Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Xiyingmen Jiedao? Are you interested in teaching English in Tianjin? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language.
Difference between formal and non formal languageGenerally speaking, as a tool of communication, english is divided to and used in two different contexts of situations: common or casual situation and official or formal situation. So it forms different varieties of english. The difference between formal and informal language is not mainly the difference between correct and incorrect, but the difference of what is known as register. A register is a variety of language used in a specific social setting: speaking in an informal register; writing in a scientific register1. It is also a set of words and expressions as well as syntactical features that may be said to characterize a specific area of language. However, it is also inevitable to disregard that formal language; especially english consists of grammatically correct structure which can be found in academe, media, courtroom and the like. On the other hand, informal language is not too precise, not necessarily formal and generally used with whom the speaker or writer is familiar such as friends and family. A number of grammar expressions have common forms which differ in their formal or informal use. These differences are noted both in written and spoken english. However, they are most notable in written english. In case of formal english, the whole auxiliary verb is used. Thus, contracted form is disregarded. While in the informal english, contraction of verb is used. For example, Formal english: They have migrated to New Zealand for several years Informal english: They?ve migrated to New Zealand for several years. Furthermore, formal and informal english differ in auxiliary verb usage. Formal english always use the full form of an auxiliary verb. While informal english, it is dropped in informal speech. For example, Formal english: Are you done doing your homework? Informal english: Done doing your homework? In addition, formal and informal english differ in relative structure. Formal english use relative structure such as ?that?. While the informal english drop certain relative structure. For example, Formal english: Mr. Michel Andre knew that it will bring him fame. Informal english: Michel Andre knew it will bring him fame. Finally, formal and informal english differ in word choice. Many words tend to be used in more formal situations. For example, certain verbs tend to be used in formal situations, but have other synonyms (often phrasal verbs) that are used in informal situations2. For example, Formal english: The Drive Manager then performs a series of functions in order to install the program. Informal english: Then the Drive Manager goes through some steps to install the program. Formal english is appropriate for most serious writing and speaking. It is used with more accuracy and precision than informal english. Commonly, it is used in certain social setting which has bearing on the level of formality used and the topic being discussed. Formal english is primarily used in official documents, legal papers, regulations, technical literature, thesis papers, business letters, ceremonial public speeches, etc. On the other hand, informal english is most often use during the course of daily activities. It?s appropriate kind of language for casual and personal conversations or writings. It is often defined socially rather than linguistically as a language of widely understood and used. Thus, it suggests a neutral medium that facilitates communication between people from different regional and social backgrounds. Language is essentially a social activity3. People use language, talking and writing to each other, at different times, in different places, for different purposes, in different social and personal contexts, thus producing different varieties of a language. The language people use varies according to the addresser?s attitude towards the addressee, the subject matter and the purpose of the communication in order that the addresser can express clearly and efficiently. 1 www.thefreeenglishdictionary.com 2 www.englishcafé.com 3Lv Xu (2004). Practical english Rhetoric. Beijing: Qinghua Daxue Chubanshe. REFERENCES www.the freeenglishdictionary.com www.englishcafé.com Lv Xu (2004). Practical english Rhetoric. Beijing: Qinghua Daxue Chubanshe. [Tsinghua university press.] Gary Forlini, et al. (2008). Grammar and Composition. united states: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
