Formal and informal language
Have you ever been invited to a party and felt unsure about the dress code? Turning up in a ball gown or a tuxedo when everyone else is in relaxed outfits could be awkward and would make you stick out. Using the wrong level of formality in your language can lead to the same thing.
Do you sometimes feel like you stumble while trying to speak a foreign language? Maybe you don’t know all of the vocabulary you need, a sudden rush of adrenaline might make your mind go blank, or you could even accidentally end up offending the person you’re speaking to by using the wrong pronoun or tone of voice.
Understanding the difference between formal and informal language and successfully navigating between them can result in greater success in your social, academic, and professional life.
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Frustrert dame som står foran klesskapet og er usikker på hva hun skal ha på seg av klær
Formal or informal language?
Formal and informal language is also called register. Formal means serious or very polite, while informal means relaxed and friendly. How can you decide if you should use formal or informal language?
Consider your audience!
To help put this into context, compare the following. Imagine sitting in the park and eating a sandwich with your best friend one afternoon. Now compare that to attending a fundraising dinner for a school or a charitable organization with your parents.
In the park, you would most likely feel very relaxed and not be too concerned about what you say and how you say it. Your language would also likely include slang, abbreviations, contractions, and unspoken subtext that only the two of you could understand.
At the fundraiser you would probably feel a bit more on edge, especially if there are a lot of people you don’t know very well around you. This would make you more likely to take extra care with what you say and do.
As you can see, the language you choose will always be affected by the context and the people around you.
In which situations do you think it would be really inappropriate to use informal language?
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