Unit 4: The Functions of Language.

Extra material

This extra material is intended to provide you with additional information about
important concepts that will help you understand some ideas developed in the unit
of Functions of Language.
The first concept that you need to know is that of Codability. In the Identifying and
classifying function, you have read that languages differ in the way they identify
and classify things; that´s why certain distinctions can be made in one language
but not in others. This idea is related to the concept of codability.
Codability can be defined as the degree to which an aspect of experience can be
described by the vocabulary of the language. This means that languages differ in
the degree to which they provide words for the description or naming of particular
things, events, experiences and states.
For example, English speakers make a distinction between blue and green,
whereas some languages have a single word for this color range. Another example
is that of the Eskimo languages; they have more than 20 words to refer to different
types of snow while speakers of English have to resort to circumlocutions if they
want to draw the distinctions which these languages convey by separate words.

A second important concept that you need to know is that of speech act. This
concept is discussed in the communicating function of language.
A speech act is an utterance as a functional unit in communication. This means
that a speech act is something that is expressed by an individual that not only
presents information but performs an action as well. These are commonly taken to
include acts such as apologizing, promising, ordering, complaining, etc.
Speech acts can be classified into direct and indirect:
A direct speech act is one in which there is a direct relationship between the
structure and the communicative function of the utterance. The following examples
show that the form corresponds with the function:
A declarative is used to make a statement: “She works hard”
An interrogative is used to ask a question: “Does she work hard?”
An imperative is used to make a command: “Work hard!”
Direct speech acts therefore explicitly illustrate the intended meaning the speaker
has behind making the utterance.
An indirect speech act is one that is performed by means of another. That means
that there is an indirect relationship between the form and the function of the
utterance. The following examples show that the form does not correspond with the
function:
An interrogative is used to make a request: “Could you pass the salt?”
A declarative is used to make a request: “You are standing in front of the TV.”
The speaker does not explicitly state the intended meaning behind the utterance.
It´s the hearer´s task to analyse the utterance and understand the meaning.
Indirect speech acts are often felt to be more polite ways of performing certain
kinds of act such as to reject proposals or to make requests.