PNoy at TV Patrol's 25th Anniversary Celebration - The Best Speech I've Heard from Him

Yes, indeed. I salute and admire PNoy for doing this! Kudos, our dear President. This has been the best, the most realistic, and the most frank/straight-forward speech I've ever heard and seen on TV. PNoy was so true that media practitioners must always be fair, balance and objective. And yes, he does make sense.  :-)

TV Patrol anchors must STOP citing comments and criticisms after each field report or after the program itself.  After all, they are not expected to be airing their comments or opinions regarding an issue. It is highly beyond their concerns when all they have to do is to do their JOB. Nothing more, nothing less. Personal biases as well as their own insights and viewpoints must be set aside and they should be professional at all times.

They are certified icons and must set good examples. STOP those thought-provoking comments you used to have when the TV news program is about to end. Instead of splurring with rants, use those seconds to motivate and inspire Filipinos, making a great difference and impact in their lives. Viewers might be influenced with their words and might stop believing that WE could still make things right, favorable to every Juan. Let them hope, let them see greatness to every blessing they receive. 

Well, if you really couldn't hold your emotions, go to the dressing room/backstage, and talk among yourselves but definitely not in public, not in National TV. 


Let's stop pointing fingers to anyone especially if you think you are also liable and responsible for the outcome. Let's promote developmental journalism and be an inspiration to others. With all these things, I know and I believe that we could make it. There are no more rooms for CRABS here in the Philippines, my dear.

I am a journalist and I am proud to be ONE. I always try to see goodness in everything - hoping and praying that the best has yet to come. GOD is preparing something so good for all of us - and we'll all be surprised with HIS blessings!

Spread love,

Mommy Mai

________________________________________

Photo Credit: PEP.ph 

P-Noy slams media for "negativity" in his speech at TV Patrol anniversary party; ABS-CBN reveals P-Noy was actually referring to Noli de Castro

Tatlo ang naging layunin ni Pangulong Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III sa kanyang talumpati kagabi, ika-27 ng Hulyo, sa selebrasyon ng 25 taong TV Patrol.

Una, magbigay-pugay sa lahat ng bumubuo ng programa.


Pangalawa, ipaabot ang kanyang saloobin tungkol sa mga negatibong komento ng isang anchor sa dapat sana'y magagandang pangyayari sa kanyang termino. "Stick to the facts," ang winika ni PNoy.

Pangatlo, payuhan ang mga mamahayag na maging "balanse" sa pag-uulat at pagbibigay ng opinyon.

PNoy’s Speech – Original Text Click to view the Source.

Due Credits to:  Karen A. Pagsolingan, July 28

Narito ang kabuuan ng talumpati ni Presidente Aquino:

Mr. Gabby Lopez; Mrs. Charo Santos-Concio; Ms. Ging Reyes; Senator Frank Drilon; Senator Loren Legarda; Secretaries Mar Roxas, Greg Domingo, Ricky Carandang; Chairman Francis Tolentino; Bangko Sentral Governor Sy Tetangco; Mayor Alfredo Lim; Representative Sonny Angara; Commissioner Ruffy Biazon; Commissioner Kim Henares; Chair Sixto Brillantes; past and present officials and staff of TV Patrol and ABS-CBN; fellow workers in government; honored guests; mga minamahal ko pong kababayan:

Magandang gabi po sa inyong lahat.

Dito po magkakaaminan: noon pong kabataan ko, wala pang ANC, wala pang CNN, at aaminin ko po, sa totoo lang, wala pang cable TV.

Kung kailangan mo ng instant news, halimbawa, kapag may bagyo, nawalan ng kuryente, ang tutok namin noong mga panahong iyon: Radyo Patrol.

Sa pag-usad ng panahon, mas naging moderno ang pagbabalita— ang tinig na rumoronda sa himpapawid, nadadagdagan ng biswal na elemento.

At narito na po tayo ngayon, ipinagdiriwang ang Silver Anniversary ng isa sa mga pinakamatibay na institusyon sa pagbabalita: Ang TV Patrol.

Sa loob ng dalawampu’t limang taon, kinilala ang TV Patrol sa tapang at sigasig ng paghahatid ng impormasyon sa mamamayang Pilipino. Sa tuwing may sakuna, naroon kayo upang magbigay ng kaalaman kung paano umiwas sa peligro at disgrasya. Sa tuwing may agam-agam ang publiko ukol sa isyu, kayo ang takbuhan para sa tapat na pag-uulat.

Kaya naman, sa lahat ng bumubuo ng inyong programa, mula noon hanggang ngayon, sa harap man o sa likod ng kamera, talaga namang pong isang mainit na pagbati sa inyong ikadalawampu’t limang anibersaryo.

Kapag katotohanan ang pinag-uusapan, lagi kong naaalala ang isang sikat na police drama noong ako po’y bata pa. Dragnet ang pangalan po ng programa. At sa pagkalap ng kaalaman, ang bukambibig noong isang bida, and I quote, “Just the facts, Ma’am.”

Hayaan po ninyo akong ilatag ang ilang facts na inihayag natin sa SONA noong Lunes:

Five point two million sa pinakamahirap na kabahayang Pilipino ang buong-buo at walang-bayad nang makikinabang sa benepisyo ng PhilHealth. Fact po ito.

Bago matapos ang susunod na taon, ubos na ang minana nating 66,800 na kakulangan sa silid-aralan. Fact na naman po ito.

Tinitiyak na po ang kalidad ng higit sa 70,000 na mga baril na ipagkakaloob sa natitirang 45 porsyento ng ating kapulisan. Matapos po ang prosesong ito, magkakaroon na tayo ng one-is-to-one ratio ng pulis at sa armas na kailangan po nila sa kanilang trabaho. Fact din po ito.

Ilan lang po ito sa mga pagbabagong tinatamasa ngayon, at nakamit po natin ito sa unang dalawang taon pa lamang ng ating pamamahala.

Nang mag-umpisa tayo bilang Pangulo, ni wala po tayong masipat na “light at the end of the tunnel.” Ni hindi nga po kami sigurado kung may dulo pa ang balon ng problemang ipinamana sa atin. Wala naman po sigurong magkakaila, napakalaki na ng ipinagbago ng ating bansa. At palagay ko po naman, fact din po iyan sa ating lahat.

Huwag po sana ninyong mamasamain, tutal kaharap ko na po kayo ngayon, at one night lang naman sa 365 days ng isang taon ko kayo makakausap. Tingnan po natin ang paghahayag ng inyong institusyon.

Noong Oktubre ng nakaraang taon, may isang reporter kayo ang nagbabalita sa NAIA 3. Ang sabi niya, sa puntong iyon, tumaas ng dalawampung porsiyento ang passenger arrivals sa paliparan. Magandang balita, at higit sa lahat, fact po iyan. 

Sa kabila nito, nakuha pa pong humirit ng isang anchor n’yo at ang sabi po niya, and I quote, “Nasa NAIA 3 ka kasi; kung nasa NAIA 1 ka, doon malala.”

Sa loob-loob ko po, anong kinalaman ng ibinabalita sa NAIA 3 sa NAIA 1? May nagsabi po bang ayos na ayos na ang NAIA 1? Kung mayroon man ho, hindi kami. Nakaligtaan niya atang mahigit 30 anyos na ang istrukturang ito.

Napapaisip nga po ako: ‘yung nagkomento nito, hindi ba’t anim na taon ding tumangan sa renda ng gobyerno? Sabihin na po nating minana lang din nila ang problema; ‘di hamak mas luma naman ang ipinamana nilang problema sa amin. Anim na taon ang ipinagkaloob sa kanya para tumulong sa pagsasaayos ng mismong inirereklamo niya. Pero ngayon, tayo na nga ang may bitbit na problema, tayo na nga ang tutugon dito, pero, masakit nga ho, may gana pa tayong hiritan ng nagpamana?

Naalala ko rin po nang na-recover ng NBI ang isang banyagang bata na nakidnap. Ang ganda na po sana: nakakuha ng tip ang awtoridad, kumilos sila, at na-recover ang bata.

Masaya ang mga magulang na kapiling na muli nila ang kanilang anak; masaya ang bata na kayakap niya ang kaniyang ama’t ina; masaya ang awtoridad na maayos at matagumpay ang operasyon nila.

Mukhang ang hindi lang masaya, ito nga pong anchor natin na nagawa pa uling humirit na baka raw na-set-up lang raw ang rescue operation, at binayaran lang talaga ang ransom.

Kahit anong pilit ng reporter na malinaw ang operasyon, nag-surveillance ang mga taga-NBI, at talagang natiyempuhan nilang walang nakabantay sa bata, pilit pa rin po nang pilit ang anchor.

Sabi nga ho ng nanonood kong kasama, “Naman.”

Kami pa po mismo ang magagalak kung makakapaghain kayo ng kapirasong ebidensya ukol dito, at kung mayroon nagkamali, usigin natin ang mga nagkamali.

May naitutulong po ba ang mga walang-basehang spekulasyon, lalo na kung lumalabas ka sa telebisyon at sinusubaybayan ng sambayanan? Kung nagbabangkaan lang tayo sa kanto, hindi problema ang mga walang-basehang patutsada. Pero kung alam mong opinion-maker ka, alam mo rin dapat na mayroon kang responsibilidad. Sana po, sa tuwing sasabihin nating, and I quote, “magandang gabi, bayan,” ay totoong hinahangad nating maging maganda ang gabi ng bayan.

May isa pa po: Ang pagtaas-baba po kasi ng pamasahe, dumadaan sa mahabang proseso. Minabuti po nating makipag-ugnayan sa transport groups, sa pangunguna po ni Secretary Mar Roxas, upang bumuo ng kasunduang makatuwiran.

Dahil sa kaguluhan sa Gitnang Silangan, malaki ang naging gastusin ng mga tsuper sa pataas na pataas na presyo ng krudo, kaya oras na umabot ang diesel sa napagkasunduang presyo, ibibigay sa kanila ang kanilang fare hike para matulungan naman.

Ngunit sang-ayon sila na kapag bumalik ang presyo’t bumaba rin ang presyo ng krudo, magkukusa rin silang ibaba ang pamasahe. 'Ika nila, imbes na sumobra ang tubo, bilang Pilipino ay magmamalasakit kami sa kapwa Pilipino.

Ibinalita po ito ng field reporter ninyo. Good news po talaga: Ang risonableng mungkahi, napagbigyan; ang pamahalaan, grupo ng tsuper, nagtulungan. Panalo ang sambayanan.

Ang problema, nagawa pa rin itong sundutan ng komentaryo. Matapos i-report, ang pambungad na tanong ng inyong anchor: Ano raw ba ang angal ng mga grupo sa akin po. Ang reaksiyon ko, “Saan naman nanggaling ‘yun?”

Nagkasundo-sundo na tayong tugunan ang isang problema, mayroon pang naghahanap ng angal.

Nagkakasundo na nga, para bang gusto pa ring pag-awayin.

Mahirap pong isipin na bahagi ito ng inyong job description. ‘Di po ba kung umangat ang ating kalagayan, tayo ang panalo; at kung lumubog naman ito, tayo rin naman ang talo? Bakit parang mas gusto ng iba na makita tayong lumulubog?

Kung gabi-gabing bad news ang hapunan ni Juan dela Cruz, talaga namang mangangayayat ang puso’t isip niya sa kawalan ng pag-asa.

Mayroon po kayong The Filipino Channel, kung saan napapanood ng mga dayuhan at ng ating mga kababayan sa ibayong dagat ang mga balita sa Pilipinas. Isipin po natin: bawat isang turistang bumibisita sa bansa tinatayang isang trabaho ang naglilikha.

Ilang turista kaya kada buwan ang nagka-cancel ng bakasyon dahil sa araw-araw na negatibismo? Ilan kayang kababayan ang nawawalan ng pagkakataong magkaroon ng kabuhayan dahil sa bad news na ito?

Kung isa po kayo sa sampung milyon nating kababayan na nagsasakripisyo sa ibayong-dagat, gaganahan kaya kayong bumalik dito kung mas nakakasindak pa sa Shake, Rattle, and Roll ang balita sa telebisyon? Kailan pa po ba naging masama ang pagpapahayag ng mabuting balita?

Sa pagpapatrol ninyo sa bawat sulok ng bansa, tiyak na may nadaratnan kayong mga positibong kuwentong maaaring maging bukal ng inspirasyon at pag-asa sa ating mga kababayan.

Hindi naman po siguro masusunog ang mga TV sets at radyo ng inyong mga suki kung paminsan-minsan ito ang inyong ibalita. Hindi naman po siguro kalabisang isipin na sa pagtaas ng iniluluwas nating coco water na mahigit 3,300 porsiyento ang inangat, may mahahagilap kayong isang magsasaka na magsasabing, “Dati, itinatapon lang ito. Ngayon napapagkakitaan na namin.”

Sa mahigit tatlong milyong pamilyang benepisyaryo ngayon ng Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, hindi naman po siguro mahirap maghanap ng isang magsasabing, “Malaking tulong ang programang ito.”

Alalahanin po natin: Anumang sinasabi n’yo ay nakakaapekto sa pananaw ng Pilipino—humuhubog sa kanyang mga kilos, sa pagtingin niya sa kanyang sarili, sa kapwa, at sa bayan.

Kapag pinaniwala si Juan na panay pangit ang nangyayari sa lipunan, talagang mawawalan siya ng dahilan para tumungo sa katuparan ng mga adhikain niya. Pero kung nakikita niyang ang dating problema ay nasusulusyonan, mag-aalab ang pag-asa, at magkakakompiyansa siyang sumulong dahil alam niyang may pagbabago na.

Marami pa ba tayong problemang kailangang tugunan, at hindi po magiging madaling lampasan ang mga ito, lalo na kung kaliwa’t kanan ang hilaw na kuru-kuro at spekulasyon.

Sa akin na po mismo manggagaling: Marami pa ring butas ang dinatnan nating sistema at hindi perpekto ang gobyerno, kaya’t kung may pagkukulang kami, ipaalam lang po ninyo.

Parati ko pong ipinapaalala, sa ilang samahan na baka tumataas ang ere: nag-uumpisa ang kaalaman sa pag-amin na hindi lahat ng kaalaman ay nasa akin.

Ako na mismo ang aamin: wala kaming monopolyo sa husay at talino, at hindi kami tama sa lahat ng sandali. Subalit hindi malulunasan ang mga problema kung sa bawat isang hakbang pasulong natin, puro paatras naman ang hila ng ilang gusto tayong ibalik sa dilim ng ating dinatnan.

Kung may paligsahan nga po sa pag-unawa’t pagtitimpi, malamang naman po gold medalist na po tayo diyan. Bahagi po kasi ito ng trabaho natin. Bahagi rin nito ang magsabi ng totoo, at sa gabing ito, inilahad ko lamang po ang katotohanang nakikita ko.

Hindi ko hinihiling na kumatha kayo ng mga gawa-gawang kuwento o pagandahin ang imahen ng gobyerno. Ang akin lang po, kung naibabalita ang mga nagaganap na krimen at trahedya, ibalita rin naman po natin sana kung paano ito naresolba. Kung inilalantad po natin ang kabulastugan, matuto naman din po sana tayong kilalanin ang mga nagagawang kabutihan. At kung may maimumungkahi kayo para lalo nating mapagbuti ang pagsisilbi sa bayan, kami po ay makikinig. Ibalanse lamang natin.

Tandaan na natin sa bawat sulat, sa bawat ulat, ay nag-iiwan kayo ng marka sa publiko, nakakaapekto kayo sa buhay ng kapwa Pilipino.

Ang pagkiling sa negatibismo ay mag-aatras lamang sa dapat sana’y pag-usad na ng ating bayan at mga kapwa Pilipino.

Patuloy po tayong magsumikap upang iangat ang antas ng propesyunalismo, integridad, at kredibilidad sa larangan ng paglilingkod-bayan; patuloy nating isabuhay, bantayan at patingkarin ang ating demokrasya.

Bilang isang lahing Pilipino, sama-sama nating isatinig at ihayag ang ating paninindigan: nandito na ang Pilipinas, tinatamasa na ng Pilipino ang pagbabagong siya rin mismo ang gumawa.

Muli, at ako po’y pagpasensyahan ninyo kung masyadong prangka nagsalita ngayong gabi. Maganda na ho siguro yung totoo ang sabihin para magkaunawan tayo nang maliwanang.

Muli po, binabati ko ang TV Patrol sa inyong ika-25 kaarawan. Maraming, maraming salamat po sa inyong paglilingkod sa bayan at more power po. Magandang gabi po.

New Addiction of a Happily Married Wife: Two Wives

TWO WIVES - my new addiction

Daddy Ren, Mommy Mai and Lil Eieo

After my months of being hooked to watching Temptation of Wife several months ago, here I come again, getting so addicted to Koreanovela, Korean Dramas. I am beginning to love Two Wives. Oopps, no. I uber love it na.

Two Wives Korean drama is awesome.

Being happily married for 6 years and committed to loving my better half for a decade, I haven’t experienced anything of this sort and I really hope and pray, with my fingers crossed, that this wouldn’t happen to me. 


It pains me to see married couples parting ways and living away from each other, having their offspring/s suffer the consequences.

Our years together, with ups and downs, tears and laughters, petty quarrels, misunderstandings, and the like, have made us stronger, closer and more committed to our vows. 


Eieo, our unico hijo, is the genuine tie that binds us together. Our hopes, dreams and aspirations would surely come true with the grace and blessings of our Almighty Father.

Our vows towards our lifetime commitment shall never cease nor fade; instead, this would grow, nourish and blossom day by day, celebrating love, life and God’s blessings. We would see to it that each would certainly be a gift, a treasure that each would handle with care and affection.

Thanks be to God. I wouldn’t be this fulfilled and overwhelmed with our marriage if not for Him and him.

My two dashing debonairs are TWO of my most wonderful gifts.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others. Kudos to my three F’s: Faith, Family and Friends.

Two Wives Korean drama is an eye-opener.

I have this addiction simply because I would want to see, feel and appreciate the beauty of getting married to my dear hubby. Seeing and feeling the emotions in the K-drama, I couldn’t just imagine myself when I would be in her, Yvonne’s shoe. And each scene makes me thank Father God for giving me Rainier Policarpio to be my man, my partner, my love, my heart, and my everything. (Eieo is my only life.)

Two wives K-drama helps me realize how blessed our marriage and love are, makes me just look into the goodness of our relationship, our lifetime commitment, and most of all, gives me the inspiration to be more contented and grateful to everything I have and own today. Each scene makes me believe that whatever trials and difficulties that may come our way, we would overcome and succeed upon.

Two Wives Korean drama is a must-see TV program for wives and hubbies out there.

Though I am the only one watching this (my hubby doesn’t want drama or any sort of this fad), this allows the couple to see how the other half is feeling, hurting or tormenting when placed in the situation. A sort of bonding experience, they could indulge the scenes while eating chips or crackers over a glass of wine or cup of coffee (while the wife’s head is on the lap of the hubby as he strokes her hair gently – so romantic).

So, my dear fellow wives out there, go and get yourself into a new addiction. Watch Two Wives daily and be thankful forever. Enjoy! 

xoxo,

Mommy Mai

Register in Stylistics : Language Registers

Register in linguistics refers to the patterns of communication used in particular settings and for specific purposes. It is often an indicator of the formality or official nature of an occasion, or a mark of authority.

Linguists make the distinction that register varies with use, rather than with the user. For example, most people's speech contains pointers, lexical, syntactical, and phonological, of their class or social status. Such speech changes register when it is altered to fit an occasion, such as appearing in court or speaking to a bureaucrat, writing a scientific paper, making a business presentation, or interacting with an older relative or small child.

Register is marked by changes in syntax, accent or phonology, vocabulary, morphology. The study of register is commonly thought of as sociolinguistics, though it is also studied by other disciplines such as pragmatic grammar and stylistics. 

Register is also identified by non-linguistic markers, such as body language and attire, The term has been used since the 1960s, when linguist Michael Halliday identified three variables or types of factors that affect register: Tenor, Field and Mode

Tenor: The relationship between the speakers matters, such as when a student is talking to a teacher, an offender to a police officer, an office worker to a superior, or a parent to an infant (baby talk). Here register is generally a marker of formality or intimacy, and commonly affects phonology, pragmatic rules, and accent.

Field: The subject of conversation or discourse matters, as particular situations call for particular kinds of vocabulary, mood etc. These variations are often called jargon, but are sometimes simply the form of a particular profession. For instance, priests use liturgical language, lawyers use 'legalese'. Philosophers use the language of subjectivity or rationality, while programmers have their own lexicon.

Mode: The medium of communication matters, such as whether it is spoken or written, and if either, on the level of formality or professionalism needed to be conveyed. Instant messaging, for example, is less formal than a handwritten letter, and a professional presentation is different from a coffee shop conversation. Here and in register determined by field, authority and expertise is being conveyed as much as formality.

There are five language registers or styles. Each level has an appropriate use that is determined by differing situations. It would certainly be inappropriate to use language and vocabulary reserve for a boyfriend or girlfriend when speaking in the classroom. Thus the appropriate language register depends upon the audience (who), the topic (what), purpose (why) and location (where).

You must control the use of language registers in order to enjoy success in every aspect and situation you encounter.

1.      Static Register

This style of communications RARELY or NEVER changes. It is “frozen” in time and content. e.g. the Pledge of Allegiance, the Lord’s Prayer, the Preamble to the US Constitution, the Alma Mater, a bibliographic reference, laws .

2.      Formal Register

This language is used in formal settings and is one-way in nature. This use of language usually follows a commonly accepted format. It is usually impersonal and formal. The common format/s for this register are speeches. e.g. sermons, rhetorical statements and questions, speeches, pronouncements made by judges,  announcements.

3.      Consultative Register

This is a standard form of communications. Users engage in a mutually accepted structure of communications. It is formal and societal expectations accompany the users of this speech. It is professional discourse. e.g. when strangers meet, communications between a superior and a subordinate, doctor & patient, lawyer & client, lawyer & judge, teacher & student, counselor & client.

 4.      Casual Register

This is informal language used by peers and friends. Slang, vulgarities and colloquialisms are normal. This is “group” language. One must be member to engage in this register. e.g. buddies, teammates, chats and emails, and blogs, and letters to friends.

5.      Intimate Register

This communications is private. It is reserved for close family members or intimate people. e.g. husband & wife, boyfriend & girlfriend, siblings, parent & children.

Rule of Language Use:

One can usually transition from one language register to an adjacent one without encountering repercussions. However, skipping one or more levels is usually considered inappropriate and even offensive.

In linguistics, a register is a variety of a language used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting. For example, when speaking in a formal setting an English speaker may be more likely to adhere more closely to prescribed grammar, pronounce words ending in -ing with a velar nasal instead of an alveolar nasal (e.g. "walking", not "walkin'"), choose more formal words (e.g. father vs. dad, child vs. kid, etc.), and refrain from using the word ain't, than when speaking in an informal setting.

As with other types of language variation, there tends to be a spectrum of registers rather than a discrete set of obviously distinct varieties – there is a countless number of registers that could be identified, with no clear boundaries. Discourse categorization is a complex problem, and even in the general definition of "register" given above (language variation defined by use not user), there are cases where other kinds of language variation, such as regional or age dialect, overlap. As a result of this complexity, there is far from consensus about the meanings of terms like "register", "field" or "tenor"; different writers' definitions of these terms are often in direct contradiction of each other. Additional terms such as diatype, genre, text types, style, acrolect, mesolect and basilect among many others may be used to cover the same or similar ground. Some prefer to restrict the domain of the term "register" to a specific vocabulary (Wardhaugh, 1986) (which one might commonly call jargon), while others argue against the use of the term altogether. These various approaches with their own "register" or set of terms and meanings fall under disciplines such as sociolinguistics, stylistics, pragmatics or systemic functional grammar.

History and Use

The term register was first used by the linguist Thomas Bertram Reid in 1956, and brought into general currency in the 1960s by a group of linguists who wanted to distinguish between variations in language according to the user (defined by variables such as social background, geography, sex and age), and variations according to use, "in the sense that each speaker has a range of varieties and choices between them at different times" (Halliday et al., 1964). The focus is on the way language is used in particular situations, such as legalese or motherese, the language of a biology research lab, of a news report, or of the bedroom.

M.A.K Halliday and R. Hasan (1976) interpret 'register' as 'the linguistic features which are typically associated with a configuration of situational features – with particular values of the field, mode and tenor...'. Field for them is 'the total event, in which the text is functioning, together with the purposive activity of the speaker or writer; includes subject-matter as one of the elements'.

Mode is 'the function of the text in the event, including both the channel taken by language – spoken or written, extempore or prepared – and its genre, rhetorical mode, as narrative, didactic, persuasive, 'phatic communion', etc.'

The tenor refers to 'the type of role interaction, the set of relevant social relations, permanent and temporary, among the participants involved.' These three values – field, mode and tenor – are thus the determining factors for the linguistic features of the text. 'The register is the set of meanings, the configuration of semantic patterns, that are typically drawn upon under the specified conditions, along with the words and structures that are used in the realization of these meanings'.

Register, in the view of M.A.K. Halliday and R. Hasan, is one of the two defining concepts of text. 'A text is a passage of discourse which is coherent in these two regards: it is coherent with respect to the context of situation, and therefore consistent in register; and it is coherent with respect to itself, and therefore cohesive'.

Register as formality scale

One of the most analyzed areas where the use of language is determined by the situation is the formality scale. Writers (especially in language teaching) have often used the term "register" as shorthand for formal/informal style, although this is an aging definition. Linguistics textbooks may use the term "tenor" instead (Halliday 1978), but increasingly prefer the term "style" – "we characterize styles as varieties of language viewed from the point of view of formality" (Trudgill, 1992) – while defining "registers" more narrowly as specialist language use related to a particular activity, such as academic jargon. There is very little agreement as to how the spectrum of formality should be divided.

In one prominent model, Martin Joos (1961) describes five styles in spoken English:

Frozen: Printed unchanging language such as Biblical quotations; often contains archaisms. Examples are the Pledge of Allegiance, wedding vows, and other "static" vocalizations that are recited in a ritualistic monotone. The wording is exactly the same every time it is spoken.

Formal: One-way participation, no interruption. Technical vocabulary or exact definitions are important. Includes presentations or introductions between strangers.

Consultative: Two-way participation. Background information is provided – prior knowledge is not assumed. "Back-channel behavior" such as "uh huh", "I see", etc. is common. Interruptions are allowed. Examples include teacher/student, doctor/patient, expert/apprentice, etc.

Casual: In-group friends and acquaintances. No background information provided. Ellipsis and slang common. Interruptions common. This is common among friends in a social setting.

Intimate: Non-public. Intonation more important than wording or grammar. Private vocabulary. Also includes non-verbal messages. This is most common among family members and close friends.

Diatype

The term diatype is sometimes used to describe language variation which is determined by its social purpose (Gregory 1967). In this formulation, language variation can be divided into two categories: dialect, for variation according to user, and diatype for variation according to use (e.g. the specialised language of an academic journal). This definition of diatype is very similar to those of register.

The distinction between dialect and diatype is not always clear; in some cases a language variety may be understood as both a dialect and a diatype.

Diatype is usually analysed in terms of field, the subject matter or setting; tenor, the participants and their relationships; and mode, the channel of communication, such as spoken, written or signed.