what is 'politeness' and how can we teach it?

In language, there is something called 'pragmatics' - which looks at how we put across the right message:

Jay Doubleyou: pragmatics: it ain't what you say it's the way that you say it

And there is something called 'register' - which provides the tools of putting across the right message:

Jay Doubleyou: writing with register: a lesson in using different levels of 'politeness'

Here's a good set of divisions: 

Pragmatics as the study of how language is used in social contexts and how people understand meaning through language.

Five language registers from most to least formal: frozen/static, formal, consultative, casual, and intimate. Each register is defined by its appropriate audience, topic, location, and purpose.

Pragmatics and Language Registers | PDF | Semiotics | Grammar

Becci Knowles of Trinity College looks at 'politeness' - as covered in the EL Gazette:

What’s the point of polite-isms?

Trinity College London reveals the gap between recognising the importance of politeness strategies and implementing them in classroom settings.

A new survey has uncovered significant challenges in teaching politeness strategies to English language learners, with 52% of teachers reporting that students find these crucial communication skills “difficult to use in real-time conversation”.

Recently, Trinity College London released new research exploring the role of ‘polite-isms’ in British English – those indirect expressions used to soften requests, avoid conflict, and navigate social interactions. The story was widely covered by British media including The Times, Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail.

To follow up this study, in March Trinity carried out complementary research of 400 EFL teachers, which highlights an implementation gap between recognising the importance of politeness strategies and successfully teaching them in classroom settings...

What’s the point of polite-isms? - E L Gazette

Click on the links for more:

Trinity College London

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it ain't what you say, it's the way that you say it: intonation and functional language

INTONATION AND FUNCTIONAL LANGUAGE

'It ain't what you say it's the way that you say it.'

In focussing on 'getting the words right', both teachers and students often overlook the question of how intonation creates meaning.

Following on from a functional lesson ('telephoning') being observed, I'd like to consider how intonation interplays with functional language.

1) ADDING COLOUR: Once the notion of chunking has been firmly established, work on specific areas of intonation in connected speech:

(See: last chapters of 'Pronunciation Task's by Martin Hewings, CUP, for the basics)

Identifying stressed words/syllables:

dictionary work with 'schwa' for individual words prior to chunks unstressed forms of to/and/were - which are often the 'grammar words'! versus prominent words - which are normally the 'content' words rhythm in Whatdidhesay?/Yesofcourse/Whatdoyouearn?

Linking words together:

consonant+vowel - keepoffthegrass/putonyourclothes

assimilation, or some consonants changing nature - turnback!/Agoodpartybecomes = turmbackf/Agoopparty

vowel+vowel often needs /w/, /j/ or /r/ - Whoareyou?jTeaorcoffee?/Isthedooropen? elision, or the dropping of sounds - Canyouseehim/Ican'tunderstandher becomes Canyouseeim?/Icanunderstander

Students will be familiar with I'm/don't, but not that Areyoualright,mate? becomes ri'ma?

Mimicking the 'music' of the language:

Tonic words, or where there is a change in tone, normally indicate the prominent word -It'sontopofthebookcase or It'sontopofthebookcase

Rising tone can indicate what the listener already knows, whereas falling tone is 'news' - WhenareyougoingtoNewYork? (up = not sure) I'mflyingatteno'clock (down = I know)

Rising tone can also indicate that the speaker hasn't finished: the sound-scripted phone-call above would have rising tone at Canitakeamessaget and 'within' the phone­number

2) Students EXPERIMENT with intonation:

Students listen to clear and complete exponents and try them out themselves. PARROTING exactly what they hear - including pitch, pace, pauses, as above

Higher level students INTERPRET more varied exponents where intention and meaning are not clear. Content often contradicts use of voice:

Yes;. of course/I see. (When the speaker in fact doesn't agree)

Changing stress:

Idunno/Areyougonnago? becomes ldon'tknow/Areyougoingtogo

Whatdidyougetuptolastweek?/Wouldyoumindnotdoingthat,please?

Changing tone:

I'dliketo from down to up can show definite acceptance of an invitation to reservation

Wasitexpensive? from up to down can show curiosity to scolding

Really? from up-down to down-up

Work out with the students whether tone should be questioning or flatter

Changing function:

Trying to say a 'command' as a 'request' and vice-versa, whilst keeping the phraseology:

Iwaswonderingifyoucouldgivememycoat,please./Ablackcoffee.

Trying out different 'moods' to the same phrase, saying it weak/strong, pleading/demanding, authoritatively/patronisingly/sarcastically:

Canwegotothebeach?/Whydon'tyouloveme?

3) Start with the premise that most functional speech is made up of 'CHUNKS', that is, pieces of language which should be recognised as a single whole:

Could I have a cup of coffee?/I'll have the steak./Have you got any change?

Students should be given practice in saying these out loud - but as chunks: Repeating or reading these complete phrases as if they were one word.

Gaps in the wrong place would indicate hesitation:

CanlspeaktoJohn?/Wouldyoumindopeningthewindow?

Integrating set phrases into a complete conversation with correct pausing.

Speed does not equal fluency: it encourages students to blur chunks or stop mid-chunk. It'saboutnextWednesday. (pause.) I'msorrybutlcan'tmakeit (pause.) Canwemakeanotherdate? (pause.)

4) SOUND-SCRIPTING: Students take a ready-made audio script or a self-created conversation - then re-write it line by line. This can be done on a word-processor by pressing 'enter' at the end of each chunk to start a new line:

A: Hi.

Joehere. CanlspeaktoTim?

B: Sorry, He'snotin.

Canltakeamessage ordoyouwanttocallback?

A:Er

Canyoutakeamessage? 

ThisisJohn

Canhecallmebackon

01395

513

456?

It really does take off when students must ask themselves about both the appropriate phraseology to be adopted and the appropriate tone - depending on the role being played.

In other words, we are teaching our students to PLAY ROLES - to act out their lines convincingly - and 'with feeling'.

14th September 2008.

...

Here's the same but as images to download and photocopy:

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teaching informal spoken language in the esl/esol/tefl classroom

Teaching a language in the classroom is perhaps the wrong place to do it: after all, students will be meeting and using the language OUTSIDE the classroom, where a lot might be very different!

A good thing to do in the classroom, though, is to look at the differences.

Here's a very good guide:

How To Teach Formal And Informal Language | EnglishClub

With a few activities here:

Formal and informal language games - UsingEnglish.com

Ultimately, it's about encouraging students to learn in that 'real environment':

Creating informal English learning opportunities – Reset Training and Support

To finish, here's a specific question based on the very English phase "and stuff like that": what informal spoken language should we be teaching and how can we do it?

The academic response is in Language issues — NATECLA volume 14 no 2

With more access, with some great ideas and practical input here:

Language Issues: The ESOL Journal: Ingenta Connect Table Of Contents

Language investigations - Teach Real English!

Specifically here:

‘and stuff like that’ informal spoken language, pp.148-155 in Best of Language issues: articles from the first 20 years of NATECLA's ESOL journal

Best of Language Issues : Articles from the First 20 Years of NATECLA's ESOL Journal (Best of Language Issues : Articles from the First 20 Years of NATECLA's ESOL Journal): Amazon.co.uk: Bhanot, Rakesh, Illes, Eva: 9781872972855: Books

Linguistics Research Digest: Spoken language and stuff like that

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using songs in the esl/esol/tefl classroom

We all love songs - and so they usually make a great resource in the language classroom.

There are lots of things in songs for the English learner:

Jay Doubleyou: conditionals in songs

Jay Doubleyou: singing songs to learn english

Jay Doubleyou: listening to song lyrics will help your pronunciation

Jay Doubleyou: modal verbs in song

And for the English teacher:

Jay Doubleyou: every song has its lesson plan

Jay Doubleyou: every song has its lesson plan - part two

The British Council has got some ideas:

How to use songs in the English language classroom | British Council

Using music and songs | TeachingEnglish | British Council

There are some good videos out there with more ideas:

5 ways to use songs to teach English - YouTube

12 fun activities you can do with pop songs in the ESL classroom - YouTube

Going beyond the conventional 'gap fill' exercise, here are some more activities suggested by Eleanor Spicer-Lundholm of the International Teacher Training Institute, Hastings, UK:

> Song in Strips: cut up the song into strips which the students need to put back together.

> Creative writing to Song: put some of the key words from the song on the board and ask the students to make them into a poem/email/short story in pairs; then share and share the 'original song'.

> Word partnerships to Song: put some of the key phrases on the board, but cut in half and in two columns, which the students have to put together in pairs; then play the song, with the students shouting out 'bingo' when they hear their collocation.

> Word order to Song: put all the words of a sentence, but mixed up, from a song on the board, which the students have to order in teams; then compare each team's sentences before playing the part of the song.

> Whoops! Find the mistakes: put up a 'wrong' version of sentences from the song where the students have to identify the 'mistakes' before listening and correcting.

> Mime to Song: standing in a circle, first the students listen to a line and copy the teacher's mime; then the students suggest mimes to further lines which the class agree to copy.

Here's a lesson plan from Fiona Aish at the Itafel - looking at teaching connected speech through songs:

> Play the first 2/3 lines from the song 2/3 times and get the students to write what they hear; confirm the correct version.

> Elicit from the students the stressed words and then the connected words; the students should try this in pairs with the following lines.

> Play the song's lines again, getting the students to tap the beat/rhythm; the students should then speak out... and sing the song (if they want!)

Finally, here's a list from OnTesol:

• put the verse in the right order;
• put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense/or, form of the verb (for example, gerund or infinitive);
• identify the past tenses in the song (or, any other tense or grammar topic, for example, conditionals, modal verbs, reported speech…);
• reorder the verses;
• reorder the letters;
• correct the words/mistake;
• question on the theme, the message or meaning of the song to encourage discussion;
• write to the protagonist and (give advice, or tell him what you think);
• write the story in the song.
• put the underlined words under the right column according to … (pronunciation, vocabulary related to any specific category, or a grammatical pattern);
• complete the blanks with the words in the box;
• choose the right word;
• answer the questions;
• match the verses;
• check the words that you hear

Using Songs with Adult ESL Students

Have fun!

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things to do with lego in the esl/efl classroom

Lego is a very popular and successful tool in the classroom - especially when working with both children and adults on their English.

And there are some excellent web resources.

This is from Emma Herrod who used to work for Lego:

LEGO Running ‘Bricktation’ - This activity works in a very similar way to the well-know ‘running dictation’ ELT activity. However, rather than a text pinned up on the wall, students refer to a picture of a LEGO model from a set of building instructions.

Writing instructions activity - Students begin by building a model together as a class. In teams, they then build their own model and write out instructions so other teams can try and replicate it. The idea here is to develop the skill of writing concise instructions and working together with other students towards a common objective.

More Than Five Things to do with LEGO® in the EFL Classroom Part 1

And:

Home Sweet Home - This lesson makes for a fun way of working with language to do with accommodation and living spaces, as the students work together to build a large model house. The model is then referred to throughout subsequent lessons and forms a focus for discussion. There are a number of instructions you can find on the internet for making LEGO houses. Personally, I love this Apple Tree House https://creator.lego.com/en-us/buildinginstructions/default.aspx.

Stop Animation Project - Why not embark on a project over the course of a few lessons or the term in which the finished product is a stop animation film made out of LEGO? There are number of videos such as the famous ‘Starwars’ and ‘Indiana Jones’ clips to inspire you at https://www.brickfilms.com/.

LEGO Cuisenaire Rods - Although I feel that The Silent Way goes against many of my communicative language principles, I cannot help but be fascinated by the use of little coloured Cuisenaire Rods and I don’t need convincing that they have their justified place in some classrooms. In my world, I use LEGO bricks to fulfil a similar function.

More Than Five Things to do with LEGO® in the EFL Classroom Part 2

And here are a few more good places to go:

Ways To Use Lego In The Classroom - Teaching Ideas

Language Through Legos | Simply Mona!

15 ways to teach English with blocks and stacking games - UsingEnglish.com

9 LEGO® Education Ideas to Use Random Building Bricks in the Classroom | Teach Starter

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open the door!

The future is AI:

SMART HOUSE – ENGLISH VERSION – REMA 1000 - YouTube

Or, the future is here:

(426) 2001: A Space Odyssey 4k HDR | Open The Pod Bay Doors Hal - YouTube

More communication problems:

When a Frenchman calls an Indian Call Center : The iRabbit - YouTube

With lots more here:

(426) open the door! - YouTube

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phrases which mean 'nothing will happen'

The British are very good at saying 'yes' when they mean 'no'.

Here's a nice list from the 'Very British Problems' website:

Phrases that mean nothing will happen:
Leave it with me
I’ll have a word
I’ll see what I can find
I’ll see what I can do
Consider it done!
I’ll make some calls
I’ll think about it
Certainly a possibility
Let’s come back to that
Good idea I’ll let you know!
We’ll see
I’ll check it out
Noted
Maybe
I’ll get back to you on that
Could do, could do…
I’ll take that on board
Let’s park that for now
It’s on my list
I’ll definitely keep it in mind
Watch this space!
Hold that thought
I’m doing it as we speak
Might see you down there
Text me the details
I’ll look into it
I certainly don’t rule it out

verybritishproblemsofficial | Twitter, Facebook, TikTok | Linktree

(20) VeryBritishProblems on Twitter: "Phrases that mean nothing will happen: Leave it with me I’ll have a word I’ll see what I can find I’ll see what I can do Consider it done! I’ll make some calls I’ll think about it Certainly a possibility Let’s come back to that Good idea I’ll let you know! We’ll see I’ll…" / Twitter

With more here:

(20) VeryBritishProblems (@SoVeryBritish) / Twitter

writing with register: a lesson in using different levels of 'politeness'

CHECKING INTO A HOTEL:

When was the last time you checked into a hotel in English?

What did you say and what did the receptionist say?

Write it down!

What are the guests and receptionist saying in each of these situations?

Write them down!

First at 6 minutes:

Then at 11:45

S1E1.A Touch of Class - video Dailymotion

Here's more: Jay Doubleyou: got a room

What are the differences in language?

What other examples can you think of?

Write them down and compare!

This is called "register"

And why do we do this?

Write an email to a hotel to book a room

What sort of register did you use? 

And could you have used a different one?

With lots of ideas and examples here: different ways to ask for a room in a hotel in english phrases - Google Search

And another situation here: S2E1.Communication Problems - video Dailymotion

ARRANGING A MEETING

Imagine you are someone of a very specific age/profession/personality]

[six-year old girl with a very strong personality]

[a young actor, still very insecure and nervous]

[a young business woman, very ambitious and very pushy]

[a middle-aged postman, always happy to chat]

[a sixty-year old man, just retired from the police force]

[a seventy-something someone who is about to be crowned king/queen]

[an eighty-five year old woman, retired from the diplomatic service]

Now write a series of emails to arrange a meeting - either a coffee for a bit of gossip or a formal business session to discuss something serious or whatever.

You decide on the purpose of your email.

But you must know before hand who you are writing to.

When you have finished, send your emails and reply!

But there are still problems about meeting up. 

Follow up your emails with a phone call 

MORE IDEAS FOR WRITING WITH REGISTER:

• Take the same story in the news and see how different newspapers use different language [The Times vs The Sun]
• On celebrities: Declan Donnelly to host Saturday Night Takeaway alone, ITV confirms | Television & radio | The Guardian and Saturday Night Takeaway: Ant McPartlin's absence addressed by Dec Donnelly | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV | Express.co.uk and Declan Donnelly receives standing ovation after presenting Saturday Night Takeaway alone | The Independent
• How to write a good Tweet: How To Write a Tweet — Tips and Tricks | Grammarly
• Expand a Tweet into a paragraph or two - and vice versa
• Analyse some literature: 
• the most difficult section of Joyce's Ulysses where he re-enacts the development of the English language from early translations of Latin verse to contemporary Dublin slang 6. Oxen of the Sun – Telemachus

With more here: Jay Doubleyou: pragmatics: it ain't what you say it's the way that you say it

And some really interesting stuff - especially when it comes to writing styles: Jay Doubleyou: register

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why are native english-speakers "the world’s worst communicators"?

It seems that so-called 'native speakers' of English are very, very bad at communicating:

Decades of research show that when a native English speaker enters a conversation among nonnative speakers, understanding goes down. Global communication specialist Heather Hansen tells us that's because the native speaker doesn't know how to do what non-native speakers do naturally: speak in ways that are accessible to everyone, using simple words and phrases.

Why Nonnative English Speakers Actually Speak The Best English : Goats and Soda : NPR

And from the BBC:

“A lot of native speakers are happy that English has become the world’s global language. They feel they don’t have to spend time learning another language,” says Chia Suan Chong, a UK-based communications skills and intercultural trainer.

“But… often you have a boardroom full of people from different countries communicating in English and all understanding each other and then suddenly the American or Brit walks into the room and nobody can understand them.”

...

“It's the native English speakers that are having difficulty understanding and making themselves understood.” Non-native speakers generally use more limited vocabulary and simpler expressions, without flowery language or slang. Because of that, they understand one another at face value.

Native English speakers are the world’s worst communicators - BBC Worklife

Here's a classroom activity based on that piece - an activity for 'non-native' speakers looking at 'native' speakers!

Native English speakers are the world’s worst communicators — English Language Inbox

Because 'non-native' speakers have a real problem understanding 'natives':

With a couple of videos:

Why Is It So Difficult to Understand Native Speakers? - Ouino Languages

Why You Can't Understand Native English Speakers | Go Natural English

Why it is so hard to understand native English speakers

Finally, here are some tips for the native speaker on how to communicate better:

Native English speakers are the world’s worst communicators – South Coast Herald

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checking in at the airport

What's the problem here:

How to Check In at an airport. Learn English with MovaMedova. Free - YouTube

What are the typical phrases?

Everyday English for ESL 4 — Airport Check-in - YouTube

What's the problem here?

Black Mirror S03E01 Airport scene - YouTube

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learn common english phrases and sentence patterns

A message just received by this blog: 

I run my own English learning blog and recently published a lesson series on “English Conversation -100 sentence patterns”:

https://basicenglishspeaking.com/100-common-phrases-and-sentence-patterns/

As for this lesson series, there are several points that your readers can take advantage of as listed below.

• There are up to 100 lessons of various common phrases and structures for your readers to choose from. These lessons can help them survive or even thrive in any English-speaking country.
• Lessons are delivered with both texts and high-quality audio, which facilitates speaking and listening practices considerably.
• Each pattern is well-illustrated by three example sentences and a conversation to show how the pattern is used in real-life context.
• Example sentences and conversations are collected from daily life, so they are highly reliable, practical and applicable.

It might make a great addition to your resource page. :)

Michelle

http://basicenglishspeaking.com

Speak English Fluently with our FREE Basic English Speaking Lessons - Basic English Speaking


It is indeed an excellent resource: have a look!

100 Common English Phrases and Sentence Patterns (With Dialogue)

You want to improve your English speaking but don’t know where to start? You know a lot of English words but have a hard time making sentences in English?

You know why?

The reason is you don’t learn common English phrases and sentence patterns, do you? These phrases and patterns are said as basic units for you to make much more correct sentences in English.

Below are 100 common English phrases and sentence patterns that are much used in daily life. Each common English phrase includes real audios and scripts which help you learn sentence structures better, and make sentences in English much more easily.

If you master just one common English phrase or sentence pattern, you can make hundreds of correct sentences. This is the easiest way to make sentences in English.

Take time to learn all of the following lessons and you will improve your spoken English very quickly. And remember that deep learning is the key to English fluency. You should learn each lesson deeply before moving to the next one (5 lessons/day is recommended.)

You may also like:

• 50 Common Expressions in English
• Daily English Conversation by Topics

Finally, if you find these lessons useful, please share with your friends and let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

(Audio Lessons) 100 Common English Phrases and Sentence Patterns With Dialogue - Basic English Speaking
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how to be heard: tips for communicating with people who have very different ideas to you

On the BBC World Service, there are three very interesting interactive role-plays called Crossing Divides, where we learn how to communicate on very difficult areas:

Crossing Divides is a season from BBC News, hearing from people around the world who are bridging divided communities. In this experience, you’ll play a person having a difficult conversation. At the end, we’ll give you feedback on how it went.

GUN CONTROL

GENERATION DIVIDE

INTEGRATION

BBC World Service: Crossing Divides
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register

How to define 'register'?

THE MEDIA:

Different newspapers have different styles, use of language, formats - and this can be seen when comparing the same news stories:

On immigration and Brexit:
Brexit news: Theresa May WILL BE ‘pushed into a corner’ on immigration negotiations | UK | News | Express.co.uk
Theresa May needs to be honest with the public about post-Brexit immigration | The Independent

On celebrities:
Declan Donnelly to host Saturday Night Takeaway alone, ITV confirms | Television & radio | The Guardian
Saturday Night Takeaway: Ant McPartlin's absence addressed by Dec Donnelly | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV | Express.co.uk
Declan Donnelly receives standing ovation after presenting Saturday Night Takeaway alone | The Independent

On business:
Political posturing must not kill GKN deal - Telegraph

Shareholders facefinal barrage in GKN bid battle - Financial Times

Investors trying to takeover British Spitfire engineering firm branded ‘corporate vultures’ by MPs - The Sun
GKN will be stripped and sold for parts by ghouls who have no interest in making things | Will Hutton | Opinion | The Guardian
Business Secretary is accused of paving the way for vultures to buy British defence giant GKN | Daily Mail Online

WRITING:

Writing genres (commonly known, more narrowly, as literary genres) are determined by narrative technique, tone, content, and sometimes length. The most general genres are epic, tragedy, comedy and creative non-fiction. They are generally (not always) defined by the cultural movement of the historical period of time in which they were composed.
List of writing genres - Wikipedia

12 Different Styles of Writing and How to Write Them Well

Being a good all-round writer means mastering a host of different skills.

Most people can manage a couple of different types of writing well, but struggle when it comes to others; perhaps they have the ready humour and sense of timing that’s required for a good speech, but can’t organise their thoughts coherently enough for a business report. Perhaps they have the imagination and flair for beautiful prose, but come unstuck when required to operate within the tighter confines of producing marketing copy. Or perhaps they can write a fantastic academic essay, but can’t write in a way that’s accessible to a less informed audience.

There are some rules of writing that apply for almost any purpose, such as considering your audience; varying your sentence length; and taking time to think about whether sesquipedalian verbiage is more appropriate or if it would be better to use nice short words. But it’s just as often the case that what’s right for one form of writing is wrong for another. 

12 Different Styles of Writing and How to Write Them Well - Oxford Royale Academy

Styles of Writing

Experienced readers will instinctively recognise the various writing styles, these include:

---

• Academic writing
• Articles from academic journals
• Journalistic writing (news media)
• Fiction (imaginary)
• Non-fiction (factual)

Styles Of Writing | SkillsYouNeed

Joyce brings this skill to bear in Ulysses, where we are exposed to an enormous number of different styles within the covers of one book. In "Aeolus," we find Joyce pulling newspaper headlines from the speech-stream. In "Cyclops," we get 33 parodies of different styles of writing, each picking up on things the characters are speaking or thinking about in the scene. In "Nausicaa," Joyce satirizes sentimental literature for young girls, and in "Circe," he writes a surrealist play using the dreamscapes of Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus. In "Ithaca," he employs the form of a catechism as he describes Stephen and Bloom having cocoa in Bloom's kitchen. But perhaps nothing is quite as impressive as "Oxen of the Sun," in which Joyce literally re-enacts the development of the English language from early translations of Latin verse to contemporary Dublin slang by moving fluidly from one style to another.

Ulysses Writing Style

AND PASTICHE:
Pastiche - Intertextuality
BBC Radio 4 Extra - The Write Stuff, Series 14, PG Wodehouse

FORMALITY:

Written and oral styles of English

Language and Style

From formal style to informal style - how are they different ?

In any language, different styles of expression are appropriate in different situations. We can go from the formal to the informal, the written to the spoken, from technical language (or jargon) to slang. 

  There are no "rules" as such; nevertheless, there are plenty of features which distinguish formal styles from informal styles. Here are some of them.

Principles of English style:

Note: these are principles: they are by no means to be considered as "rules". 

• a) The more formal a document  is, the more it will use inanimate nouns as subjects of a sentence.
• b) The more formal language is, the more it is likely to use passive structures.
• c) The more formal language is, the more verbal nouns it will use.
• d) The more formal a d ocument is, the more words of Latin origin it will use.

Conversely

• a) The more informal or spontaneous language is, the more it will use humans as the subjects of sentences.
• b) The more informal a text is, the less it will use passive structures,
• c) The moreinformal a text is, the more it will use verb structures (where a choice is possible) instead of verbal nouns.
• b) The more informal or spoken a text is, the more words of Germanic origin it will use.

Styles of English and their main features

AND PARODY:
Twelve Days Correspondence... John Julius Norwich

REGISTER: LINGUISTICS:

What is Register in Linguistics?

In linguistics, the register is defined as the way a speaker uses language differently in different circumstances. Think about the words you choose, your tone of voice, even your body language. You probably behave very differently chatting with a friend than you would at a formal dinner party or during a job interview. These variations in formality, also called stylistic variation, are known as registers in linguistics.

They are determined by such factors as social occasion, context, purpose, and audience.

Registers are marked by a variety of specialized vocabulary and turns of phrases, colloquialisms and the use of jargon, and a difference in intonation and pace; in "The Study of Language," linguist George Yule describes the function of jargon as helping " to create and maintain connections among those who see themselves as 'insiders' in some way and to exclude 'outsiders'."

Registers are used in all forms of communication, including written, spoken, and signed. Depending on grammar, syntax, and tone, the register may be extremely rigid or very intimate. You don't even need to use an actual word to communicate effectively. A huff of exasperation during a debate or a grin while signing "hello" speaks volumes.

What is Register in Linguistics?

REGISTER: APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE:

Register – choosing appropriate language for the context

Filed under: Improving English language skills — rliberni @ 5:05 pm
Tags: advanced English grammar, Advanced English language learners, common English language problems, enhancing your English, Formal vs informal language, improving English language skills, Register

Not only do we have to learn the grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation etc.. we also need to make sure that we use it  appropriately and in the right context.

No peace for the wicked – goes the saying, a constant vigilance in language learning is also required to make sure that we become expert and versatile English users. Selecting the right language for the right situation is important to demonstrate our expertise and to keep us out of hot water!

Consider the following sentences:

• Would you like a cup of coffee?
• Joe – coffee?
• Can I get you a coffee?

Formal, informal and neutral. I’m sure that you can imagine the people to whom each of these should be addressed (boss, friend and someone you don’t know very well).

Register – choosing appropriate language for the context | Rliberni's Blog - Radical language

IN BUSINESS:
PressReader.com - Connecting People Through News
Peter Trudgill | Topic | The New European
Rail fares: we've gone from passengers to customers to mugs - Telegraph
If I were king for a day, my trains would take passengers, not customers | Richard J Evans | Opinion | The Guardian

It's all about the right language in the right place:
Jay Doubleyou: got a room

And what is (in-)appropriate:
Jay Doubleyou: teaching taboo vocab in the esl classroom

Finally, a little more literature:
Jay Doubleyou: the language of money... the language of religion... the language of love...
Jay Doubleyou: archaic language part four
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formulaic expressions

Peter Trudgill writes regularly for the New European:

Peter Trudgill - Topic - The New European

Here he looks at how English has very few automatic expressions for situations, compared with other European languages:

Peter Trudgill on greetings and eatings throughout Europe

PUBLISHED: 13:00 20 September 2017

Peter Trudgill

Peter Trudgill looks at ways of greeting while eating in European language.

We have a number of set phrases in English which we use in a rather automatic and semi-obligatory way at particular times and in specific social situations – such as ‘good morning’ and ‘good evening’, ‘happy birthday’ and ‘happy new year’

There are rules about how to use these formulae. We can say ‘good afternoon’ as a greeting at the appropriate time of day, but we can’t use ‘good night’ in the same way: this can only be uttered as a leave-taking phrase when going home at the end of the evening or heading off to bed. In Catalan, though, bona nit (‘good night’) can be employed as a greeting if you meet someone after dark.

English speakers do not seem to have so many formulaic expressions at their disposal as many other Europeans, and those we do have are probably more optional than in several other languages. One example is the not-very-optional French phrase bon appétit: some French speakers seem to be almost totally unable to start eating their meal until their hostess or some other appropriate person has uttered this phrase.

Many other languages have an equivalent expression which should be used at the beginning of a meal, and which can also be used to greet anyone you come across who happens to be eating. In Polish it’s smacznego, the Dutch equivalent is smakelijk, the Italian is buon appetito, in Spanish it’s buen provecho, and Swiss German speakers say en guete. In Greek, the equivalent is kalí óreksi – but if you come upon someone who’s just finished eating, you can still proffer them your good wishes by saying kalí xónepsi, ‘good digestion’!

In English we really have no equivalent to bon appétit – we just begin eating, or perhaps wait for some other person to start first. Some hosts do now say ‘Enjoy your meal’, but there’s no long-established tradition for this in British English.

Some Americans use the Yiddish-English expression ‘Enjoy!’, but for most British people that sounds ungrammatical because for us enjoy is a verb that requires an object: we wait to be told what it is that we are expected to enjoy.

There are many other potential ritualised greetings which we can see that English speakers miss out on if we compare English with, say, Greek or Turkish: these languages seem to have a quasi-compulsory formula, if not for every conceivable occasion, then at least for many occasions which we would not even conceive of as being occasions.

In Turkish, when somebody arrives, you are supposed to say hos geldiniz, ‘well you came’, and they are supposed to reply hos bulduk, ‘well we found you’. And when speaking to someone who is ill, you should say gecmis olsun, ‘may it be past’. In English we can also, of course, say ‘get well soon’, but the point is that we don’t have to, and there are many other things we could utter instead, like ‘hope to see you up and about before long’.

In Greek, it is very usual on the first day of every month to greet people by wishing them kalo mina, ‘good month’. On Mondays people may wish each other kalí vdomáda, ‘good week’. You can express the hope that a pregnant woman will have kalí lefteriá, ‘good freedom’; and you can even say to people who are about to go to sleep kaló ksiméroma, ‘good dawning’.

In Norwegian, it is really rather expected that when you meet up with somebody after having not seen them for a while, you should say takk for sist, ‘thank you for (the) last (time we were together)’. And you should certainly utter the phrase takk for maten, ‘thank you for the food’, when you leave the table after a meal.

If you are now going to carry on reading the rest of this week’s New European, then I wish you, as Greek speakers might, kalí synécheia, ‘good continuation’!

Peter Trudgill is professor emeritus of English linguistics at the Université de Fribourg/Universität Freiburg, Switzerland

Peter Trudgill on greetings and eatings throughout Europe - European Culture - The New European
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getting a job

To be able to get yourself a job, you need to be polite:
Jay Doubleyou: how to ask indirect or polite questions

There are some great videos to help:



Impress Your Job Interviewer - YouTube

BBC Learning English offers a lot of tips and practice:
Learning English - English At Work
BBC Learning English - Get that Job

There are a lot of specific techniques:
Jay Doubleyou: motivation

There's a lot of language around jobs:
Describing jobs: ESL/EFL Lesson Plan and Worksheet

There are other questions around 'work':
Jay Doubleyou: work, leisure and human resources
Jay Doubleyou: "the modern office rewards narcissists and psychopaths"
Jay Doubleyou: neets - again

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ambiguity is everywhere in englsh

There is a lot that is not clear in the English language:

Words have different meanings:
Jay Doubleyou: why is english so different from other languages? part one: vocab

The grammar doesn't make much sense:
Jay Doubleyou: why is english so different from other languages? part two: grammar

Newspaper headlines can be impossible to understand:
Jay Doubleyou: ambiguous newspaper headlines
And:
Syntactic Ambiguity - Definition and Examples

English literature, poetry, art and cinema is full of double-meaning:
Jay Doubleyou: ambiguity

There's also double-meaning in politics:
Jay Doubleyou: ambiguity in politics - hong kong
Jay Doubleyou: ambiguity in politics - part two

This is ambiguity:
ambiguity Meaning, definition in Cambridge English Dictionary
Ambiguity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Back to the ambiguities in the English language:
Jay Doubleyou: pragmatics: it ain't what you say it's the way that you say it

But perhaps it's just human nature:
RSA Animate - Language as a Window into Human Nature - YouTube
RSA - RSA Animate - Language as a Window into Human Nature
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questions and conversation in the classroom

There are lots of ideas out there on how to stimulate conversation in class...

And one of the easiest ways to get a conversation going - and to keep it going - is to ask lots of questions:

Lists of questions:
ESL Conversation Questions (EFL discussion questions on many topics) English Current

Here's another, great example:

A: Do animals talk to each other?
B: Of course they talk to each other.
A: What do they talk about?
B: They talk about other animals.
A: What else do they talk about?
B: They talk about food and the weather.
A: Do they talk about us?
B: Of course they talk about us.
A: What do they say about us?
B: They say that we are funny-looking.
A: Ha! We're not funny-looking; animals are funny-looking.
B: We're funny-looking because we wear clothes.

Conversations for ESL/EFL Beginners

Another great list of questions:
Conversation Questions for the ESL/EFL Classroom (I-TESL-J)

for example:

Selected Questions

• Do you have a pet?
• How old is it?
• Where did you get it from?
• Who takes care of it?
• What does it look like (color, breed, etc.)?
• What do you feed it?
• Do you play with it?
• What is it's name? How did you choose this name?
• Does it know any tricks or understand any words?
• If you don't have a pet, why not?
• Would you ever consider getting a pet?
• Did you grow up with pets in your home?
• What are the pros and cons of keeping a pet?
• What is the best pet to own?
• What are some animals that live in your country?
• Are there animal rights groups where you live?
• Are you afraid of snakes? What is the biggest snake you have seen? Are there any poisonous snakes in your country?
• Are you frightened of spiders? What do you do if you see one?
• Can you name some endangered species?
• Have you ever ridden a horse?
• Are there birds or squirrels in your neighborhood?

More Questions

• Do you think it is right to keep wild animals in captivity all there life
• Is it morally right to spend a lot of money on pets, rather than helping people in need?
• Why are pets, not people used for medical research?
• What is your favorite animal?
• Have you ever had a pet?
• What kind of pet would you like to have in the future?
• Have you ever been to the zoo? What animals did you see there?
• Have you ever been on a farm? What animals did you see there?
• Do you ever bird watch?
• Do you think people should wear fur coats?
• Should animals be kept in a zoo?
• Do you know any endangered species?

ESL Conversation Questions - Animals & Pets (I-TESL-J)

And some lesson plans for stimulating questions:
TEFL Conversation Lesson Plans

See also:
Jay Doubleyou: how to ask indirect or polite questions

and:
Jay Doubleyou: questioning and problem-solving
Jay Doubleyou: socratic method
Jay Doubleyou: socratic method pt 2
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