The aim of this paper is to bring some order to the commonly used concepts of "level of language" and "register". Approaches used both in France & Great Britain are discussed, followed by the presentation of a six-stage model, starting at the widest possible level — the cultural framework — and finishing with the discursive context and actual conditions of reception of any text. The model is used to establish the relevant basis on which register can be measured. Two examples, one from journalistic discourse and the other literary, illustrate this approach.