Towards an understanding of contextual features that influence the linguistic formality of British Sign Language users

Table 1 The seven contextual features measured in this study

	Feature	Definition	Theorist(s)
Field	Socio-semiotic activity	The action(s) accompanying the communication	Halliday and Matthiessen (2013)
Field	Topic	The matter dealt with in the communication	Halliday and Matthiessen (2013)
Mode	Turn	The structure of the text (e.g. monologic vs.dialogic)	Halliday and Matthiessen (2013)
Mode	Preparedness	Whether a text is produced spontaneously or has been planned prior to the interaction	Leckie-Tarry (1995)
Tenor	Roles	The social functions played by the interlocutors	Halliday and Matthiessen (2013); Leckie-Tarry (1995)
	Power	The perceived distributions of authority between the roles	Halliday and Matthiessen (2013); Eggins (2004)
	Familiarity	How well-known the participants are to one another	Halliday and Matthiessen (2013); Eggins (2004)