- What is colloquial language?
- Characteristics of colloquial language
- Differences with formal language
- Examples of expressions and colloquial words
We explain what colloquial language is, its characteristics, differences with formal language and examples of its expressions.
What is colloquial language?
It is called colloquial language, colloquial speech or colloquial register to the way of speaking that we usually use in common and everyday life, in situations in which we do not need to pay particular attention to the language, or make an additional effort when communicating, as it does in formal speech or formal register.
This mode of speaks is the one with the greatest variety within the same idiom, since we do not speak in the same way in the different geographic regions existing, nor in the different strata within the same town. Since it is colloquial speech, there are no regulations, nor rules to administer it, but the most important thing is that it serves to communicate effectively on a day-to-day basis.
Thus, the daily practice of the language can be very different from what can be seen in textbooks. Colloquial speech is difficult to record in writing, since it is constantly changing, and from a certain point of view it is the use of language more real and more concrete, even when it moves away from the norms and conventions of the language. For the same reason, its use in formal, academic or prestigious situations is inappropriate.
Characteristics of colloquial language
The colloquial language is characterized by the following:
- It is a daily, informal and careless manifestation of the language, which occurs in situations of trustful social exchange, or in those in which the need to communicate quickly and effectively, instead of doing it correctly and with care, is deprived.
- It is fundamentally oral, difficult to transcribe, since it depends to a great extent on contextual and paralinguistic elements: gestures, tone, situation, environment, etc.
- You may have little respect for grammar rules, language logic, and even the correct pronunciation of words, as long as you can communicate effectively. In it, the use above the 100% standard prevails.
- In it idioms, barbarisms, neologisms and vulgarisms (rudeness). However, we should not necessarily equate colloquial or everyday language with foul or vulgar language.
- It is common to all social strata, educational levels and places of origin, but in each case it presents important margins of variety, creativity and innovation.
- It is spontaneous, short and effective.
- Messy things like Ellipse (omission of parts of the prayer), redundancy, repetition, digression, etc.
Differences with formal language
The fundamental difference between colloquial language and formal language has to do with the care of the forms, that is, with the respect that is paid to the grammatical rules and the careful selection of the words. In this it is equivalent to the rules of dress etiquette: there are situations for wearing shirts and shorts, and there are situations for wearing a suit and tie.
In this way, formal language is equivalent to a more careful, planned and correct use of the language, typical of situations in which a certain correction is needed: academic activities, conferences, exhibitions, etc. The transgressions that in the colloquial language are allowed, in the formal they are not, such as idioms, vulgarisms or sloppy expressions.
Examples of expressions and colloquial words
In Spanish, expressions and turns such as the following are part of the colloquial language:
- Use of the plural instead of the second person: "Hello, Manuel, how are we doing?" or "Let's calm down!"
- Repetition of subject: "I saw myself with María yesterday and I also told María to call you."
- Rhetorical questions or "phrases-echo": "You know? Yesterday we saw your father "
- Special use of certain conjunctions: "So you're dating and you didn't tell me anything!" or "But how big is Miguelito!"
- Use of interjections with different senses, such as "eh?", "Ah?", "Ay", "oh", "wow!", Etc.
- Use of "fossilized" imperatives or emphatic meaning, such as "come on", "come on", "hey" or "look", for example: "Look, boy, don't talk to me like that!" or “Are you going to bet everything again? Let's go!".
- Use of fillers, as in: "Then the teacher came and kind of told us to try harder."