Speaking: Vocabulary for Speaking C1 - Lesson 4: Varying Lexis for Different Registers & Audiences
Welcome back! A key sign of a C1-level speaker is not just having a large vocabulary, but having a flexible one. This means skillfully choosing your words (your lexis1) to match your audience2 and the formality of the situation (the register3). Today, you'll learn how to adapt your language to sound appropriate and effective in any context.
The Three Dimensions of Lexical Choice
When you choose a word, you are subconsciously considering three things. A C1 speaker learns to do this consciously.
- 1. Formality: Is the situation formal or informal?
- Informal: "We need to **get** more money."
- Formal: "We need to **acquire** additional funding."
- 2. Precision: How specific or technical do you need to be?
- General: "My sister is a **doctor**."
- Specific/Technical: "My sister is a **pediatric oncologist**."
- 3. Audience Knowledge: What does my listener already know?
- To a non-expert: "We need to fix the part of the code that **manages how it connects** to the server."
- To an expert: "We need to debug the **API authentication**."
Lexical Sets for Different Registers
Let's look at how to express the same idea using different vocabulary sets.
Concept: "To start something"
- Formal/Official: `to commence` ("The ceremony will **commence** at 10 AM.")
- Professional/Semi-formal: `to initiate`, `to launch` ("We will **initiate** the new process next week.")
- Informal/Casual: `to kick off`, `to get started` ("Let's **kick off** the meeting.")
Concept: "A problem"
- Formal/Academic: `an impediment`, `an obstacle` ("A lack of funding is a major **impediment** to our research.")
- Professional/Semi-formal: `a challenge`, `an issue` ("We are currently facing a logistical **challenge**.")
- Informal/Casual: `a snag`, `a pickle`, `a hiccup` ("We've hit a small **snag** with the plan.")
Scenario: Explaining Your Job to Different People
Notice how Sreypov, a human resources manager, changes her vocabulary when explaining her job to two different audiences.
Scenario 1: To a fellow HR professional at a conference (Formal, Technical)
"My primary focus is on **talent acquisition** and retention. I'm currently overhauling our **onboarding process** to improve the new-hire experience and reduce our **attrition rate**."
Scenario 2: To her grandmother at a family dinner (Informal, Simple)
"My job is to **find** good people to come work for our company. After we **hire** them, I help make sure they feel welcome and have everything they need to do their job well, so that they want to **stay** with us for a long time."
Cultural Context: Formality and Respect
In many cultures, including Cambodia, choosing a more formal lexical set is a key way of showing respect, especially to those who are older or in a higher position. Using informal language or slang in such situations can be seen as highly disrespectful.
- Instead of "I need your help," (informal) try "I'd like to **request your assistance**." (formal)
- Instead of "I think that's a bad idea," (informal, blunt) try "I have some **reservations** about that **approach**." (formal, indirect)
The C1 Rule: When in doubt, always choose the more formal option. It is always safer to be too formal than too informal.
Practice Quiz: Choose the Appropriate Word
Read the situation and choose the word or phrase with the most appropriate register.
1. You are in a job interview. The interviewer asks what you do in your current role.
"I __________ a team of five marketing professionals."
A) am the boss of
B) manage
C) hang out with
→ Answer: B. `Manage` is the standard, professional verb for this context. `Am the boss of` is too informal and slightly arrogant. `Hang out with` is completely inappropriate.
2. You are emailing a university professor to ask for a deadline extension.
"I am writing to __________ an extension for the final essay."
A) ask for
B) request
C) get
→ Answer: B. `Request` is the standard formal verb for asking for something in an official or academic context.
Your Mission: The "Triple-Threat" Explanation
Your mission is to practice adapting your lexis for different audiences. This is a powerful exercise in communicative flexibility.
- Choose a concept from your work or field of study (e.g., `profit`, `democracy`, `photosynthesis`, `debugging`).
- Record yourself explaining this concept to three different audiences (30-45 seconds each).
- Audience 1: An Expert. Explain it to a colleague in your field. Use technical jargon4 freely.
- Audience 2: An Educated Non-Expert. Explain it to an intelligent friend who works in a totally different industry. Avoid jargon or define it simply.
- Audience 3: A 10-Year-Old Child. Explain it in the simplest possible terms, probably using an analogy or metaphor.
- Listen back to your three recordings. How did your choice of words change for each audience?
Vocabulary Glossary
- Lexis: (Noun) - វាក្យសព្ទ - The complete vocabulary of a language or a specific field of study. ↩
- Audience: (Noun) - អ្នកស្ដាប់ - The people listening to a speech or presentation, whose knowledge and status should influence your language choices. ↩
- Register: (Noun) - កម្រិតនៃភាសា - The level of formality in language, which varies according to the social situation. ↩
- Jargon: (Noun) - សព្ទបច្ចេកទេស - Special words or expressions used by a particular profession or group that can be difficult for others to understand. ↩
- To vary: (Verb) - ប្រែប្រួល - To change or differ according to the situation. ↩