Register
The degree of formality or informality in language use, ranging from highly formal (academic, legal, ceremonial) to informal (colloquial, slang, dialect). Register is determined by context, audience, and purpose and shapes how meaning is created.
Real World
When Sheila Birling shifts from polite formal register ('I think you're beginning to pretend now') to sharp accusation in An Inspector Calls, Priestley signals her moral awakening — the register change dramatises her transformation.
Exam Focus
Identify register shifts within a text and explain what the change signals about character, power, or theme — don't just label the register.
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