Functions/Purposes of Language

1. Communication Function: The main function of language is for communicating information, ideas and
thoughts. People use language to make statements (Communication Studies is a complex course.); commands
(Get out of there!); questions (Do you believe she will pass this subject?), as well as for oaths and curses.
2. Reflective Function: We use language to recall and recapture past experiences e.g. thinking about when you
got in an accident or were in the hospital.
3. Expressive Function: Language can be used simply to express one's feelings, ideas, attitudes, without
necessarily taking the reader or listener into consideration e.g. diary, journal...
4. Ritual Function: a marking in some way of important events or stages in all human societies. Rituals are
normally a part of ceremonies which involve the repetition of a prescribed, usually written, form of language.
For example, during funerals you might hear "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust...", weddings, "I now pronounce
you husband and wife" or "for better or worse". Other examples include The Lord's Prayer or the national
anthem at school every morning.
5. Other Social Functions: A person may use a specific language or dialect of a language to express solidarity or
closeness with someone/group or to establish distance. Teenagers like you often coin words to establish a
bond among themselves from an older generation. What are some words you use that older folks like myself
might not understand?
In St. Lucia and Dominica the older people use the French creole or patois when they don't want the young
people to understand what they are saying.
6. Informative purpose: In this case language is used with the intention of giving or conveying information like a
news broadcast, a bulletin board at your school, a textbook or television guide.
7. Cognitive purpose: When language is used cognitively, it is with the intention of affecting the audience in
some way in order to evoke some type of response. Therefore when one uses language to persuade,
entertain, stir to anger or arouse sympathy, one is using language for cognitive purposes. Jokes, political
speeches and horror stories are different examples of ways in which language can be used cognitively.
8. Poetic purpose: Language used in literary, stylistic or imaginative ways is poetic. The user focuses on the
structure and pattern of the language and places emphasis on the manner in which the language is
manipulated. For example, a poem.
9. Phatic purposes: Sometimes language is used simply to establish or maintain contact among people.
Language used for phatic purposes does not necessarily seek to generate a meaningful response. For
example, when we greet each other by saying "hello" or "good morning" we are using language to maintain
social customs.
10. Metalinguistic Purpose: Simply put, this is the use of language to comment on, refer to or discuss language
itself. A critique of your friend's essay or speech is metalinguistic. When you use language to consider
language your purpose is metalinguistic.