Register (linguistics)

A register, in linguistics, is the way people use different words, spelling or grammar—talk or write differently—to different people, in different situations. They might be more polite to strangers, for example. Or they will be more respectful to their boss at work.

+Formality scale Very formal ← FORMAL      Normal      INFORMAL →  Very informal+This diagram is from Quirk et al. (1985), who use the term attitude rather than style or register.
This chart shows the words or phrases that one would use depending on different registers:
RegisterPhraseVery informal"Ey!" or "Yo!" or "Wassup!"Informal"Hey!" or "Hi!"Formal"Hello!"Very formal"Good morning/afternoon/evening!"

Related pages
 Diglossia

Category:Linguistics