language functions they are the ways each individual organizes their speech depending on the message they want to convey. Language can be used to express feelings, to inform, to influence others, etc. The transmission of this message presupposes a sender, a receiver, a context, a code and a channel between the sender and the receiver.
The language functions are:
1 – Emotive or expressive function – when the language is centered on the issuer, revealing their feelings, their emotions. Ex.: “I let go of my voice on the roads/ I can't stop anymore/ My path is made of stone/ How can I dream”.
2 – Appealing or conative function – when the sender organizes the message with the objective of influencing the receiver. It is widely used in advertising messages. Ex.: Don't leave it to the last minute! Schedule your vacation.
3 – Referential or denotative function – when the sender's intention is to speak objectively about the real context. It is informational language. E.g.: Texts from newspapers, magazines, textbooks, scientific etc.
4 – Metalinguistic function – when language speaks itself, it is intended to explain the words themselves (codes). Ex.: When I say “high”, it means “stop”.
5 – Phatic function – when the language is used to confirm if in fact the sender is being heard. It is a communication channel. Ex.: Do you understand me? Right? Is not true? Etc.
6 – Poetic function - when language reveals special care with the rhythm of sentences, with the sound of words, with the play of ideas. E.g.: Literary texts, proverbs etc.
See too:
- Understand the referential function through examples
- Types of Language: Verbal, Nonverbal and Mixed
- Communication Elements
