LANGUAGE FUNCTION, HALLIDAY’S SEVEN FUNCTIONS OF LANGUAGE, FUNCTIONAL APPROACHES TO LANGUAGE TEACHING

Group 8 : Ahmad Mahfudillah Syam
               Nurhidayati

LANGUAGE FUNCTION

Functions are the main purposes that can be completed by language. It cannot be completed without the forms of language: morphemes, words, grammar rules, discourse rules, and other organizational competencies.

HALLIDAY’S SEVEN FUNCTIONS OF LANGUAGE

Michael Halliday decided the purposive nature of communication into seven different function of language:

      1.  The instrumental function, serves to manipulate the environment, to cause certain events to happen.

      2.  The regulatory function, is the control of events.

      3. The representational function, is the use of language to make statements, explain, or report reality as one sees it.

      4. The interactional function, serves to ensure social maintenance.

      5. The personal function, allows the speakers to express their feeling.

      6. The heuristic function, involve language used to acquire knowledge, to learn about the environment.

      7.  The imaginative function, serves to create imaginary systems or idea.

FUNCTIONAL APPROACHES TO LANGUAGE TEACHING

The most popular system in the practical classroom application in development of functional syllabuses is known as notional-functional syllabuses. Van Ek Alexander’s (1975) exhaustive list of language function became a basic reference for notional-functional syllabuses. The following are covered in the first several lessons of an advances-beginner’s textbook:

      1.       Introducing self and other people.

      2.       Exchanging personal information.

      3.       Asking how to spell someone’s name.

      4.       Giving commands.

      5.       Apologizing and thanking.

      6.       Identifying and describing people.

      7.      Asking for information.