6. Functions of Language

Unit 6. Functions of Language

functions of language

• Communicative

• Self-regulatory

• Representational

Language as a tool for communication

• social & communicative activities 

• initiation & development essential within family context

need to communicate begins

• child is around 18 months old.

Communication is the process by which a 

• sender & a receiver exchange information (messages) through various forms

• oral, written 

• aim of interacting with others

Language

• communication tool

• composed: arbitrary signs → must be socially established

• allow for communication with others & with themselves.

Propose a model of communication with key elements

• dual process of codification & decoding

codification

• transformation of ideas into words and their subsequent production

decoding

• words by the receiver and their transformation into mental representations, a process of recognition.

In order to use language appropriately, the child must be

able to

• Encode & decode messages quickly

• Recognise all sounds 

• Avoid using meaningless words

Language development is

• inevitably linked to the fact that the child needs to learn how to communicate.

language should be a tool that

• Facilitates interactions between people

• allowing express information, feelings, & emotions.

• Sender

• creator of the message 

• encoded the message 

code

• set of symbols or signs

• a shared system of symbols or signs used by sender & receiver.

message

the content being communicated

Channel

• the medium through which the message is sent.

context

• environment in which both sender & receiver exists

• providing background

• the situation or environment that affects how the message is interpreted.

Receiver / recipent

the person who receives and decodes the message

Human language is articulate allowing →

• unlimited number of messages & meaningful dialogue between sender and receiver.

Jakobson's Communication Model

• communication theory

• both material & immaterial elements → functions

• six constitutive factors (terms) & functions

• six constitutive factors (terms) & functions

• Addresser- sender

• Context (referential)

• Message (poetic)

• Contact (phatic)

• Code (metalinguistic)

• Addressee- receiver

Addresser- sender

emotional or expressive

Addressee- receiver

(conative)

context

subject that represents a cultural or physical reality

sender

• encodes a message using rules of language → can be received & interpreted by the receiver.

 communication model includes

• oral & written communication

message

• Constructed with a specific intention

• transmitted through a channel

• within a particular context

Factors of Jakobson's Communication Model

• Context

• Addresser (Sender)

• Addressee (Receiver)

• Contact

• Code

• Message

Context

• The co-text (other verbal signs within the same message)

• the world in which the message occurs, encompassing the physical & cultural realities the message may refer to.

Addresser (Sender)

• The individual who performs a linguistic act with intention & organization.

Addressee (Receiver)

• The person to whom the message is directed, who interprets it & determines its function.

Contact

The physical & psychological channel that connects the addresser & addressee, enabling communication.

Code

• The shared language or system of signs used by both the sender & receiver.

Message

A combination of signs organized according to specific rules to convey meaning.

Illustration

The Referential Function

• emphasizing the context factor.

• allows transmission of knowledge

he Emotional or Expressive Function

• sender to convey their attitudes, feelings, & moods, as well as their desires, wishes

The Conative Function

• receiver

• act according to the message, often through commands, requests, or questions.

The Phatic Function

• Establish, maintain, or end communication

• Check if contact is still active

The Metalinguistic or Metalingual Function

• language refers to itself

• establishing a mutual understanding of the code.

The Poetic Function

• qualities that make a verbal message a work of art.

• aesthetic qualities of language → “poetry”

Note

• Several alternative terms have been proposed for the same factors & functions.

function of context

• referential

adresser-sender

• emotive /emotional

addresser-receiver

• conative

contact

Phatic

Code

Metalingual

message

poetic

an order

 conative function

a comment on a novel 

indicate metalinguistic function

physical space where the communication takes place

• referential function

a rhyme

poetic function

a call to capture the listener´s attention 

phatic function

expressive emotion

emotional function

Are linguistic functions (Jakobson) completely distinct from one another

• No.

• Linguistic functions are not fully distinct.

• When one function is accentuated, others tend to be deemphasized, but they are still present.

• Functions often interact & merge, rather than operate in isolation.

Which linguistic functions show the strongest inverse relationship, and why is this important?

The strongest pairings are:

• Expressive ↔ Conative

• Referential ↔ Poetic

Important of referential vs. poetic:

• Poetic function dominates, reference is not removed but becomes ambiguous (Jakobson).

• Shows a struggle for dominance, not mutual exclusion.