In a previous blog posts (Changing English - The Cluetrain Manifesto) I discussed the importance of understanding your audience in order to help you choose which type of language to use. This is often referred to as ‘register’. In other words, if you are speaking with a friend you’ll use a completely different tone and word choice than you would speaking to a stranger. For example:

To Friend:

Hey John, pass me that paper, please?

To Stranger:

Excuse me, would you mind passing me that paper, please?

In the first instance I use the imperative - pass me that paper - a form which can sound aggressive at times and is really only used when giving instructions or speaking with close friends and family. In the second example, I use an indirect question - would you mind … - which is a rather formal construction often used with strangers and superiors.

In many languages, this changing of voice is made easy by the use of a friendly you - tu, du, etc. and a formal you - Sie, voi, etc. Unfortunately, English doesn’t have this option of using a formal ‘you’ form for more formal situations. In this case, we turn to more formal forms such as indirect questions.

Here is a fun video made in Second Life which shows an example of the difference between a formal and informal question. Notice how the formal situation uses an indirect question where as the informal situation employs a direct question. Direct questions are often considered too abrupt, and therefore more appropriate for informal situations.