2.4.4 Idiolects

Idiolect (Speech Style)

No speaker speaks the same all the time. Instead, we all make use of a number of different speech styles depending on the context in which we are speaking.

Speech styles: variations in speech based on factors such as

• Mode: speech vs. writing

• Addressee: friends vs. professor

• Setting: bar vs. classroom

• Topic: baseball vs. linguistics

These styles are often described in terms of degree of formality.

• informal --- consultative --- formal

• casual --- semi-casual --- careful