Show Welcome to the Purdue OWLThis page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice. Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use. Summary: This handout will cover some of the major issues with appropriate language use: levels of language formality, deceitful language and euphemisms, slang and idiomatic expressions; using group-specific jargon; and biased/stereotypical language. When writing, it is very important to use language that fits your audience and matches purpose. Inappropriate language uses can damage your credibility, undermine your argument, or alienate your audience. This handout will cover some of the major issues with appropriate language use: levels of language formality, deceitful language and euphemisms, slang and idiomatic expressions; using group-specific jargon; and biased/stereotypical language. The following is a short overview of the different aspects of using appropriate language. Review the other sections of this handout for a more complete discussion.
Why is it important to use appropriate language in your speech?Inappropriate language uses can damage your credibility, undermine your argument, or alienate your audience.
What does it mean to use language effectively?There are six main characteristics of effective language. Effective language is: (1) concrete and specific, not vague and abstract; (2) concise, not verbose; (3) familiar, not obscure; (4) precise and clear, not inaccurate or ambiguous; (5) constructive, not destructive; and (6) appropriately formal.
What makes a speech appropriate?A speech should be clear and unambiguous so that the audience can understand it easily. If it is not clear enough to express its meaning to the audience, it will become ineffective. The message of the speech should be definite and relevant to the subject matter. The audience becomes impatient with a long speech.
What is the key factor in choosing the language to use in your speech?Clarity. The first important element of language is clarityThe use of language to make sure a speaker's ideas are understood by an audience, mirroring a speaker's intent., or the use of language to make sure the audience understands a speaker's ideas in the way the speaker intended.
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