LESSON 5: FUNCTIONS OF
environment
COMMUNICATION
To underscore the vital role communication
plays in our lives are the following
fundamental functions:
1. it connects and brings people
together.
2. it enables one to understand the
feelings and emotions of one another.
3. it is a tool for sharing of ideas,
opinions, and experiences.
4. it makes one learn many things and
keeps him/her abreast with times.
5. it bridges and repairs gaps to foster
harmonious relationships.
6. it gives others opportunity to
improve.
7. it is a good exercise in developing
mental processes.
8. it provides sound bases for decision
making.
9. it eases and helps find pleasure and
entertainment.
10.it is an outlet for pent-up emotions,
creativity, and ingenuity.
11.it effect change and coordination and
make group activities possible.
12.it is an important factor in
preservation of cultural heritage.
13.it facilitates the meetings of the
minds.
14.it makes things happen.
15.it draws one closer to God.
To narrow down, there are five basic
functions of communication:
1. CONTROL - communication functions
to control emotion. Communication is the
soul of government regulations, control,
and coordination. Communication creates
our national identity.
ex. the teacher asks the students to keep
quiet
2. SOCIAL INTERACTION -
communication allows individuals to
interact with others.
 communicators who keep guard of
the environment
 communicator groups which link
social units and relate them to each
other in response to the needs of the
 groups who take charge on
preservation of social heritage.
ex. Rose greets Rachel; then start talking
about their summer plans.
3. MOTIVATION - communication
encourages people to live better.
ex. Phoebe shares her insights on how to
live peacefully despite a complicated life.
4. EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION -
communication facilitates people's
expression of their feelings and emotions.
ex. a TV personality thanks the supportive
fans during an interview
5. INFORMATION DISSEMINATION -
communication functions to convey
information.
Communication democratizes information
thereby empowering people.
ex. A teacher lectures about mathematical
concepts.
Impact of Malfunction in
Communication
1. It can put people's safety at risk.
2. It can hinder youth development.
ASPECTS OF COMMUNICATION
A. VERBAL or LINGUISTIC ASPECT
This is the aspect that makes use of words.
It may be oral or written; formal or
informal.
B. The NON-VERBAL or EXTRA-
LINGUISTIC ASPECT
This aspect does not make use of words
but may enhance or change the the
linguistic code. It has 3 elements:
1. Non- linguistic elements
2. Paralinguistic Elements
3. Metalinguistic Elements
NON- LINGUISTIC ELEMENTS OF
COMMUNICATION
These are devices used in conveying
messages without entirely relying on
speech language. These non-speech
elements fall under 7 categories.
1. KINESICS - is the language of the body.
Facial expressions: Facial expressions are
one of the main indicators of someone’s
attitude. An emotional expression like a
frown or smile can be hard to consciously
control.
Physiology: This category includes changes
in body physiology like an increase in
sweat or blinking rapidly. These are nearly
impossible to deliberately control.
Eye contact: This is one of the primary
ways that human beings gauge interest or
disinterest. Wavering eyes tend to
communicate unease or even dishonesty.
2. PROXEMICS - is the language of space.
This is the measure of physical distance
between people when they communicate.
The standard amount of personal space
expected by someone varies depending on
setting and is somewhat culture-specific.
REALMS OF PERSONAL TERRITORY
•PUBLIC SPACE - (10 feet to infinity).It’s
the distance of the lecture hall, mass
meetings.
•Intimate Distance (0 to 18 inches). This is
the distance of playful wrestling and
lovemaking. Enforced closeness in crowded
elevators doesn’t count.
•PERSONAL SPACE - (18 inches to
4feet) arm’s length, available to be grasped,
held, or shoved away. Where a person
stands within this range shows the
closeness of the relationship.
•SOCIAL SPACE - (4 to 10 feet). the zone
of impersonal transaction.
3. CHRONEMICS - is the language of
time.
•Chronemics help us to understand how
people perceive and structure time in their
dialogue and relationships with others.
•Spending time with another person sends
the message that the person is important
and reflects a desire to develop or maintain
a close relationship.
three time systems
•Formal time is the time that society
formally teaches.
•Technical time is the scientific
measurement of time. This time system is
associated with the precision of keeping
time.
•Informal Time which includes concepts
such as duration, punctuality, and activity:
DURATION - pertains to how long we
allocate for a particular event. In our
schedules, we may earmark forty minutes
for grocery shopping or an hour for a
religious service.
PUNCTUALITY - is the promptness
associated with keeping time.
ACTIVITY - make sure that time is used to
accomplish something, whether it’s a task
or a social function.
4. HAPTICS - is the language of touch.
•Haptics is a form of non- verbal
communication using a sense of touch.
Some forms of Haptics communication is
Handshake, or a gentle pat on back, or a
high-five. The sense of touch allows one to
experience different sensations.
•Functional/Professional
•Social/ Polite
•Friendship/Warmth
•Love/Intimacy
5. OLFACTICS - is the language of smell.
6. ARTEFACTUAL - is the language of
objects.
•Artifacts are the things we possess that
influence how we see ourselves and that we
use to express our identity to others. They
can include rings and tattoos but may also
include brand names and logos. From
clothes to cars, watches, briefcases, purses,
and even eyeglasses, what we choose to
surround ourselves with communicates
something about our sense of self. They
may project gender, role or position, class
or status, personality, and group
membership or affiliation.
7. PHYSICAL APPEARANCE - is the
language of looks.
accessories or adornments
body cleanliness
facial features
PARALINGUISTIC ELEMENTS OF
COMMUNICATION

These include the attributes of VOICE that

accompany the words we say.

1. VOCAL QUALITY - refers to how

pleasant or unpleasant a person's voice
sounds.

2. PITCH - is the highness or lowness of

the tone.

3. TEMPO - refers to how fast or how slow

one speaks.

4. VOLUME - points to the force of the

voice or how loud or soft it goes.

5. JUNCTURES - pauses or breaks applied

between thought units or at the end of
utterances.

METALINGUISTIC - is the abstract

element that takes place in the mind of the
communicators- their awareness of the
component units of language - sounds,
words, phrases, and sentences. This
linguistic intuition makes the
speakers/listeners decide about the
grammatical acceptability of the language.