Lecture: Varieties of Language and Language Registers

Varieties of Language

  • Donato (n.d.) defines distinguishable variants of language differing due to history, social, or spatial factors.

  • Pidgin: Language for inter-speaker communication; e.g., Chavacano Pidgin (simplified Spanish for trade).

  • Creole: Stable language evolving from a pidgin, becoming a community's first language; e.g., Chavacano de Zamboanga.

  • Regional Dialect: Language variety specific to a region; e.g., Cebuano-Bisaya of Davao vs. Cebu.

  • Minority Dialect: Spoken by a minority group to express identity; e.g., Kinaray-a in Panay.

  • Indigenized Varieties: English used as a second language in multilingual areas; e.g., Singlish, Philippine English (with local idioms, code-switching like "Kindly open the light").

  • Language Registers: How language is used based on social occasion, context, purpose, and audience.

  • Five Registers: 55

    • Frozen: Historic, static (e.g., constitution).

    • Formal: Professional, respectful, non-personal.

    • Consultative: With specialized knowledge holders (e.g., doctor-patient).

    • Casual: Conversational with friends/family.

    • Intimate: Private, close relationships.

Language Registers (continued)

  • Registers show language shifts in social contexts; mastery aids appropriate communication.

Varieties of English

  • Kachru's Three Concentric Circles:

    • Inner Circle: Native users (e.g., USA, UK, Canada).

    • Outer Circle: English as a second/relay language in post-colonial areas (e.g., Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines).

    • Expanding Circle: English learned as a foreign language for global use (e.g., Japan, China, Brazil).