What is a Register?
The level of formality and language variety used in a particular context or situation.
Playing the (Write) Register: Adjusting Your Language Style to Fit the Context
Just as you might adjust your outfit (from flip-flops and shorts to a suit and tie), your language style should also vary depending on the situation at hand. This concept is known as register. Every context comes with its own level of formality, specific vocabulary, and speech patterns. We tend to use more casual and relaxed language with our friends and family but switch to a more formal and more complex style when communicating with a professor, a job recruiter, or a judge.
Writing requires the same rhetorical awareness. Knowing your audience and adjusting your language accordingly can make your writing more persuasive and effective. The language variety used in writing can depend on the genre (e.g., scientific report, poetry, novel) but also on the intended effect on the reader.
For example, a horror story might use more gothic language and archaic syntax than a romantic comedy. Similarly, a research paper in physics will likely require a more technical and precise language than an opinion essay on a popular blog.
Regardless of the context and the audience, the key to nailing the right register is choosing words and structures that connect with the reader and match the tone of the message. So be playful with language, but also be aware of its various registers and when and how to adjust your style to fit the occasion.
Register allows writers to adjust the language they use to fit the context, genre, and audience they are writing for. Here are two examples of register usage in literature:
The Cat in the Hat is an excellent example of how register can be used to create a playful, childlike tone. Dr. Seuss uses alliteration, rhyme, and simple words to mimic the way young children learn to speak and read.
Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest is a satire of Victorian society. Wilde creates a contrast between the rigid, formal language of the aristocrats and the more relaxed and natural language of the working-class characters. By doing this, Wilde highlights the absurdity of the class system and the phoniness of the upper class.