Intimate and Casual Speech Styles

Fill in the Blank

The _________ speech style, according to Martin Joos, is characterized by a complete absence of social inhibitions.

Fill in the Blank

The _________ speech style is used in relaxed or informal conversations between or among friends, peers, colleagues, or family.

Categorize

Options (4)

It is used in private.

The participants need to have a very close relationship.

It is used in informal situations.

Participants use nicknames to address each other.

Classify each of the following as a characteristic of the intimate speech style or the casual speech style.

Intimate Speech Style

Casual Speech Style

Multiple Select

Which of the following characteristics are present in both the intimate and the casual speech styles?

• improper grammar

• loose sentence structure

• slang and contractions

• terms of endearment

Multiple Choice

Ricardo: Hey, man. What’s up?
Ben: Nothing much. Just chillin’.
Ricardo: Have you done our homework for math?
Ben: Yup. Slaved over it and asked my mom for help last night.
Ricardo: Man, it was really difficult, wasn’t it?
Ben: Yeah. Done with yours?
Ricardo: Just now.

Which of the following speech styles is involved in the dialogue and what relationship do the participants have?

• The participants are classmates, and they make use of the casual speech style.

• The participants are siblings, and they make use of the intimate speech style.

• The participants are strangers, and they make use of the casual speech style.

• The participants are close friends, and they make use of the intimate speech style.