Language Acquisition 4 Midterm Exam
Register = focus on how linguistic features function to achieve goals. Core linguistic
features (like pronouns, verbs) serve communicative functions. A register is a variety
associated with a particular situation of use. Some registers are learned explicitly, like
academic writing, not like texting.
Genre = focus on conventional structures used to construct a complete text within the
variety. Genres are very broad, because texts within genres usually don’t share general
genre conventions. There are also cases where a genre is embedded in a larger genre (ex:
introductions in a text can be seen as their own text). Genres and registers can be different
between cultures.
Style = focus on aesthetic preferences.
Geographical dialects = varieties associated with speakers living in a particular location.
Social dialects = varieties associated with speakers belonging to a particular demographic
group (like women vs men).
Register analysis = 1. Describe the situational characteristics of the register (like time,
place, etc), focusing especially on characteristics that distinguish it from other registers. 2.
Describe the typical linguistic features of the register. 3. Interpret the relationship between
the situational characteristics and the linguistic features in functional terms.
Methods for describing the situational characteristics of a register:
- Your experience and observation: if you’re part of the cultural group that uses a register,
this can be a source of information.
- Expert informants: ask expert informants about it to help identify the characteristics.
- Previous research.
- Analysis of texts from the register.
Situational characteristics of registers and genres:
- Participants: 1. Addressor (= author), 2. Addressees, 3. On-lookers (= who observe but
aren’t the direct addressees of the register).
- Relations among participants: 1. Interactiveness (= to what extent do the participants
directly interact with one another), 2. Social roles (status / power), 3. Personal relationship
(ex: friends, colleagues, strangers), 4. Shared knowledge.
- Channel: 1. Mode (speech / writing / signing), 2. Specific medium: permanent (printed,
handwritten, email, etc) or transient speech (face-to-face, phone, TV, etc).
- Production circumstances: real time / planned / scripted / edited
- Setting: 1. Shared time and place of communication? 2. Place of communication (private /
public, specific setting), 3. Time (contemporary, historical time period, etc).
- Communicative purposes: 1. General purposes (ex: narrate, describe, inform, persuade,
etc), 2. Specific purposes (ex: summarize, describe methods, present new findings, etc), 3.
Factuality (factual, opinion, speculative, imaginative), 4. Expression of stance (epistemic,
attitudinal, no overt stance).
- Topic: 1. General topical domain (ex: daily activities, business, science, academic, etc), 2.
Specific topic 3. Social status of person being referred to.
How to determine what’s typical in a register:
1. A comparative approach: you compare the language of one register to others.
2. Quantitative analysis: you count the occurrences of the feature in each register. Before
1
Register = focus on how linguistic features function to achieve goals. Core linguistic
features (like pronouns, verbs) serve communicative functions. A register is a variety
associated with a particular situation of use. Some registers are learned explicitly, like
academic writing, not like texting.
Genre = focus on conventional structures used to construct a complete text within the
variety. Genres are very broad, because texts within genres usually don’t share general
genre conventions. There are also cases where a genre is embedded in a larger genre (ex:
introductions in a text can be seen as their own text). Genres and registers can be different
between cultures.
Style = focus on aesthetic preferences.
Geographical dialects = varieties associated with speakers living in a particular location.
Social dialects = varieties associated with speakers belonging to a particular demographic
group (like women vs men).
Register analysis = 1. Describe the situational characteristics of the register (like time,
place, etc), focusing especially on characteristics that distinguish it from other registers. 2.
Describe the typical linguistic features of the register. 3. Interpret the relationship between
the situational characteristics and the linguistic features in functional terms.
Methods for describing the situational characteristics of a register:
- Your experience and observation: if you’re part of the cultural group that uses a register,
this can be a source of information.
- Expert informants: ask expert informants about it to help identify the characteristics.
- Previous research.
- Analysis of texts from the register.
Situational characteristics of registers and genres:
- Participants: 1. Addressor (= author), 2. Addressees, 3. On-lookers (= who observe but
aren’t the direct addressees of the register).
- Relations among participants: 1. Interactiveness (= to what extent do the participants
directly interact with one another), 2. Social roles (status / power), 3. Personal relationship
(ex: friends, colleagues, strangers), 4. Shared knowledge.
- Channel: 1. Mode (speech / writing / signing), 2. Specific medium: permanent (printed,
handwritten, email, etc) or transient speech (face-to-face, phone, TV, etc).
- Production circumstances: real time / planned / scripted / edited
- Setting: 1. Shared time and place of communication? 2. Place of communication (private /
public, specific setting), 3. Time (contemporary, historical time period, etc).
- Communicative purposes: 1. General purposes (ex: narrate, describe, inform, persuade,
etc), 2. Specific purposes (ex: summarize, describe methods, present new findings, etc), 3.
Factuality (factual, opinion, speculative, imaginative), 4. Expression of stance (epistemic,
attitudinal, no overt stance).
- Topic: 1. General topical domain (ex: daily activities, business, science, academic, etc), 2.
Specific topic 3. Social status of person being referred to.
How to determine what’s typical in a register:
1. A comparative approach: you compare the language of one register to others.
2. Quantitative analysis: you count the occurrences of the feature in each register. Before
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