Variation among University Spoken and Written Registers: A New Multi-Dimensional Analysis

This paper presents a new Multi-Dimensional (MD) analysis of university spoken and written registers based on analysis of the TOEFL 2000 Spoken and Written Academic Language Corpus (T2K-SWAL), which represents a range of spoken andwritten registers typical of university life.

Abstract

This paper presents a new Multi-Dimensional (MD) analysis of university spoken and written registers. The study is based on analysis of the TOEFL 2000 Spoken and Written Academic Language Corpus (T2K-SWAL), which represents a range of spoken and written registers typical of university life, including both academic registers (e.g., classroom teaching and textbooks) and non-academic registers (e.g., service encounters and university brochures). A new factor analysis was carried out to identify four major ‘dimensions’ of variation, and the major patterns of variation among university registers are briefly described with respect to those dimensions. In conclusion, the paper notes major points of comparison to the 1988 MD model and points out future directions of research.