Informal language is not merely a relaxed or careless version of formal language. It serves a rich range of social purposes, from building deep personal connections to managing social taboos and fostering creative linguistic innovation.
The most fundamental purpose of informal language is to create and signal closeness between participants. This operates on three dimensions:
Intimacy: the sense of personal closeness and mutual knowledge
- First names, nicknames, terms of endearment (mate, babe, love)
- Reference to shared experiences (Remember that time at Lorne?)
- Assuming high context — omitting what both parties already know
Solidarity: shared identity and mutual belonging
- In-group vocabulary, slang and shared references
- Matching the other person’s register (accommodation theory)
- Using we and us rather than I and you
Equality: reducing or eliminating social hierarchy
- Avoiding titles and formal honorifics
- Using symmetrical turn-taking (no one dominates)
- Offering face-threatening acts openly (teasing, ribbing) — only possible when equality is assumed
KEY TAKEAWAY: Informal language creates and reinforces relationships. Each colloquialism, nickname and shared in-joke is a small act of relational investment.
As introduced in the Discourse Strategies note, positive politeness strategies dominate in informal contexts. These strategies:
- Affirm the listener’s positive face (compliments, interest, inclusion)
- Build and maintain rapport
- Reduce social distance
Informal negative politeness still occurs — especially when making requests that might impose, even between friends:
- I hate to ask, but could you maybe lend me a hand?
- Sorry to bug you, but…
Informal contexts also allow for mock impoliteness or banter — apparent face-threats that are understood as playful rather than genuine insults. The success of banter depends entirely on shared social context and trust.
EXAM TIP: When you see politeness strategies in informal texts, identify whether they are positive or negative politeness, and explain what they reveal about the relationship and the face-threat being managed.
Informal language is the laboratory of language change. New words, expressions and grammatical patterns are almost always born in informal contexts before (sometimes) spreading into formal use.
Mechanisms of informal linguistic innovation:
- Neologisms: entirely new words (selfie, ghosting, mansplain)
- Semantic shift: existing words acquire new meanings (sick = excellent, wicked = impressive)
- Clipping and affixation: arvo, selfie, lit-eral-ly (emphatic)
- Borrowing: words adopted from other languages or varieties (schadenfreude, chai)
- Blending: brunch, chillax, frenemy
Youth language is a particularly powerful engine of innovation, with new slang cycling through communities rapidly.
STUDY HINT: Keep a slang vocabulary log during your study of English Language. Note new terms, their meanings, their social group of origin, and what linguistic processes created them. This living vocabulary is excellent evidence for exam responses about language change.
Informal language plays a crucial role in managing socially sensitive areas — topics that are uncomfortable or potentially threatening to discuss directly.
Negotiating taboos: informal registers permit greater directness about subjects (death, illness, sex, bodily functions) that formal registers tend to avoid or euphemise. Between close friends, dark humour and frank language can be a form of emotional support.
Building rapport: phatic communion — small talk — maintains and reinforces relationships even when no information is exchanged. How was your weekend? is not a request for a weekend itinerary; it is a ritual of social connection.
Social harmony: informal language smooths everyday interactions and reduces potential friction. Formulaic exchanges (No worries, You right?, Sounds good) lubricate social life.
In-group language serves as a badge of belonging. When a group shares:
- Specialised slang or jargon
- References to shared cultural texts
- Particular pronunciation patterns or accents
… members signal to each other: I am one of you.
The corollary of in-group inclusion is out-group exclusion: those who don’t know the code, accent or vocabulary are marked as outsiders. This is why slang changes so rapidly — when outsiders adopt in-group language, insiders often move on to new terms.
APPLICATION: In your analysis, identify whose in-group is being constructed and consider who is excluded. A group of teenagers using current youth slang is simultaneously signalling identity and excluding adults who don’t know the vocabulary.
VCAA FOCUS: Questions about the purposes of informal language require you to go beyond the obvious. Don’t just say “informal language builds friendship.” Explain how specific features achieve specific social purposes — what exactly does the shared slang term or the nickname do for the participants in this exchange?
