The nature of language Lecturer ： Yu Yu Instructor ： Prof.Wang Dan 东北林业大学

1 2 Functions of Language Contents The Structure of Language

Functions oflanguage Roman JakobsonMichael Halliday Hu Zhuanglin

Functions of Language From Jakobson J  addresser ( 发话人 )  addressee ( 受话人 )  context ( 语境 )  message ( 信息 )  code ( 语码 )  contact ( 接触 )

Functions of Language Jakobson J Emotive: to express the feelings, attitudes and emotions. Referential: to convey the message and information. Poetic: to indulge in language for its own sake. Phatic: to establish communion with others. Metalingual function: to clear up intentions and meanings. Conative: to persuade and influence others through commands and requests.

Functions of Language Jakobson J

Functions of Language Haliiday Ideational function: it constructs a modal of experience as well as logical relations. Interpersonal function: it enacts social relationships. Textual function: it creates relevance to context.

Functions of Language In conclusion, Hu Zhuanglin suggested several functions commonly accepted,namaly, Informative Function Interpersonal Function Performative Function Emotive Function Phatic Communion Recreational Function Metalingual Function

Functions of Language The Informative (Ideational function) is regarded as the most important function of language.

Functions of Language The Interpersonal function is the most important sociological use of language by which people establish social relationship between them and maintain their status in a society. In the framework of Halliday’s functional grammar,it is concerned with interaction between an addresser and an addressee as well as the addresser’s attitude toward what he speaks or writes about.

Functions of language The Performative function is primarily to change the social status of persons, it can also extend to the control of reality as on some magical or religious occasions. The language used is quite formal and even ritualized.

Functions of language The Emotive function changes the emotional status of an audience for or against someone or something. It is similar to expressive function but the latter can be totally without any implication of communication to others 国内研究动态

Functions of language The Phatic communion: It is used not to seek or convey information but has a social function of establishing contact with others which enables people to maintain a comfortable relationship without involving any factual content 国内研究动态

Functions of language The Recreational function refers to the use of language for the sheer joy of using it, such as a baby’s babbling or a chanter’s chanting.

Functions of language

The Metalingual function means that we use language to talk about language. It reveals that language can be used to talk about itself. For example: we can use a word “book” to talk about a book in reality or just a sign “b-o-o-k”itself. Language is self-reflexive. Only humans can ask such questions as what it means to communicate, to think, to be human because language enables us to talk about talking and think about thinking.

Structure of Language Structure of Language Language is a system of symbols which combine sounds with meanings.

The Structure of language

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