What is formality?

Formality is a kind of social deixis that expresses the setting or social activity in which language use takes place.

• What is formal language?
• What is informal language?

Crystal 1980 219

Levinson 1983 91

Context for this page:

• Concept module: formality
• In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): F
• In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
• In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004

© 2004 SIL International