Session 12:
Halliday’s Language,
Culture, and
Language Society
Functions
Language is vital in every interaction. People cut across their
purpose of communication through language. These purposes may
include personal chore or whiling away time indulging in one’s
hobby or sport. It may also be interaction from social gatherings or
pursuing goals for professional and personal growth.
Language functions are used also to express the purpose or aim
in speaking by adapting the situation and place. Language
functions as “the use to which language is put on the purpose of an
utterance rather than the particular grammatical form an
utterance takes”.
Example 1: Directives (Official instruction).
Teacher : What are you doing over by window Helen?
Helen : Looking at the birds Miss.
Teacher : And what should you be doing?
Helen : (no answer)
Teacher : Go and sit down now and get on with your writing
Teacher usually use imperative, when they as their student to do
something.
Halliday’s Language Functions
• For Halliday (1978) these functions, or purpose
are very important and drive the motivation for
children to develop language. He categorizes
these functions into seven purposes.
Regulatory (Do as I tell you)
Influencing the behavior, feeling, attitudes of others. It includes the
language of rules and instructions. The Regulatory Function of
language is language used to influence the behavior of others.
Concerned with persuading/commanding/requesting other people to
do things you want. For example: Could you like to give some money?
More examples:
• “ You must submit your papers tomorrow before 12 Noon.”
• “ First, gather all the materials you will need.”
Instrumental (I want)
• This is when language is sed to get things done, or to
satisfy one’s material needs. For example, I want to
buy a car.
More Example:
• “ I want to drink milk”
• “Excuse me Mrs. Jane, can you help me with this poster?”
Interactional (Me and you)
Getting along with others to include or exclude. The Interactional Function of
language is language used to develop social relationship and ease the process
of interaction, concerned with the phobic dimension of talk. For example, I
love you and I want to live with you forever.
Example:
• “Can I please be next after you?”
•“ Do you like pancakes too, Ethan?”
Personal (Here I am)
• The Personal Function of language is language used to express the personal
preferences, identity, feelings, emotions, personality, opinion and reaction
of the speaker. Sometimes referred to as the “Here I am” function
announcing oneself to the world. For example, Toba Lake is a good place to
get refreshing.
More examples:
• “I know that movie because I saw that when I was still 5”
• “I have a pet dog”
Imaginative (Let’s Pretend)
• Creating stories, games, and new worlds. Linguistic play including
poems, rhymes, and riddles. It is used to explore the imagination
or to create imaginary system or ideas and also to tell stories,
and jokes, telling fairy tales. May also accompany play as children
crate imaginary worlds or may arise from storytelling.
Example
• If we migrate to planet Mars, I will bring my phone and
charger”
Heuristic: Tell me why
• Seeking and learning. It is used to learn and explore the
environment. Child uses language to learn, this may be
question and answers, or the kind of running commentary
that frequently accompanies children’s play.
• For example, what the tractor doing?
• Why do you like that song?
• Why can’t I go with you?
Representational : I’ve got something to tell
you
• The Representational Function of language is language used to
exchange information. It is also used to convey message with specific
reference to the process, person, object, qualities, and relations of the
world around him.
For example, Europe Island is a place that makes us to find out our
dream.
More examples:
“I made this bracelet to symbolize our friendship”
“ It is raining heavy all day”.
Identify what Language Function was used.
1. Being in the beach is better than being in the mountains.
2. Good morning! I hope you are feeling well today.
3. Cats actually are the only mammals wo do not taste
sweetness.
4. Finish answering your modules tonight.
5. Could you please help me with my projects?
