Varieties and Registers of Spoken and Written Language

This set of flashcards covers the concepts of multicultural communication, various cultural gestures and social norms, and the five registers of language.

Multicultural Communication

A form of communication that aims to share information across different cultures and social groups.

Culture

The way of life of a particular group of people in a community or nation.

Namaskar

An Indian greeting involving joining hands together.

Direct Eye Contact (North Americans)

Viewed as a sign of honesty.

Direct Eye Contact (Asians)

Viewed as a sign of disrespect.

Thumb up sign (Asian and Islamic countries)

A gesture that is considered rude.

Smile (Scandinavians)

Considered untypical or a sign of weakness because it is used to convey emotions.

Shaking of heads (Middle East and Bulgaria)

A gesture that means "yes".

OK sign (Iran and Latin America)

A gesture that carries a vulgar meaning.

Kampaii

A term used in Japan when making cheers.

Raising a pinky finger (China)

A gesture that means poor quality.

Red ink (Korea)

Used in gifts, this color signifies death.

An-nyeong-ha-se-yo

A Korean phrase used for saying hello or goodbye.

Abrazo

A hug used by men in Spain to greet or say goodbye in informal situations.

Register

A label for how a person varies his speech or sign when communicating with people in different settings or grades of formality.

Frozen Style

A style of communication that rarely or never changes, often used in ceremonies, religions, laws, or customs.

Formal Style

A style used in formal situations for large audiences that follows a commonly accepted format and is usually impersonal and unidirectional.

Consultative Style

The normal style for professional discourse or speaking to strangers and non-acquaintances; it is two-way communication.

Casual Style

Used between friends and insiders with shared background information; it features improvised speech, slang, and colloquialisms.

Intimate Style

Used between people who are very close, characterized by an economy of words and high use of nonverbal communication like gestures and eye contact.