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What are the different registers used in French language?

Register refers to the way oneself might express themselves in different situations and towards different people. French language distinguishes four kinds of register which are: formal register (for written work, used in newspapers like “Le Monde”), current or day-to-day register (incorporates more frequently used language structures yet maintains formality, such as in “The Guardian”), informal register (spoken only, typically between relatives and friends) and finally vulgar register (widespread throughout the youth, used strictly in spoken language and towards one’s peers, includes swears and slang).Other interesting aspects of French language are for example how inversion of verb and subject is used for formal register (“est-ce qu’on peut” = “peut-on”), individual rules and forms used to address elders, parents, relatives, peers, strangers and children (“tutoyer” and “vouvoyer”) and to ultimately master French language; the “verlan”, that is, the swapping of syllables in individual words to create a new slang term which is typically used by the youth as slang.

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Answered by Laura G. French tutor

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