Stylistic Features of Informal texts

1. Stylistic Features of Informal texts • Phonological Patterning • Lexical choice and semantic patterning • Morphological patterning • Grammatical (syntactic) patterning

2. Phonological Patterning • Elision; the deletion of sounds in connected speech. E.G ‘nough’ instead of ‘enough’ or ‘Febri’ instead of ‘February’ • Assimilation; when sounds are altered to become more like the neighbouring sound. E.G ‘sandwich becomes ‘sanwich’ • Addition of sounds between words or syllables to make words easier to pronounce. E.G ‘idea-r-of it’, instead of ‘idea of it’ or ath-e-lete instead of athlete

3. Lexical choice and semantic patterning • The use of slang; colloquial or informal language that is peculiar to distinctive social or age groups • Features of slang are; metaphor, ellipsis and word play (creative word formation) and shortenings. • The use of swearing. It has four purposes that can overlap: as an expletive, as a way to abuse or insult, to express social solidarity, and as a stylistic choice (to mark an attitude to what is said)

4. Morphological patterning • Diminutives; a suffix added to a common or proper noun that indicates smallness and expresses affection. Usually ‘o’, y/ie (as in Tassie or smoko). Common in Australian English. • Rhyming constructions; such as hankey-pankeyand chickflick often used in the media to give writing a lively, upbeat sound.

5. Grammatical patterning • Use of non-standard sentence structures (syntax) and non-standard word structures (morphology) • Use of interrogative tags, for example ‘isn’t it?’ and ‘init?’, ‘bettern’t I?’ • ‘I had nice garden’, ‘youse all’, ‘he won’t do no harm’ ‘That’s real good’