Register

For my post about register, I am going to quote a scene from Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream", taken from the "No Fear Shakespeare" website. On this wonderful website we can find many digitalised versions of Shakespeare's works, along with a "translation" into relatively simple modern English.

Of course, English speakers at Shakespeare's time used different vocabulary and sentence structures, which makes his works difficult to understand. Many of the words he uses can still be found in contemporary English, although we would not use them in an informal letter or phone call. They belong to a high register, which is used in formal letters and sometimes formal conversations.

The upper paragraph of the following dialogue is Shakespeare's original work, the other one is "No Fear Shakepeare's" translation. The words makred in bold in the origingal paragraphs can still be used today, but would be considered rather formal. The bold words in the translated paragraphs are less formal options for the words Shakespeare used.

BOTTOM

Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves. To bring in—God shield us!—a lion among ladies is a most dreadful thing. For there is not a more fearful wildfowl than your lion living. And we ought to look to ’t. 

Sirs, you ought to think to yourself, bringing in—God forbid!—a lion amongst ladies is really terrible. There’s no scarier wild bird than the living lion, and we should remember that.

SNOUT

Therefore another prologue must tell he is not a lion. 

So we need another prologue to tell everyone he’s not a real lion.

BOTTOM

Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must be seen through the lion’s neck. And he himself must speak through, saying thus—or to the same defect—“Ladies,” or “Fair ladies,” “I would wish you” or “I would request you” or “I would entreat you” “not to fear, not to tremble, my life for yours. If you think I come hither as a lion, it were pity of my life. No, I am no such thing. I am a man as other men are.” And there indeed let him name his name, and tell them plainly he is Snug the joiner. 

No, we can just announce the actor’s name, and let his face show through the lion costume, and have him say something himself. He should say the following, or something else to the same effect —“Ladies,” or “Lovely ladies,” “I would like to ask you” [...] or “I would like to beg you” “not to be afraid, and not to tremble with fear. I value your lives as highly as my own. If you thought I was a real lion, I would be risking my life. But no, I am not at all a lion. I am a man, just like other men.” And then he should say his name, and tell them plainly that he’s Snug the carpenter.

QUINCE

Well, it shall be so. But there is two hard things: that is, to bring the moonlight into a chamber. For, you know, Pyramus and Thisbe meet by moonlight. 

All right, that’s what we’ll do then. But there are two things we still have to figure out. How are we going to bring moonlight into a room? Because, you know, Pyramus and Thisbe meet by moonlight.

(Crowther, John, ed. “No Fear A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” SparkNotes LLC. 2005.)

This was only a short example, but maybe you want to have a look at more of Shakespeare's work and find differences in register between the original and the modern translation?