Poems (6) Vocabulary

Formal

Less rigid but still constrained, the formal register is used in professional, academic, or legal settings where communication is expected to be respectful, uninterrupted, and restrained. Slang is never used, and contractions are rare.

Frozen

This form is sometimes called the static register because it refers to historic language or communication that is intended to remain unchanged, like a constitution or a prayer.

Coarse

This register is reserved for vulgar conversation, heavily peppered with sexual terms, racial epithets, curse words, gender stereotyping, and "locker room chat. [It is never appropriate in general public discourse.]

Casual

Use of slang, contractions, and vernacular grammar is all common, and people may also use expletives or off-color language in some settings because they are surrounded by familiars.

Semantic Fields

a collection of words or phrases that are related to each other in meaning and connotation

Lexical Sets

a group of words that are related to each other in meaning, for example: leaf, green, trunk, bark, and branch would all be part of the same lexical set in relation to the work tree.

Intimate

reserved for special occasions, usually between only two people and often in private. Intimate language may be something as simple as an inside joke between two college friends or a word whispered in a lover's ear.

Consultative

seeking input from others but making the final decision alone

Colloquism

the use of informal or everyday language

Regionalism

words that are commonly used primarily in a specific geographical area. Sometimes called "local color."

Jargon

words that are used in a specific context that may be difficult to understand, often involving technical terminology.

Foreign Words

words that most people today would not know what they were.