Linguistic Perspectives on Register

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 435-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larissa Goulart ◽  
Bethany Gray ◽  
Shelley Staples ◽  
Amanda Black ◽  
Aisha Shelton ◽  
...  

Language users change their written and spoken language according to the situational characteristics and communicative purpose of production—that is, according to the register being produced. Research on registers has focused on register description or patterns of register variation, on detailed analysis of individual linguistic features or an account for the use of a broad range of linguistic features, and on the distinction between written and spoken registers. In this review, we survey register studies according to the register being investigated: spoken, written, electronic/online, literary, or historical. This survey also shows that recent register studies have focused on more specialized written and spoken domains and that the use of corpus linguistics tools and advanced statistical methods such as multidimensional analysis has allowed for broad analyses of the language used in different registers. Finally, we point to areas of register research that need further investigation.

Linguistics ◽  
2021 ◽  

Register research has been approached from differing theoretical and methodological approaches, resulting in different definitions of the term register. In the text-linguistic approach, which is the primary focus of this bibliography, register refers to text varieties that are defined by their situational characteristics, such as the purpose of writing and the mode of communication, among others. Texts that are similar in their situational characteristics also tend to share similar linguistic profiles, as situational characteristics motivate or require the use of specific linguistic features. Text-linguistic research on register tends to focus on two aspects: attempts to describe a register, or attempts to understand patterns of register variation. This research happens via comparative analyses, specific examinations of single linguistic features or situational parameters, and often via examinations of co-occurrence of linguistic features that are analyzed from a functional perspective. That is, certain lexico-grammatical features co-occur in a given text because they together serve important communicative functions that are motivated by the situational characteristics of the text (e.g., communicative purpose, mode, setting, interactivity). Furthermore, corpus methods are often relied upon in register studies, which allows for large-scale examinations of both general and specialized registers. Thus, the bibliography gives priority to research that uses corpus tools and methods. Finally, while the broadest examinations on register focus on the distinction between written and spoken domains, additional divisions of register studies fall under the categories of written registers, spoken registers, academic registers, historical registers, and electronic/online registers. This bibliography primarily introduces some of the key resources on English registers, a decision that was made to reach a broader audience.


2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 311-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bertus van Rooy ◽  
Lize Terblanche ◽  
Christoph Haase ◽  
Josef J. Schmied

The article examines register variation in East African English by submitting the East African component of the International Corpus of English (ICE) to a complete multidimensional analysis (Biber 1988). A six-factor model was extracted using 67 linguistic features (Biber 1988). The results show that the extent of register variation is not less in ICE-East Africa than in Biber (1988). However, East African English displays unique stylistic features across registers. The overall effect is that East African English leans more towards the formal side (especially Dimensions 3, 5 and 6). There is a strong emphasis on the involvement of the addressee, more formal features for the encoding of information, and delineation of reference by textual rather than contextual means, even when the information is not very abstract. The paper establishes a baseline of the extent of register variation in East African English, and identifies certain typical features across all registers.


2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 499-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leida Maria Monaco

This paper focuses on the use of certain linguistic features conveying impersonal style in late Modern English scientific prose (1700–1900). Samples are taken from two subcorpora of the Coruña Corpus of English Scientific Writing, one from the humanities (Philosophy) and the other from natural sciences (Life Sciences). The methodology applied is based on Biber’s (1988) Multidimensional Analysis, consisting of a study of register variation as manifested through sets of co-occurring linguistic features with a shared discursive function. The aim of the present study is to detect variation across scientific disciplines, genres, and subject matter. Findings are compared to those found in both diachronic and contemporary reference corpora.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse Egbert ◽  
Michaela Mahlberg

Abstract In this paper our focus is on analyzing register variation within fiction, rather than between fiction and other registers. By working with subcorpora that separate text within and outside of quotation marks, we appromixate fictional speech and narration. This enables us to identify and compare linguistic features with regard to different situational contexts in the fictional world. We focus in particular on the novels of Charles Dickens and a reference corpus of other 19th-century fiction. Our main method for the register analysis is Multi-dimensional Analysis (MDA) for which we draw on altogether four dimensions from two previous MDAs. The linguistic distinctions we identify highlight similarities between fictional speech and involved registers such as face-to-face communication, and between narration and more informational and narrative prose. In addition to the detailed information on register features that characterize speech and narration, the paper raises more general questions about the ability of register studies to deal with situational contexts within fiction.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-71
Author(s):  
Michiko Kaneyasu ◽  
Minako Kuhara

Abstract This paper investigates the similarities and differences between three sub-registers of Japanese recipe texts: cookbook recipes, online commercial recipes written/edited by professionals, and online user-generated recipes. Past studies on Japanese recipes do not distinguish different sub-registers, and they tend to focus on a single feature. The present study of the sub-registers examines a group of frequently appearing linguistic features and uncovers functional links between observed features and situational characteristics. The comparative perspective contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of Japanese recipe language as well as universal and language-specific aspects of register variation. Shared traits among the three sub-registers are tied to the common topic of cooking and the central purpose of providing easy-to-follow food preparation instructions. Varied linguistic and textual features are motivated by different production circumstances, mediums, and relations among the participants. Professionally edited cookbook and online commercial recipes show a much higher uniformity in their grammatical features than unedited/self-edited user-generated recipes. Online sub-registers share a role of serving as a repository and reference center for numerous recipes and related information. Relationships among writers, readers, and other participants such as publishers and site organizers differ among all three sub-registers, resulting in some unique linguistic patterns.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asharaf Abdul Salam

<p>This paper undertakes a detailed analysis of 2010 Census Population and Household Tables (Final), to assess governorate wise variations in home ownership, type of living accommodations and housing infrastructure - material used for construction, electricity, water and sewage facilities.</p> <p>The data published by the Ministry of Economics and Planning in its “Population and Housing, 2010 Census” analyzed in detail using SPSS20, applying statistical methods such as, cross tabulations and chi-square; mean and standard deviation; and One-Way ANOVA. Governorates classified into small, medium and large, according to the number of Saudi persons, have been analyzed across 13 regions quantifying homeownership status. Further governorates are classified according to the percentage of owning homes in order to analyze the type of living accommodations, built up material of housing, source of electricity, water and sewage facilities. </p> <br>


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asharaf Abdul Salam

<p>This paper undertakes a detailed analysis of 2010 Census Population and Household Tables (Final), to assess governorate wise variations in home ownership, type of living accommodations and housing infrastructure - material used for construction, electricity, water and sewage facilities.</p> <p>The data published by the Ministry of Economics and Planning in its “Population and Housing, 2010 Census” analyzed in detail using SPSS20, applying statistical methods such as, cross tabulations and chi-square; mean and standard deviation; and One-Way ANOVA. Governorates classified into small, medium and large, according to the number of Saudi persons, have been analyzed across 13 regions quantifying homeownership status. Further governorates are classified according to the percentage of owning homes in order to analyze the type of living accommodations, built up material of housing, source of electricity, water and sewage facilities. </p> <br>


Corpora ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony Berber Sardinha ◽  
Carlos Kauffmann ◽  
Cristina Mayer Acunzo

In this paper, we present a Multi-Dimensional analysis of Brazilian Portuguese, based on a large, diverse corpus comprising forty-eight different spoken and written registers. Previous research in MD analysis includes multi-register investigations of a range of languages, including English, Spanish, Somali and Korean, among others. At the same time, a large body of literature on text varieties in Brazilian Portuguese exists, but previous research focusses on specific aspects of one, or at the most, a few varieties at a time and, therefore, does not present a comprehensive picture of register use in the linguistic community of Brazilian Portuguese speakers. In this study, we attempt to fill this gap by employing the MD framework, enabling researchers to account for a large number of different registers, based on a wide repertory of linguistic features. The analysis revealed six dimensions of variation, which are presented, illustrated and discussed here.


2012 ◽  
Vol 279 (1749) ◽  
pp. 4962-4968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret I. Hall ◽  
Jason M. Kamilar ◽  
E. Christopher Kirk

Most vertebrate groups exhibit eye shapes that vary predictably with activity pattern. Nocturnal vertebrates typically have large corneas relative to eye size as an adaptation for increased visual sensitivity. Conversely, diurnal vertebrates generally demonstrate smaller corneas relative to eye size as an adaptation for increased visual acuity. By contrast, several studies have concluded that many mammals exhibit typical nocturnal eye shapes, regardless of activity pattern. However, a recent study has argued that new statistical methods allow eye shape to accurately predict activity patterns of mammals, including cathemeral species (animals that are equally likely to be awake and active at any time of day or night). Here, we conduct a detailed analysis of eye shape and activity pattern in mammals, using a broad comparative sample of 266 species. We find that the eye shapes of cathemeral mammals completely overlap with nocturnal and diurnal species. Additionally, most diurnal and cathemeral mammals have eye shapes that are most similar to those of nocturnal birds and lizards. The only mammalian clade that diverges from this pattern is anthropoids, which have convergently evolved eye shapes similar to those of diurnal birds and lizards. Our results provide additional evidence for a nocturnal ‘bottleneck’ in the early evolution of crown mammals.


Author(s):  
Любовь Николаевна Арбачакова ◽  
Ирина Анатольевна Невская

В данной статье на примерах расшифрованных рукописных текстов героических сказаний рассматриваются индивидуальные особенности словоупотребления сказителей. Сказители используют сходные стилистические и коммуникативно-прагматические средства. Во-первых, каждого из сказителей отличают особенности их родного диалекта или говора, как лексические, так и грамматические. Во-вторых, для современных сказителей типично широкое использование русских заимствований, как глобальных копирований, так и частичных. В-третьих, практически все исполнители используют просторечные стяженные формы глаголов, местоимений, существительных, характерные для устной речи. В-четвертых, сказители очень часто используют предпочитаемые ими коммуникативно-прагматические частицы, которые достаточно сложно перевести на русский язык и которые в обработанных фольклорных текстах часто опускаются их издателями (полза; тедир; ноо). В-пятых, у каждого исполнителя есть собственная (индивидуальная) лексика, употребляемая им во время эпического исполнения. Устный регистр исполнения эпического текста делает особенно проминентным использование коммуникативно-прагматических частиц. Каждый из рассмотренных сказителей предпочитает ту или иную частицу при том, что практически все они при исполнении используют все вышеупомянутые частицы. Эти частицы принадлежат устному регистру исполнения текста, помогая сказителю психологически настроиться на дальнейшее исполнение, собраться с мыслями и т. п. В то же время они выполняют важные семантические и прагматические функции. Тедир подчеркивает пересказывательность текста: как говорят, насколько я могу судить, по мере моего понимания, насколько я видел или слышал, как оказалось и т. п. Изä употребляется как маркер верности передачи смысла эпоса. Полза, широко использующееся в шорском языке как частица, маркирующая смену темы высказывания, в эпических текстах может становиться частицей, служащей для выражения повествовательного стилистического приема саспенс, помогающего сказителю повысить интерес слушателя к продолжению текста. При общности этих особенностей для всех представителей современного поколения сказителей конкретный выбор того или иного полнозначного слова, его формы или прагматической частицы являются индивидуальными для каждого из сказителей. По этим «собственным» сказительским словоупотреблениям и предпочтениям, как по почерку, можно определить личность кайчи. This article deals with individual peculiarities of word usage by Shor storytellers (qaychi’s). We have analyzed (and, partially, deciphered) a row of manuscripts of Shor heroic epic stories and delineated some linguistic features typical for a certain storyteller. Storytellers use similar or identical stylistic devices and communicative and pragmatic means. Firstly, each storyteller preserves the features of his or her dialect or subdialect, both lexical and grammatical ones. Secondly, modern storytellers widely use Russian borrowings as global or partial copies. Thirdly, practically all storytellers use typical for the spoken language contracted forms of verbs, verbal forms, pronouns and nouns. Fourthly, storytellers abundantly use communicative and pragmatic particles of their choice. Such particles are difficult for translation into Russian; they are often omitted in written editions of epic texts (e. g. polza, tedir, noo, etc.). Fifthly, each storyteller has its own individual expressions and words. The oral register of telling an epic story makes the use of communicative and pragmatic particles especially prominent. Each storyteller has his or her preferred particles used most often, although, of course, all particles can be used by any storyteller. Such particles help the storyteller to collect his or her thoughts, to communicate with the listeners, etc.; moreover, they fulfill very important semantic and pragmatic functions: Tedir stresses the hearsay evidentiality of epic texts or a certain distance of the speaker to the narrated events meaning ‘as one says, as people say, as far as I can judge, as far as I could understand, it has appeared (to me), etc.’ Izä in epic texts stresses the adequacy of a narration. Polza is used in Shor as a particle marking switch reference (as for …); in epics, it is a particle serving as a stylistic device suspense, and helping to raise the interest of the listeners in the continuation of the story. Even if these features are common to all storytellers whose epic texts we have analyzed, their choices of a certain word, expression or form are individual. Certain words and peculiarities of their usage indicate the personality of a storyteller, similar to his typical handwriting; both of them are individual and unique. Moreover, some usages give a clue to the emotions and the state of mind of the qaychi during his performance.


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