Register Studies - Volume 8, Issue 1, 2026

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine whether the British comedy drama Cold Feet could be used in English learning contexts to expose students to useful elements of natural conversation. Using additive multi-dimensional register analysis, we empirically ascertain how similar the language used in Cold Feet is to that of natural conversation. Through n-gram analysis, we furthermore examine to what extent the subtitles of Cold Feet share any register markers or style features with natural conversation in the Spoken BNC2014. The results show that Cold Feet shares many characteristics with natural conversation. It is matched closest to “conversations” on Dimension 1, but “general fiction” on Dimensions 3 and 5. Based on the findings, we provide concrete pedagogical recommendations for using the comedy drama as a classroom model with which students can critically engage to improve their linguistic awareness and conversation skills.

Abstract

In systemic functional linguistics (SFL), register is understood as the product of the interplay among context, meaning, and grammar. While various methodological approaches have explored this relationship, few studies demonstrate how corpus methods can enhance the explanatory power of SFL’s multi-stratal model of register. This paper presents a corpus-assisted analysis of contemporary Slovenian Catholic sermons, using Hasan’s model of register as the analytical framework. A small, specialized corpus of televised sermons was compiled, grammatically annotated, and analysed using computational tools that generated discourse semantic patterning graphs. The analysis focuses on visualizing semantic shifts and structural movements within and across texts to identify genre-relevant structures. The findings are interpreted in terms of ethical reasoning and argumentation, highlighting distinctive generic features of the texts. Beyond genre-specific insights, the study offers a methodological contribution to genre analysis by demonstrating how linguistic inquiry can be grounded in semantic criteria and operationalized through corpus tools.

Abstract

Corpora consisting of Levantine Arabic, the dialects spoken in Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria, include a narrow range of registers and are rarely based on a careful domain description, limiting their ability to represent the target domain. The purpose of this study is to describe the proportions of registers used within Levantine Arabic by conducting a Parameters of Language Use Survey (Hashimoto 2024), so that subsequent corpora can better represent the Levantine dialects. The registers used (e.g., conversations, song lyrics, audio/video sharing) and their frequency were identified. As expected for a traditionally oral variety of Arabic, much language use consisted of conversation (61.1%). Another 16.4% consisted of digital language use, most of which was written, reflecting a noteworthy change precipitated by the advent of Web 2.0. Results can be used to compare varieties of Arabic including MSA, and inform research and corpus design.

This article reviews Learner language, discourse and interaction: A corpus-based analysis of spoken English

This article reviews Lexical Multidimensional Analysis