Frozen Register

Frozen register: definition

Let's begin by looking at the meaning of the frozen register:

The frozen register is often used for official and serious purposes (such as for legal matters or religious reasons). Because of this, it tends to use standard grammar and vocabulary, and full sentences. But, this is not always the case. For example, songs and poems are examples of a frozen register but can include more informal elements and non-standard language (such as abbreviations or slang).

The frozen register can also contain archaic language. This refers to old-fashioned words or phrases that were commonly used in the past, but are not commonly used today. For example, the word 'thou', which means 'you.' This word was used a lot by Shakespeare!

Frozen register: synonyms

The word frozen can have different meanings. When we talk about frozen language in English, we do not mean this type of frozen!

Fig. 1 - The frozen register has nothing to do with ice!

Instead, we mean that the language used is fixed, so is not expected to change over time.

Here are some synonyms of the word frozen. These will help you to understand the meaning of a frozen register, as all of these words have similar meanings:

• unchangeable

• fixed

• suspended

• held (in place)

• controlled

• regulated

• preserved

The opposite of the frozen register

We know some synonyms for the word 'frozen', but what about antonyms (the opposite)? The opposite of frozen, in this context, is:

Changeable

The frozen register is the only type of register that contains unchangeable language. The other registers, whether they are formal or informal, are all changeable. This means that they don't have to be recited or memorised in a certain way.

Frozen register: examples

Examples of the frozen register can be found in many official or formal texts. This includes reciting religious and legal texts, such as:

• The Lord's Prayer
• The right to silence
• Exchange of vows

Let's look at these examples of the frozen register in more detail!

Frozen register: The Lord's Prayer

The Lord's Prayer is the most well-known prayer in Christianity.

Whenever this prayer is recited, the wording stays the same. You may also notice the archaic language - some of the words used are not commonly used in conversations today. For example:

• Art means 'are.'

• Thy means 'your.'

• Thine means 'yours.'

The archaic language used in historical texts like this prayer can help us to understand how language evolves. It not only preserves the historical traditions of the past, but also shows how language has changed over time.

Frozen register: The right to silence

This is a police caution, used by the police in England and Wales. It is read to people who have been arrested and gives them the right to refuse to answer questions.

Frozen register: Exchange of vows

Vows are exchanged when people get married, to promise a lifelong commitment to one another. They can be different depending on your religion, country, and culture. In the Church of England, the typical Anglican vow is as follows:

The wording of this vow can vary slightly, but the main idea remains the same.

Fig. 2 - Wedding vows are an example of the frozen register as they typically don't change much over time.

Frozen register: sample of titles and authors

The frozen register can also be found in other texts such as poems and songs. Other examples include:

1. William Shakespeare - Hamlet
2. Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice
3. Charles Dickens - Great Expectations
4. Emily Brontë - Wuthering Heights
5. Fyodor Dostoevsky - Crime and Punishment
6. George Eliot - Middlemarch
7. Nathaniel Hawthorne - The Scarlet Letter
8. Leo Tolstoy - War and Peace

These are examples of the frozen register because the language used stays the same whenever they are recited or sung. They are not always as formal as the previous examples, which means they can use for more casual and personal language.