Language functions

One of the variables that govern appropriacy is purpose. We decide what we want to say on the basis of what purpose we wish to achieve: whether we want to agree or to invite or to congratulate somebody. All these purposes have been called language functions, since to say ‘ Congratulations’ to someone actually performs the function of congratulating as soon as the words is out of our mouth. ‘ I promise ’ performs the function of promising. With such words the relationship between word and function is easy. It is more complex when a superior says pointedly to someone else in the room ‘It’s very hot in here’ in such a way that he is clearly requesting the other person to open the window.

The realisation of many functions can often fall between these two extremes, since ‘ Would you like to come to the cinema? ’ is a transparent way of inviting, and ‘ Could you open the window? ’ is clearly performing a request function.

We will want to teach our students how to perform language functions. We may well decide which functions are more important for which levels. A problem arises, though, with the actual language used for these functions. We have already seen the request function performed in two ways (‘It’s very hot in here’ and ‘Could you open the window? ’), but we could also say ‘Please open the window’; ‘How about opening the window? ’ ‘I was wondering if you could open the window’; ‘Open the window, will you? ’; ‘Open that window for me, OK? ’; ‘Would it be possible for you to open that window? ’ and so on.

In deciding what language to teach when working with functions we need to bear in mind the level of difficulty, the level of transparency (if the meaning is clear) and the level of formality. In general, it seems safe to say that easy, transparent and neutral realisations of language functions are better for students at lower levels. At the same time difficulty, lack of transparency and extremes of formality are more suitable for more advanced students. In other words, we would teach ‘ Could you open the window? ’ before ‘Would it be possible for you to open the window? ’

Skills

Competent users of a language are proficient in a range of language skills, though not all of them have the same range of sub-skills. It will be our responsibility to see that the students’ language skills are transferred to the use of English. We will attempt to give students a grounding in the four skills. We may not be teaching them to read, write, speak and listen, but we are teaching them to read, write, listen and speak in English. And because they are dealing with a foreign language we will need to help them with the skills that they are already subconsciously familiar with in their mother tongue.

Of course, it is possible that some students may not be proficient at all the skills in their own language. Then our task will be twofold: to give them confidence in English and to equip them with hitherto unknown skills in either their own mother tongue or English.

We will be asking for an ability to perform in the four skills within the students’ language capability. At lower levels our teaching of skills will be general, becoming more refined as the students become more advanced. Thus, a writing task for beginner might involve the filling in of a form applying for a job: not a complicated writing or reading task, but necessary. Most importantly the student is using the fairly modest language ability he has to be communicatively efficient in one task.

It is now generally accepted that students can take a higher level of English in receptive skills than in the productive skills. Provided that students are helped to tackle listening and reading material they can probably handle texts which are considerably more complex than the sort of language they themselves are able to produce either in speech or writing.

Communicative efficiency in terms of the four skills means that we will expect our students to be able to perform at their given level of English and be efficient at this performance. Using language for the purpose of communication is precisely the purpose that the teacher will encourage in his treatment of the language skills for his students. However, a lot will depend on student needs and the syllabus.