Longman Dictionary of

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style
style n stylistic adj
1 variation in a person’s speech or writing. Style usually varies from
casual to formal according to the type of situation, the person or persons
addressed, the location, the topic discussed, etc. A particular style,
e.g. a formal style or a colloquial style, is sometimes referred to as a stylistic
variety.
Some linguists use the term “register” for a stylistic variety while others
differentiate between the two (see REGISTER).
2 style can also refer to a particular person’s use of speech or writing at
all times or to a way of speaking or writing at a particular period of
time, e.g. Dickens’ style, the style of Shakespeare, an 18th-century style
of writing.
see also STYLISTIC VARIATION
style shift n
a change in STYLE during a verbal or written communication. Usually, a
style shift takes place if the writer reassesses or redefines a particular situation.
For example, a writer may add an informal note at the end of a
formal invitation because he or she is on familiar terms with the person
the invitation is addressed to. In a job interview, an applicant may change
his or her formal style to a less formal style if the interviewer adopts a
very informal manner.
see also STYLISTIC VARIATION
stylistic variation n
differences in the speech or writing of a person or group of people according
to the situation, the topic, the addressee(s) and the location. Stylistic
variation can be observed in the use of different speech sounds, different
words or expressions, or different sentence structures.
For example, in English:
a Pronunciation: People are more likely to say /`s∂tn/ sitt’n /`me∂k ∂ °n/
mak’n instead of /`s∂t∂√/ sitting /`me∂k∂√/ making if the style is more
informal.
b Words and sentence structures:
more formal: We were somewhat dismayed by her lack of response to
our invitation.
less formal: We were rather fed up that she didn’t answer when we
invited her.
The stylistic variation of an individual or group can be measured by
analysing recorded speech and making comparisons.
see also STYLE
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