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Functions of Language

The document discusses the various functions of language according to experts Grin, Jacobson, and Halliday. It identifies the main functions of language as the informational function to convey facts, the expressive function to express feelings, the directive function to induce actions, and the aesthetic function to show beauty. Additionally, it mentions the phatic function to establish social relationships and maintain conversations. Experts have proposed additional functions such as the referential, poetic, emotive, conative, metalinguistic, instrumental, regulatory, interactional, personal, heuristic, imaginative, and representational functions.

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Mary Grace Bobares
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78 views

Functions of Language

The document discusses the various functions of language according to experts Grin, Jacobson, and Halliday. It identifies the main functions of language as the informational function to convey facts, the expressive function to express feelings, the directive function to induce actions, and the aesthetic function to show beauty. Additionally, it mentions the phatic function to establish social relationships and maintain conversations. Experts have proposed additional functions such as the referential, poetic, emotive, conative, metalinguistic, instrumental, regulatory, interactional, personal, heuristic, imaginative, and representational functions.

Uploaded by

Mary Grace Bobares
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Functions of

Language
Why is it important to know the functions of
language?

• Understanding the functions of language helps students to communicate


effectively and accurately. It also assists in helping them to develop their
skills in other language areas, such as listening and writing.

• Having a good understanding of the language functions that are specific to


their level allows students to make more meaningful connections and build
on their existing knowledge.
According to Grin (2022),
the following are the
functions of Language:
The Informational Function
This function is used to:
 Affirm or deny propositions, as in science or the statement of a
fact.
Describe the world or some reasons for it (what state of affairs
has occurred, what might have led to this situation, etc.).
Convey a truth value, and therefore contribute to logic.
The Expressive Function
The simplest examples of expressive language are various exclamations,
swear words, words of admiration, gratitude, etc. This function can be
used separately from the previous one since it doesn't deliver a message; it is
aimed to express feelings and impressions.

The expressive function of language helps readers to receive the bigger


picture of the characters' personalities and their emotions.
The Directive Function
People use it to induce specific reactions or actions. It can be a
command, a request, for example, "For your own sake, close the door".
This function is primarily common for interpersonal interaction.

According to Geoffery Leech, even one short sentence is able to represent


3 functions of language at the same time.
The Aesthetic Function
Just like an expressive function, this one can be used in fiction literature,
poetry, music, movies, and other art directions where it is necessary to
show beauty. The interesting fact about this function is that its implementation
depends on specific cultural norms.
 Hermann Jacobson had been studying this issue in 1933 by comparing
different poems and diaries to show that different generations have different
methods to apply the examples of aesthetic function.
The Phatic Function
It has a primary purpose to establish social relationships,
to maintain a conversation. A good example from British
culture is small talk when people don't aim to discuss a
topic in detail, to express their feelings, to command or
request something.
Roman Jakobson (1896-1982) has developed his own
list, providing a couple of other functions, for example:
• Referential function — is used to describe the object and its state, specific situations.
• Poetic function — exists as is in the poetic genre to distinguish it from others.
• Emotive functions — expresses emotions in exclamations and interjections.
• Conative function — is focused on the addressee and has an imperative character.
• Phatic function — is aimed to "warm-up" the dialogue, to start the conversation, or to
continue it.
• Metalinguistic function — is used when there is a need to use the language to describe
itself.
There are also some functions developed by
Michael Halliday (1925-2018).

He had been exploring child language development and distinguished


such functions as instrumental, regulatory, interactional, and
personal to satisfy the physical, emotional, and social needs of
children. And such functions like heuristic, imaginative, and
representational he described as the use of language with a primary goal
to come to terms with the child's environment.
THANK YOU FOR
LISTENING!

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