FORMAL AND INFORMAL ENGLISH

Malcolm Venter
(Originally written as part of the Study Guide for the 2017 English Olympiad)

Correctness and appropriateness

Users of a language need to be able to use their language ‘correctly’ – that is, in terms of the
grammatical rules of the language.

They also need to be able to use it ‘appropriately’ – that is, in a way that it suits the context.

Thus one can have language usage which is ‘correct’, but not appropriate.

One of the main aspects of appropriateness is the level of formality of the language usage.

Range of tolerance
An important point to note about formal and informal language is that there are not just two
watertight categories,’ formal’ vs ‘informal’. Instead what we have is a continuum – a sliding scale –
from VERY FORMAL to VERY INFORMAL:

VERY INFORMAL SEMI-FORMAL FORMAL VERY FORMAL

Intimate Casual Less casual E.g. Acts of
E.g. Chats / emails E.g. Chats between E.g. Talking to the parliament, insurance
among good friends parents and children; principal, the doctor; contracts, investing of
emails to parents letter of application a President, wills

This variation in the use of language results in what we call registers. We can define a register for
our purposes as: A variety of language based on the degree of formality of the context in which it is
used.

Context
What are the factors in the context which result in the differences? There are three main ones:

1. WHO is communicating with whom?

2. WHERE are they communicating?
3. WHY are they communicating?

Let us have a look at each of these factors in turn.

WHO is communicating?
This depends on the relationship between the communicators, which has been described as follows:
 Relationships in fact vary along a continuum, from close to remote. At the one end are
husbands, wives, children, parents and other intimates, and at the other end the Queen or
the President, perhaps, with acquaintances and senior and junior colleagues spaced out
appropriately along the way.

So here again your see not just two extremes, but a continuum.

This relationship is determined by two factors:

STATUS – subordinate or superior on social scale LEVEL OF FAMILIARITY – how well they know each
/ in work situation other

WHERE are they communicating?

This depends on situation in which one is communicating:

MORE FORMAL PLACE (e.g. classroom) LESS FORMAL PLACE (e.g. playground)

WHY are they communicating?

Two questions are relevant here:

1. Is the purpose serious (e.g. an exam)? 2. Is the purpose less serious (e.g. chatting)?

Vocabulary differences
The words we choose as a result of these three factors once again reflect the continuum we
mentioned earlier:

VERY INFORMAL SEMI-FORMAL FORMAL VERY

Intimate Casual Less casual FORMAL
Colloquial language / Colloquial General vocabulary Distant
colloquialisms; language / which does not include Big / technical
slang /slangisms colloquialisms colloquial language / words
colloquialisms or
slang /slangisms

Here are some examples of formal vs colloquial vocabulary:

FORMAL COLLOQUIAL
child kid
device contraption

The distinction between slang and colloquial is not always clear, but there are some differences:
  Slang is highly informal; colloquialisms are less informal.
 Colloquialisms are more acceptable than slang in a wider social context.
 Slang is usually short-lived – but some items do stick.
 Slang is often limited to a group - when it spreads beyond the group that originally uses it, its
original users often replace it with other, less recognised, terms to maintain group identity.

Where does slang come from?

1. NEW WORDS Examples:

bonkers – mad, crazy
lank (dated SAE) – adj: good, fantastic; adv: very
2. NEW MEANINGS FOR Examples:
EXISTING WORDS bunk / do a bunk – abscond from school or work
cool – fantastic
3. NEW PHRASES Examples:
big shot – person of high rank or importance
muffin top – bulging bare midriff
4. NEW ABBREVIATIONS: Examples:
aggro (noun) – aggressive behaviour
arb – arbitrary, nothing special
5. BORROWING FROM THER Examples:
LANGUAGES muti – medicine (isiXhosa)
bangbroek – coward, ‘scaredy cat’ (Afrikaans)

Using registers
No register is right or wrong in itself nor better than any other, but one is more appropriate than
another. It all depends on the context. Society – and sometimes cultures – expects you to use the
appropriate register. Using slang, for example, is fine when relaxing with friends, but include it in a
job application letter and don’t hold your breath waiting for a positive answer.

The same applies to how one dresses and behaves – the different contexts expect different types of
clothing and behaviour.

Exercise on registers: What kind of English for what type of writing?

There is no single ‘correct’ or ‘incorrect’ type of language. It all depends on the situation and the
purpose of the communication. Inappropriate style will ‘miss’ your target readers because you have
not understood the purpose of the text you are writing. It is essential that you use a style that is
appropriate for your audience, and that you fully understand the purpose of the text you are writing.

Study the texts below (all the correspondence is imaginary!). Do you consider the style appropriate?
Give reasons for your opinion. Use the table at the end of the activity to assist you.
a) Hi, Prof, This was an awesome assignment. I am looking forward to getting the BEST marks ever.
(Comment written on the back page of a University student’ assignment cover).

b) The Department of Higher Education plans to open new universities in rural areas. This is seen as
a part of an initiative to bring education to people who do not have access to tertiary educational
facilities. However, this essay will argue that this plan will be to the disadvantage of existing
universities, all of which are experiencing financial and academic difficulties. (Introduction to an
argumentative essay).

c) Thank you, thank you, for accepting my registration. I promise to work hard and never let you
down. I can’t tell you how grateful I am after being turned down by six other universities! (Written to
the registrar of a university in response to a letter informing the student that his/her application has
been successful).

d) I am in receipt of your communication of 11 February and wish to express my deepest gratitude

for the invaluable confidence you have afforded me by accepting my application to be registered as
a student at your respected institution of higher learning. (Written to the registrar of a university in
response to a letter informing the student that his/her application has been successful).

e) Hey, my bro, I wanna tune u abt the mark u gave me. Eish! (Email to a teacher).

f) I have pleasure in informing you that your application to be admitted to the degree of Bachelor of
Science has been successful. (Letter to a student from the registrar of a university).

g) Dear Mother, It is with pleasure that I wish to announce that I received correspondence from the
University of Cape Town, informing me that my application was successful. I wish to take this
opportunity to express my sincere gratitude for the support and affection that you have given me in
the course of the eighteen years of my existence. (Letter from a student to his/her mother).

h) Hey, jabu, i made it! Gonna be a student @ UCT! Awesome ! Wot r u doin 2nite? Wana have a
lekka jol @ my place? (Message from a student to his friend)

Text Its intended reader Its intended Is it appropriate or Reason?

purpose inappropriate?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)