varieties and registers

• In sociolinguistics, language variety, also known as lect, is a general term for any distinctive form of a language or linguistic expression.
• Linguists commonly use language variety as a cover term for any of the overlapping subcategories of a language, including dialect, register, jargon, and idiolect.
• The term dialect is derived from the Greek words dia- meaning "across, between" and legein "speak".
• A dialect is a regional or social variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.
• The term dialect is often used to characterize a way of speaking that differs from the standard variety of the language.
• Jargon refers to the specialized language of a professional or occupational group.
• American poet David Lehman has described a jargon as "the verbal sleight of hand that makes the old heart seem newly fashionable; it gives an air of novelty and specious profundity to ideas that, if stated directly, would seem superficial, stale, frivolous, or false".
• Regional dialect is a variety spoken in a particular region.
• Sociolect, also known as a social dialect, is a variety of language (or register) used by a socioeconomic class, a profession, an age group, or any other social group.
• Ethnolect is a lect spoken by a specific ethnic group, for example, Ebonics, the vernacular spoken by some African-Americans, is a type of ethnolect.
• Idiolect is the language or languages spoken by each individual, for example, if you are multilingual and can speak in different registers and styles, your idiolect compromises several languages, each with multiple registers and styles.
• Spoken language is a language produced by articulate sounds, an oral language is a produced with vocal tract and tends to convey subjective information.
• Written language is a representation of spoken or gestured by means of a writing system and must be taught to children.
• Characteristics of spoken language include variation in speed, loudness or quietness, gestures, intonation, stress, rhythm, pitch range, pausing and phrasing.
• Characteristics of written language include permanence, production time, distance, orthography, complexity, and formality.
• Register is a subset of language defined by purpose and setting.
• Register is defined as the way a speaker uses language differently in different circumstances.
• Think about the words you choose, your tone of voice, even your body language.
• A language register is a variety of a language used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting.
• A language register is a unique style or set of communication like a 'lingo', that is commonly used to a specific profession, vocation or intellectual pursuit.
• Language register is choosing a variation of communication for an appropriate context.
• Types of registers include frozen, formal, consultative, casual, intimate, and professional/academic.
• Frozen language never changes through times.
• Formal language is used when speaking in formal/official and ceremonial settings no matter how the participants are related to each other.
• Consultative language is less formal than formal language and is used in newscasting.
• Casual language is used between friends.
• Intimate language is used between lovers or other close family or friends, best friends, and couples.
• Professional/Academic language is a standard form of communication between a superior and a subordinate.
• A variety, also called "Lect", is a specific form of language or language cluster.
• This may include languages, dialects, registers, styles or other forms of language, as well as "standard variety".