events, or relationships (though it also includes careful linguistic
description).
An important movement in sociolinguistics in recent years has been the merging of
variationist analysis with such an ethnographic conception. In the case of style, a group led
by Penny Eckert (the California Style Collective) at Stanford led the way with a paper in
1993. They discard a purely-linguistic definition or identification procedure for style, and
instead crucially emphasize the role of social function and practices. This is also linked
with a focus on style as collective and dialectic, rather than stressing its individual, intraspeaker and static nature.
3. Addressee as an influence on style
a. Age of addressee
People generally talk to very young and to the very old.
b. Social background of addressee
People talk differently to the higher class and to the lower class.
STYLE IN NON WESTERN SOCIETIES
JAPANESE
JAPANESE speakers assess their status in relation to their addresses on the basis of such
factors as family background, gender and age as well as formality in context.
JAVANESE

Selecting appropriate level of javanese as interaction is influenced by degree of friendship,

relative status like age, wealth, descent, education and occupation

JAVANESE LANGUAGE
(a) sakai-ga watashi ni chizu-o kai-te- kure-ta.
subject me marker

(pastform tense)

Sakai drew a map for me.

(a) Sakai-senpai-ga watashi ni chizu-o kai-te kure-mashi-ta
Respect sub me marker (polite past form tense)
Mr. Sakai drew a map for me.

JAVANESE LANGUAGE
3a.Menapa nandalem mundhut sekul semanten? (high)

krama inggil

3.Menapa panjenengan mendhet sekul semanten? (high)

2.Napa sampeyan mendhet sekul semonten? (high)
1a.Napa sampeyan njupuk sega semonten? (high)
1b.Apa sliramu mundhut sega semono?
(high)
1.Apa kowe njupuk sega semono? (LOW)
DID YOU TAKE THAT MUCH RICE?

Register
Register is the language used at any given moment; and depend on: what do you do, by
whom and by what means. Register indicates the type of social process is going on.
Registers can simply be described as variations of the language according to its use, while the
dialect as a language variation based on users registers on this concept is not limited to the
choice of words (such as the notion registers in the traditional theory) but also includes the
choice of the use of text structure, and texture: cohesion and teksikogramatical , as well as

phonology or graphology choice. Because the register covers all aspects of language or
linguistic choices, many linguists refer to registers as a style or a style of language.
Variations in language choice of the register depend on the context of the situation, which
includes three variables: field (domain), tenor (context) and mode (infrastructure) which
works simultaneously to form a configuration or configures contextual meaning.
1. How to study Register
In their book Sociolinguistic Perspectives on Register, Douglas Biber and Edward Finegan
provide an analytic framework to follow when studying register. Biber begins with his
definition of register as being a general cover term for all language varieties associated with
different situations and purposes . The framework should include and distinguish between
characteristics of linguistic and non-linguistic factors and should use these differences for a
classification of register.
In The communicative characteristics of participants involved in the situation taking place
must be taken into consideration, beginning with the addressor(s), which can be the writer or
speaker. This will be a singular person; several people, as in a co-authored work; or
institutional, as in departmental or government document. The addressee(s) will be singular,
as in a dyadic conversation or a letter; plural, as in a classroom; or unremunerated, such as in
a novel or a magazine. Next, we must examine the relations between the addressor and
addressee, taking into account the social role each participant maintains. Age, occupation, and
shared knowledge, whether on the topic and/or personal background, all play important parts
in determining this relationship. In regards to relative status and power, it is necessary to
determine which one has the most power or if they share an equal status.
When and where the communication takes place is referred to as setting. Biber identifies
settings with a particular context of use or domain. He distinguishes six primary domains:
Business and workplace, education and academic, government and legal, religious, art and
entertainment and domestic/personal (43). Within each of these areas, there exists a public
and a private setting. Technology such as TV, radio, or any type of mass media can be used
to represent or present these domains. It must be taken into account that a difference among
registers may arise when the time of communication and place are shared, as in direct
conversation in the presence of each other. Participants can share time and be familiar with,
but not actually share place, as in a telephone conversation.
And also, how the addressor presents the information and how the addressee receives it
should also be considered. Another factor important in differentiating among registers is the
different purposes, intents, and goals of the addressor. At one extreme are registers that
attempt to explain or describe facts. At the other end of the spectrum are registers that are
completely fictional or overtly imaginative. Between these two extremes are a variety of
registers such as position papers, historical fiction, editorials, philosophical arguments, and
theoretical position papers. As for purpose, Biber characterizes it along four parameters:
persuade (or sell), transfer information, entertain (or edify), and reveal self".

Lastly, the topic or subject being discussed--whether popular, generalized, or specialized-needs to be considered. If the subject is specialized, it must be noted accordingly, examples
being science, finances, politics, sports, and law.

2. Some Types of Registers

Formal Register: A type of register that incorporates Standard American English and
is used by professionals or in situations where people are not familiar with one
another.

Informal Register: A type of register used with more familiar people in casual
conversation. In the informal style of register, contractions are used more often, rules
of negation and agreement may be altered, and slang or colloquialisms may be used.
Informal register also permits certain abbreviations and deletions, but they are rule
governed. For example, deleting the "you" subject and the auxiliary often shorten
questions. Instead of asking, "Are you running in the marathon," a person might ask,
"Running the marathon?"

Over-formal Register: A type of register that can be characterized by the use of a

false high-pitched nasal voice. For example, a woman might approach another
woman whom she does not really like and ask her cordially in a high-pitched voice,
"How are you doing?"

Motherese: A type of register characterized by high-pitched, elongated sounds and

"sing-song" intonation. It is used when people speak to infants, young children, or
pets.

Reporting Register: A type of register characterized by easily observable verbal and

non-verbal cues: flat intonation, rapid rate of speech, relatively low pitch, absence of
marked facial expressions, and gestures.