Language functions and notions
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This document discusses language functions and notions. It identifies several key characteristics of human language including that language can be used to talk about language itself (metalinguistic). It also outlines M.A.K. Halliday's model of language which describes three metafunctions: ideational, interpersonal, and contextual. Several common language functions are defined such as informative, interrogative, interpersonal, and recreational. Finally, it lists and describes several common language notions including existential, spatial, temporal, and relational notions.
Language functions and notions
- 1. LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS AND NOTIONS By Maria Tri Yuditia Yandres Lao English Study Program Faculty Of Teacher Training And Educational Sciences SAN PEDRO UNIVERSITY
- 2. LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS All human languages have certain characteristics in common and linguists have identified these characteristics as defining features of human language, which set human languages apart from animal cry systems, these features are called design features. Metalingual: the use of language to talk about language itself. This makes language infinitely self-reflexive: We human beings can talk about talk and think about thinking, and thus only humans can ask what it means to communicate, to think, to be human.
- 3. Metafunctions of Language: M. A. K. Halliday’s Model---- Ideational: Constructs a model of experience and constructs logical relations ( through transitive system) (Linguistic Constructionism) Interpersonal: enacts social relationships (through mood and modality) Contextual: creates relevance to context (through coherence and cohesion)
- 4. FUNCTIONS OF LANGUAGE Informative: Language serves an informative function when it is used to tell what the speaker believes, to give information about facts, or to reason things out. By use of Declarative Sentences Interrogative: When language is used to get information from others, it serves an interrogative function Through Questions that expect answers.
- 5. Interpersonal : Language serves an interpersonal function when it is used to establish and maintain their status in a society. Five sub-categories of interpersonal function: performative, directive, emotive, expressive, and phatic. Performative: the use of language to “do things”, to perform actions. Through quite formal and even ritualized language.
- 6. Directive: When language is used to get the hearer do something, it serves a directive function. Most Imperative sentences. Emotive : the use of language to create certain feelings in the hearer. Through Jokes, Advertising, Propaganda, etc. Expressive: the use of language to reveal something about the feelings and attitudes of the speaker. Through Exclamations, etc.
- 7. Phatic: the use of language to establish an atmosphere or maintaining social contact. E.g. Greetings, Farewells, and Comments on the weather, etc. Recreational: the use of language for the sheer joy of using it. E.g. baby’s babbling, poetry, etc.
- 8. LANGUAGE NOTIONS The notion of “language” is subject to radical reframing in any unprecedented context, and indeed, albeit subtly, in any actual unexampled use
- 9. NOTIONS OF LANGUAGE IN GENERAL Existential Mental Spatial Relational Dimension Contrastive relation Temporal Possessive relation Quantitative Logical relation Qualitative Deixis Evaluative Semi deictics
- 10. Existential: to explain the Dimension: to express existence of something; a measurement of any existence, non-existence sort; There is + NP size There is no + NP (not) big, tall, high, deep presence, absence length (not) here, (not) there inch, foot, yard, mile Temporal: to express Spatial: to express something in a certain location; something through a location certain thing related to here, there time/sequence or where? number; relative position points of time in, on, under, behind, near direction number (1 – 12) + o’clock here, away, up, down, left, right sequence first, then
- 11. Quantitative: to express Mental: to reveal reflection something related to quantity; and expression; number reflection singular/plural to hope, to know, to think quantity expression (not +) all, much, many, enough, to say, to ask, to write Qualitative: to express Relational: to express the something concerned to quality; connection in sentence; shape agency round – agent as subject NP (as in: My cat visibility, sight eats fish): see, light, dark, look objective Evaluative: to express something – objective as object NP (as in: He eats fish) through value; dative value, price – to + NP (as in: Give the book to How much? me) adequacy (not) OK,
- 12. Contrastive relation: to Logical relation: to show express sth contrast / to the logical parallel; compare; conjunction equality/inequality – and, but – (not) the same (as + NP), another cause contrast – why? – (not) like – because of + NP – comparative degree + than + NP Deixis: the use of parts of Possessive relation: to speech specifically; express ownership, possession; Semi deictics: Generic nouns ownership, possession may be used in a deictic, more – possessive adjectives: my, your, his particularly an anaphoric her, our, their function e.g. person, people, man, woman, boy, girl, child, – possessive pronouns: mine, yours, animal, plant, thing, stuff, place, his, hers, ours, theirs time, way (as in: I know Bill well and I like the man)
- 13. NOTIONS OF LANGUAGE IN SPECIFIC The personal domain: The Public Domain: to to explain and elaborate explain and elaborate personality and things things in general/ related to a person such about public as; name, address, age, places/equipment sex, etc.