mode (n.)

A term used in the HALLIDAYAN classification of LANGUAGE VARIETIES, referring to the MEDIUM of the language activity which determines the role played by the language in a situation. Mode (more fully, mode of discourse) primarily includes the choice of speech v. writing (along with other possible subdivisions, such as reading aloud, speech from notes, etc.), but also includes choice of format (as in newspapers, commentary, poetry, etc.). The main terms with which it contrasts are FIELD and STYLE.

A term used in TAGMEMIC analysis to label the various dimensions recognized by the theory, e.g. the distinction between PHONOLOGICAL, LEXICAL and GRAMMATICAL ‘modes’ (which constitute the main components of the theory), and between FEATURE, MANIFESTATION and DISTRIBUTION ‘modes’ (which are used to handle the UNITS of linguistic description).