Halliday's

language
function
By: Sharmine Jean D. Romualdo
 Lesson Objectives
Goal 1 Goal 2 Goal 3
Students will know the Their understanding The new information that
seven functions of a of the function of a will be introduced can help
language according to language will them evaluate the purpose
Michael Halliday. deepen. of a message.
 Michael halliday
》 Was a British linguist who studied child language acquisition.

》 He suggested that communication and language acquisition begins

before children can speak.

》 The study of his own son's linguistic behavior led to the publication

of "Learning How to Mean" in 1975.

 Halliday's seven (7)
functions of language
• Instrumental • Representational
• Personal • Heuristic
• Interactional • Imaginative
• Regulatory
 1. Instrumental
-Language is used to communicate preferences, choices, wants, or needs.

Example: "I want to..."

Classroom Experiences: Problem solving, gathering materials, role playing,

persuading.
 2. Personal
-Language is used to express individuality.

Example: "Here I am..."

Classroom Experiences: Making feelings public and interacting with others.

 3. Interactional
-Language is used to interact and plan, develop, or maintain a play or group

activity or social relationship.

Examples: "You and me...", "I'll be the cashier..."

Classroom Experiences: Structured play, dialogues and discussions, talking in

groups.
 4. Regulatory
-Language is used to control.

Examples: "Do as I tell you...", "You need..."

Classroom Experiences: Making rules in games, giving instructions, teaching.

 5. Representational
-Language is used to explain.

Examples: "I'll tell you.", "I know."

Classroom Experiences: Conveying messages, telling about the real world,

expressing a proposition.
 6. Heuristic
-Language is used to find things out, wonder, or hypothesize.

Examples: "Tell me why...", "Why did you do that?"

Classroom Experiences: Question and answer, routines, inquiry and research.

 7. Imaginative
-Language is used to create, explore, and entertain.

Examples: "Let's pretend...", "I went to my grandma's last night."

Classroom Experiences: Stories and dramatizations, rhymes, poems, and

riddles, nonsense and word play.

 “
Language is very powerful.
Language does not just describe
reality. Language creates the reality
“
it describes.

-Desmond Tutu