But it should be pointed out that the informal talk of well-educated people considerably differs from that of the illiterate or the semi-educated the choice of words with adults is different from the vocabulary of teenagers people living in the provinces use certain regional words and expressions. Informal style is relaxed, free-and-easy, familiar and unpretentious. One uses informal words when at home or when feeling at home. Informal vocabulary is used in one's immediate circle: family, relatives or friends. Arnold defines it as 'a system of expressive means peculiar to a specific sphere of communication'.īy the sphere of communication we mean the circumstances attending the process of speech in each particular case: professional communication, a lecture, an informal talk, a formal letter, an intimate letter, a speech in court, etc.Īll these circumstances or situations can be roughly classified into two types: formal (a lecture, a speech in court, an official letter, professional communication) and informal (an informal talk, an intimate letter).Īccordingly, functional styles are classified into two groups, with further subdivisions depending on different situations. The term functional style is generally accepted in modern linguistics. The suitability or unsuitability of a word for each particular situation depends on its stylistic characteristics or, in other words, on the functional style it represents. When placed in different situations, people instinctively choose different kinds of words and structures to express their thoughts.

(Jeans are scarcely suitable for such occasions either, though this may be a matter of opinion.) Consequently, the social context in which the communication is taking place determines both the mode of dress and the modes of speech. One is not supposed to turn up at a ministerial reception or at a scientific symposium wearing a pair of brightly coloured pyjamas. Just as there is formal and informal dress, so there is formal and informal speech.

Another word for you that isnt informal