Looking at the context of humour; formality and register - revised

Addressing the formality’s

Weddings being a large event have a level of register higher than that of stand-up comedy yet lower than that of a political speech. Being a formal event there are several formalities which are expected at the beginning of a best man’s speech. The formalities expected to be hit are; introduction of the speakers name, praise of the groom/Bride and a toast/a few words in celebration of the wedding.

Speech one hits all of these points at a level of register which is appropriate to the level of formality required. Firstly he introduces himself; "for those of you who don't know me I am Ollie".  Here there is simplistic use of language but no slang and no casual manor yet the use of an abbreviation (don't) and assuming that Ollie is short for Oliver this shows that the register is not overly high making it available to a wider audience. After speech one, in order of register, speech three is next. This speaker also addresses all the points needed to be hit and has a slightly less formal but appropriate register. He introduces himself by saying "for those of you who don't know me my name is Raj" which is a typical introduction for a best man's speech. Again this introduces the register as friendly yet formal as this is the same as the above introduction. Members of the audience will not know the speaker, so it is important to make a point of introducing yourself.


Both speech One and Three successfully say a few words in honour of the wedding, for example in speech one; "so first of all I'd like to raise a toast". This is common phrasing for a wedding and a phrase commonly heard at weddings which makes it evident to an audience what he wishes to address. Both speeches bring this in early on as it brings a positive tone into the speech early on. In speech Three; "I'm sure you'll all agree its been a fantastic day so far".


In all these speeches (where it occurs) the highest level of formality occurs when honouring the bride/groom for example in speech one; "to two of the most beautiful and wonderful and loving people I have ever had the pleasure to have in my life" he then goes on to say "so a huge cheer to their future our incredible fortune and to everybody having a blast at this wonderful event". A triplet is used for memorable and rhythmic purposes which give the end of the phrase emphasis making it effective. Here the key feature making the language formal is the choice of lexis, being very humble for example words such as 'pleasure, incredible fortune' give the impression of greatness to the Bride and groom and words such as 'beautiful, wonderful, loving' will flatter them. The same occurs in speech three; "firstly I would like to take this opportunity to thank John for asking me to be his best man it really is an honour" with words such as 'honour, opportunity, thank'. This thankful attitude adds a sense of humbleness to the speech which will help and audience to connect with him which in turn reinforces the formality.


Next in order of formality I would rank speech Four then Two which happen to be the two American speeches. Unlike the British speeches these hit far fewer of the formalities expected of a Best man's speech. Both speeches successfully honour the bride/groom for example speech Four; "I'm extremely honoured to be here tonight to be the best man not just for my brother but one of my best friends" also using similar humbling lexis such as 'honoured', and in speech Two this occurs a number of times in honour of the bride(see speech two suggestive behaviour towards women, in table), possibly occurring too many times within the first two minuets of a speech. Speech Four unlike speech Two successfully introduces himself; "for those of you who may not know I am Rickey's younger brother Johnson". Speech Two's failure to introduce himself suggests little preparation, therefore little caring for his audience and has now missed an opportunity create a sense of unity with his audience. Neither of the speeches say anything in celebration of the event which reflects a lack of focus on the event and more focus on entertaining the audience, although entertainment is a key feature this failure to acknowledge and give thanks gives the impression of little gratitude and appreciation. The register is lowered due to a show of lack of appreciation on the speakers part.

Lexis and Semantics

Chosen lexis and semantics will effect greatly the register of a speech due to the way specific words and phrases suggest connotations and can change the manner in which a speaker addresses his audience.

The choice of lexis is generally more complex in the British speeches (one and three) in comparison to the American speeches (two and four). The more complex formal lexis in the British speeches are what gives them a higher register. For example in speech one "the formative years I have spent in the company of the groom". Here the semantic choice of polysyllabic adjectives such as 'formative' which give the reader an air of intelligence and show preparation. The use of archaic latinate language such as 'formative' also raise the register as older language is often assumed to be highly formal. Similarly in speech three the choice of specific phrases such as 'Ladies and Gentlemen' which is widely known as an address to a formal party support this level of formality.

When looking at the American speeches the general length and formal tone of the words are made less using language similar to spoken language and less like prepared speech. In speech four slang words such as "sucks" and "kinda" are introduced which are not used in the British speeches, giving a casual air. The word "kinda" shows that the speaker is not taking great care with pronunciation which reinforces a casual attitude to speech giving. In speech two the adjectives used are very simplistic and often meanings are very similar for example "when I first met Brit um obviously a great looking girl but she's much more she's amazing she's gorgeous she's beautiful she's smart she's sincere she's uh intelligent". The words 'beautiful' and 'gorgious' have meanings close to identical. Adjectives are also used incorrectly later in the speech; "I know how great my brother is so it's a great great thing" where the word 'great' is used twice in secession and three times in a sentence. The misuse of adjectives in such a way and so frequently reflects a basic understanding of language and therefore a low intelligence and/or little care and preparation.

Overall in American speeches the word choice is very basic with words no longer than three syllables. The speeches show little complex lexis, fillers and a casual tone, giving it a low register.

- Fluency Features
The American speeches (four and two) appear less prepared than the British speeches and although all speeches will be prepared speech the American speeches show many more non-fluency features. This along with the casual lexis gives the impression of little preparation which in turn lowers the register.

The British speeches commonly show pauses no more than 1 or 2 seconds other than those filled by laughter or clapping where as the American speeches seem to pause at random in mid sentence displaying a casual attitude to speech giving. For example in speech two; "yes I know (5) well I got to admit". A five second pause is an irregular length for a pause and may be seen as a breach of what is considered normal conversation; making an audience feel uncomfortable. 

The American speeches contain many more fillers which are a common feature of spoken language adding to the unprepared nature of the speeches. For example "I'm uh so young and uh handsome".

Suggestive/sexual references

Suggestive/sexual references are a common feature of humour so will often feature repeatedly in a best man's speech, yet if they are too graphic or used too often this has a tendency to lower the register and possibly offend so a speech maker must make these references with care.

In speech one the only suggestive reference which occurs is "if I am the best man then why is Kim marrying Simon"; a very lighthearted and complimentary suggestion. As highly formal lexis has very little suggestive statements this speech mimics that, which helps reflect higher sophistication. Speech three however has more graphic references yet the response from the audience being several seconds of laughter proves the jokes to be effective. For example; "this is actually the fifth time I've risen from a warm seat with a piece of paper in my hand". Although this sort of reference is quite graphic the audiences positive response and the speakers immediate back-track and repair saying; "that's a bit graphic should have saved that one for later" make the joke more acceptable, yet it does lower the register to a degree as it shows a more open and relaxed relationship between audience and speaker. Speech four has little suggestive references the only notably being "I'm so young and uh handsome", which does not much alter the register. In speech two a suggestive reference towards the bride is made were he says "every guy in this room will agree with me when I say it is a very say day for us". This is one of many compliments on the brides behalf. The excessive compliments; although flattering, may become too much as this does not focus on the wedding.