Revisiting the Concept of Register in Systemic Functional Linguistics

Abstract

The concept of register in Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) emerged in 1960s and since then has become popular in the study of language variation. However, as noted by Giménez-Moreno (2006), register has not been used consistently and remains a “missing link” in the analysis of language variation. This article briefly outlines the formation and development of the concept of register in SFL and  compares it with other related concepts to clarify the role of register in linguistic research. The article argues  for a more  appropriate theoretical framework in analyzing registers to meet the rigid requirements of contemporary applied linguistics and discourse analysis.