Formal and Informal Language

Formal language is language that one would use to speak to a person who is in authority or to an individual who is older than the speaker. Such language is usually spoken to an individual who is respectable or holds a high position. This language may sound a bit archaic but is still used today in the wording that appears on wedding or graduation invitations, in courts of law, and with regard to employees and high management.

Informal language is language that is spoken between individuals that hold similar positions as well as to one’s friends and/or acquaintances. Generally, this language is the more common vernacular that one hears each and every day. If teachers pay attention to students' conversations, they will find plenty of examples, including the following: Mr. Stoop's class is off the chain. Or another: My new shoes are off the hook.