Definition
Formal language is language use characterized by:
- speech before a passive audience
- the assumption of a role by the speaker
- the use of artificial means of communication such as writing or electronics, and
- the use of a “high” dialect or language in preference to a “low” one.
Examples
(English)
Here are some examples of domains where formal language takes place:
- A sermon
- A political speech
- A lecture
- A letter
- Poetry
Sources 4
- Ferguson 1959, 329
- Crystal 1985, 125
- Britto 1986, 298, 315–316
- Fasold 1984, 35