JEFFRI YHUDISTIRA

ANDITA SURYANI

IV A / TEACHING AND LEARNING

A.   LANGUAGE FUNCTION

Functions are essentially the purpose that we accomplish with language, e.g., stating, requesting, responding, greeting, parting, etc. Functions are sometimes directly related to forms.

B.   Halliday’s Seven Functions of Language

The functional approach to describing language is one that has its roots in the traditions of British linguist. Michael Halliday (1973), who provided one of the best exposition of language functions, used to term to mean the purposive nature of communication, and outlined seven different functions of language:

1.      Instrumental function serves to manipulate the environment to cause certain events to happen.

2.      Regulatory function of language is the control of events.

3.      Representational function is the use of language to make statements, convey facts and knowledge, explain, or report-that is to “represent” really as one sees is.

4.      Interactional function of language serve to ensure social maintenance.

5.      Personal function allows a speaker to express feelings, emotions, personality, “gut-level” reactions.

6.      Heuristic function involves language used to acquire knowledge, to learn about the environment.

7.      Imaginative function serve to create imaginary systems or ideas.

C.    Functional Approaches to Language Teaching

National-functional syllabuses attended to functions as organizing element of a foreign language curriculum. Structural syllabus was relegated to a secondary focus. Functional syllabuses remain today in modified form. There are first several lessons of an advanced-beginner’s textbook. New Vistas I (Brown, 1999):

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.