Re: "Register" a grammatical term

> Benct Philip Jonsson <bpj@...> wrote:
>
> Could someone with access to Trask's and Crystal's
> lingyuistic dictionaries be so kind to look up how
> they define "register" as a grammatical term?
>
> Thanks,
Crystal:
(1) A term used in phonetics to refer to the voice quality produced
by a specific physiological constitution of the larnynx.  Variations
in the length, thickness and tension of the vocal cords combine to
produce (in singing) the differences between soprano, contralto,
tenor, bass, etc., voices, and also (within one person) such
differences as between 'head' (falsetto) and 'chest' voice.  Some
phoneticians use the term in a functional way in relation to speech
to refer to types of phonation which the speaker varies in a
controlled manner (as in creaky and breathy voice).
(2) In stylistics and sociolinguistics, the term refers to a variety
of language defined accordidng to its use in social situationes, e.g.
a register of scientific, religious, formal English.  In Hallidayan
linguistics, the term is seen as specifically opposed to varieties of
language defined according to the characteristics of the users (viz,
their regional or class dialect), and is given a subclassification
into field, mode and manner of discourse.

Charlie

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