Speaking: Vocabulary for Speaking C1 - Lesson 4: Varying Lexis for Different Registers & Audiences

Speaking: Vocabulary for Speaking C1

Varying Lexis for Different Registers & Audiences

What you will learn: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to skillfully choose your words (your lexis) to match your audience and the formality of the situation (the register).

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 (Register)

Informal: "We need to get more money."

Formal: "We need to acquire additional funding."

2. Precision (Specificity)

General: "My sister is a doctor."

Specific: "My sister is a pediatric oncologist."

3. Audience Knowledge

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."

Lexis in Action: Practical Examples 📈

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 hiccup` ("We've hit a small snag with the plan.")

Advanced Considerations

🌍 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.

• 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 Your Lexical Skills 🎯

💡 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.

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.

Key Vocabulary

• Lexis (Noun) | វាក្យសព្ទ
  The complete vocabulary of a language or a specific field of study.
• Audience (Noun) | អ្នកស្ដាប់
  The people listening, whose knowledge should influence your language choices.
• Register (Noun) | កម្រិតនៃភាសា
  The level of formality in language, which varies according to the social situation.
• Jargon (Noun) | សព្ទ​បច្ចេកទេស
  Special words used by a profession that can be difficult for others to understand.

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.

1. Choose a concept from your work or field of study (e.g., `profit`, `democracy`, `photosynthesis`, `debugging`).
2. Record yourself explaining this concept to three different audiences (30-45 seconds each):
   • Audience 1: An Expert. Use technical jargon freely.
   • Audience 2: An Educated Non-Expert. Avoid jargon or define it simply.
   • Audience 3: A 10-Year-Old Child. Explain it in the simplest possible terms, using an analogy.
3. Listen back to your three recordings. How did your choice of words change for each audience?