Formal: Structured and professional language.

• Example: ‘Dear colleagues, today we will discuss the progress of the project’.

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Informal: Everyday conversations, relaxed tone.

• Example: "Hey, did you see the movie I recommended?"

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Technical/Occupational: Specialised terms for professions.

• Example: ‘The patient has acute respiratory failure.’

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Academic: Precise and grounded language.

• Example: ‘According to Piaget, cognitive development occurs in progressive stages.’

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Religious or Ceremonial: Solemn and traditional tone.

• Example: ‘Brothers, gathered in faith, let us lift up our prayers.’

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• Technical record (for medical colleagues):

Patient presents with atypical pneumonia with interstitial pattern on chest X-ray.

• Standard record (for the patient):

You have an infection in the lungs, but with proper treatment you will recover soon.

• Informal register (for a child):

You have a bad cold in your lungs, but we will give you medicine to make you feel better.

✅ It helps to avoid misunderstandings in formal or technical situations.

✅ It facilitates the adaptation of language in different social and professional contexts.

• Who is speaking? (teacher, friend, manager, etc.)

• Who is listening? (student, colleague, audience, etc.)

• Where is the conversation happening? (classroom, meeting, online chat, etc.)

• What is the purpose? (to inform, persuade, entertain, etc.)

• Frozen: Fixed expressions used in rituals or official settings. (Pledge of Allegiance, wedding vows)

• Formal: Structured and professional. (Academic papers, legal documents)

• Consultative: Polite but interactive. (Doctor-patient conversations, teacher-student discussions)

• Casual: Friendly and relaxed. (Chatting with friends, social media posts)

• Intimate: Private, personal language. (Family talk, close relationships)

Convergence: When a person adapts their way of speaking to resemble that of their interlocutor, facilitating understanding and creating closeness.

Divergence: When a speaker emphasizes linguistic differences with their interlocutor to mark distance or reinforce their group identity

Examples in everyday life

Example of Accommodation Theory:

Convergence: A student uses more formal terms when speaking with a professor to appear more professional.

Divergence: A Spanish speaker exaggerates their regional accent when speaking with a foreigner to emphasize their cultural identity.

https://youtu.be/TuLic0luFZU?si=ZnDMq79uyB6dJ-EB

Impact on intercultural communication.

Differences in discourse patterns across cultures

a) Speech varies across cultures:

• Western cultures (US, Germany, UK).

• Asian cultures (Japan, China, Korea)

• Latin American cultures

b) Turn Talk and Use of Silence

• Pauses and silences

• Interruptions and overlapping.

  
  

Impact of Discourse Patterns on Intercultural Communication

Discourse patterns can have a great impact when people from different cultures interact, causing confusion and frustration in intercultural communication and generating misunderstandings. An example of the case of Robyn Kina

✅ Can vary in formality according to the audience.

✅ Influences the clarity and effectiveness of the message.

The Dyirbal language of Australia organizes nouns into four categories:

1. Bayi: (human) males; some animals

2. Balan: (human) females, birds, water, fire, fighting

3. Balaam: non-flesh food

4. Bala: everything else

Relationship between language and social class

The language we use is profoundly influenced by the social environment in which we grow up, and this social environment is linked to social class.

Basil Bernstein and linguistic codes

• Restricted code:

  Used in the working class, it is informal and simple in grammar. Example: “That's no good. Put it there”.

• Elaborated code:

  Used in the middle and upper class, uses a more complex and precise grammar. Example: “That device is not working properly. We must put it on the table to check it.”

Cognition refers to how people think, process information, and solve problems. The language environment in which we grow up affects how we develop our cognitive skills.

How does the language environment impact academic performance?

The upper-middle class has greater access to study material, higher academic expectations and interaction with professionals, while the lower class faces limited resources and less exposure to formal language.

Studies speech variation based on context, audience, and identity.

Studies how language reflects and reinforces social class distinctions.