http://www.academia.edu/256693/functions_of_language
http://web.mst.edu/~gdoty/classes/concepts-practices/purposes.html
P
TEA
CALIM
Purposes in Writing
Jakobson’s Model
www.intcul.tohoku.ac.jp/~holden/MediatedSociety/.../Jakobson-notes.
Prepared by Professor John Lye as a synopsis of part of Roman Jakobson's "Linguistics and Poetics"
(1958)
context
referential
message
poetic
addresser
addressee
emotive
connative
contact
phatic
code
metalinguistic
Functions (italicized phrases)
The context or referential function is what is being spoken of, what is being
referred to. In the expression "PLEASE put the CAT OUT NOW!" the referential
burden of the message is "I am requesting that the domesticated cat (that is
in our care) be put outside the house (in which we now are) at this time (and
not later)".
The poetic function is the focus on the message (the use of the medium) for
its own sake. E.g. focus on the repetitions of sound values, stresses, accents.
"Just don't make a pass at every lass in the class," said Jumpin' Jack Flash.
The emotive or expressive function of language refers to the attitude of the
addresser towards that of which (or to whom) he speaks: through emphasis,
intonation, loudness, pace, etc. This is a really, really IMPORTANT point.
The phatic function is the use of language to keep people in contact with
each other, the maintenance of social relationships -- includes 'idle chat'.
Kinda interesting, eh? Like your hat, get it at the Bay?
The metalinguistic function is that use of language by which people check out
with each other whether they are 'on the same page', using the same codes in
the same contexts. Are you with me on this one?
The connative function refers to those aspects of language which aim to
create a certain response in the addressee. Learn this now!
When a person writes something, he or she has purposes for writing. The writer may have
motivations of which he or she is unaware. The writer may also have mixed, and even
contradictory, motivations for writing.
For instance, a student writing an essay for a class may wish to please the teacher and to amuse
his or her classmates. Unfortunately, what might amuse classmates the teacher could find
unacceptable.
In general, people write either because they are required to or because they choose to write for
their own reasons.
Required writing happens on the job and in school. Self-chosen writing happens in many
circumstances. Both required and self-chosen writing can be of many kinds. In either case,
reflection on different purposes for writing can help one produce the most effective piece of
writing.
Roman Jakobson's model of the communication situation provides a good framework for
classifying the varied purposes of writing.
Adapted to written communication, Jakobson's model has these parts:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Writer
Reader
Context
Message
Contact
6. Code
Writing can be seen as having six general types of purpose, each type of purpose focusing on
one of the parts of the communication model.
1. Writer: Expressive purposes. One may write simply to express one's feelings,
attitudes, ideas, and so on. This type of writing doesn't take the reader into
consideration; instead, it focuses on the writer's feelings, experience, and needs.
Expressive writing may take the form of poetry, journals, letters, and, especially,
free writing. Often, a person will do expressive writing and then be disappointed
when readers don't respond to it.
2. Reader: Conative purposes. Conative writing seeks to affect the reader.
Persuasive writing is conative; so is writing intended to entertain the reader.
Writing intended to arouse the reader's feelings is conative. Conative writing may
take about any form, so long as its intention to persuade the reader or affect the
reader emotionally.
3. Context: Informative purposes. Informative writing refers to something external
to the writing itself, with the purpose of informing the reader. For instance, this
page is informative, as are the other components of this Map. In our times,
informative writing is usually prose, although in earlier periods poetry was used
for informative purposes.
4. Message: Poetic purposes. Poetic (or literary or stylistic) purposes focus on the
message itself—on its language, on the way the elements of language are used, on
structure and pattern both on the level of phrase and of the overall composition.
Poetic writing can be in prose as well as in verse. Fiction has poetic purposes.
Anytime one writes with an emphasis on the way the language is used, one has a
poetic purpose.
5. Contact: Phatic purposes. Phatic language (and nonverbal communication)
establishes and maintains contacts between speakers or between writer and reader.
In speaking, for instance, we may greet someone by saying, "Howya doin?" or
Hozit goin?" These questions are not requests for information. They are intended
to establish and maintain friendly contact. Phatic purposes are not significant in
most writing. The use of greetings and closings in letters is one example of phatic
purpose in writing.
6. Code: Metalinguistic purposes. Comments on a piece of writing are
metalinguistic. If a student attaches a note to an essay to explain why the essay is
late, the note is metalinguistic in relation to the essay. An author's preface to a
book is another example of metalinguistic purpose in writing.
If you think about it, you will realize that many pieces of writing have more than one purpose. A
poem may be intended to arouse the feeling of sadness in the reader (conative), express the
poet's feelings (expressive), and use the language imaginatively and forcefully (poetic).
http://www.academia.edu/256693/functions_of_language
APPLICATIONS OF THESE FUNCTIONSTO THE ADVERTISEMENTS
The poster advertisement “Fake hurts real” is a part of advertising of ADIDAS shoes
company. When we talk about the message thatadvertisement conveys , we also should
mention about the stages it has toaccomplish.In proper analysis of advertisements, we start
by determining whether eachof the functions of language is present or absent. If you find
more than onefunction as present then we can create simple hierarchy between them
byidentifying dominant function.In this advertisement, we see phatic function which aims
to draw attentionof receiver. The company tries to take attention to the imitations and
their
harm to health by giving wounded naked foot with sticking plaster on it,which is similar to
Adidas original logo. Secondly, the advertisementconvinces people with the aim not to buy
imitations, which fulfills the“conative function” of language. It also appeals to a reason
(referentialfunction) which results in injuries on human foot. Two opposite words aregiven
together “fake and real” to intensify the attraction. In theadvertisement “fake hurts real”
gives some associations (referentialfunction) to the addressee :1) if you buy imitations,
your health that is symbolized by the ‘real’ is indanger , 2) if you buy Adidas which is in
orthopaedic shoes category for thead , your foot will be protected.
This advertisement directly shows the combination between phatic functionand the other
functions especially in ‘cause’ and ‘effect’ (poetic function)
relationship. The MESSAGE “Reserved for drunk people” is orientatedd irectly to the
ADDRESSEE, and shows that if a drunk driver drives a car(cause), it may result in “accident”
(effect), in other words, the result(poetic function) is ‘already’ known which is receiver’s
death orpunishment. The parking place in the advertisement includes a tree in themiddle
which symbolizes that driving will be end with a “crash”. The treein the middle attracts
attention (the phatic function) because itdifferentiates the place from being a normal
parking area.The ADDRESSER is highly concerned about what could happen to drunk
drivers (the expressive function), also the utterance explains an objectivetruth (referential
function). The advertising message clearly aims to give amoral value. Morever, it shows this
with the possible consequence-theadreessee’s accident in very striking way, which
contains the conative andpoetic function. We can also find the ‘conative function’ behind
the hiddenimperative meaning which indirectly orders drivers not to drive a car whenthey
are not sober.‘JUST DO IT’
This is one of the series advertisement of NIKE shoes company. TheMESSAGE (poetic
function) directly includes a ‘conative function’ which isoriented toward ADDRESSEE by an
imperative sentence “JUST DO IT”.The image of a child peeing against a wall can be
associated with“freedom”, “ independence” , “ out of borders of civilized world”. Itconvinces
(the conative function) that “ you are free in your life, so dowhatever you want !”. Moreover,
it is important to emphazise that the childin the advertisement is black. The CONTEXT
“ JUST DO IT” also showsit is not just for white people, it is also for black ones to get
theirindependence, again it has a connotation of “freedom” or ‘out of others’control’.
However, ironically the dog near the child refers to thecomparison betweeen them. Dog
uses nature to pee especially walls ortrees, which indirectly has a MESSAGE that you dont
need to live in aconcept of civilized world.The advertisement draws attention (phatic
function) by providing manyoppositions: the skin colour of the child is “black” whereas dog
is “white”,and this is an advertisement of well-known shoe brand NIKE, but the littlechild
has no shoes to wear. The ad draws the ADRESSEE into acting as s/hewants ( the conative
and referential functions). This combination of twofunctions is clearly the most important,
and the others are subordinate.