Functions

of
Why do you communicate with
Communic others?
ation
refer to
Why do people communicate with
how others, whether it is with a friend,
humans
use a teacher, or a parent?
language Is it because someone wants
for
different something from someone else? Or
purposes. is it because someone needs
something from another person?

People do not just communicate

because people love to talk.
Humans communicate for several
Collectively, these reasons are called the
reasons.
Functions of Communication.
Each function is based on the Speaker’s purpose
for communicating.
 FUNCTIONS OF
COMMUNICATION
Regulation and
Control
Regulation
“is a rule or directive made and
maintained by an authority”
“a means of limiting or regulating

something”

In other words, communication is

mainly used by persons in authority or
representing authority to regulate or
Regulation and
Control
Control
“the power to influence or direct
people’s behavior or the course of
events”

In other words, another function of

communication is to influence or direct
people’s behavior or to limit or
regulate them.
Communication can be used to control
the behavior of human beings. It can
be used to regulate the nature and
amount of activities humans engage
in.

Examples of this include doctor’s

prescription, parent’s instructions to
their children, friends giving advice,
customers making orders, etc.
Humans need to have a sense of
control over their lives and the world
around them. Without this, we feel
powerless. That is why we use
communication for regulation or
control.
It can range from simple requests to
laws governing large countries or
territories. It is a powerful function
of language.
 "Tendjewberrymud"
Be warned, you may find yourself talking
"funny" for a while after reading this. This
has been nominated for best email of 1999.
The following is a telephone exchange
between a hotel guest and room-service at
a hotel in Asia, which was recorded and
published in the Far East Economic Review.
It's amazing, you will understand the above
word by the end of the conversation. Read
aloud for best results.
 "Tendjewberrymud"
Room Service (RS): "Morny. Ruin sorbees"
Guest (G): "Sorry, I thought I dialled room-service"
RS: "Rye..Ruin sorbees..morny! Djewish to odor
sunteen??"
G: "Uh..yes..I'd like some bacon and eggs"
RS: "Ow July den?"
G: "What??"
RS: "Ow July den?...pry, boy, pooch?"
G : "Oh, the eggs! How do I like them? Sorry,
scrambled please."
RS: "Ow July dee bayhcem...crease?"
G: "Crisp will be fine."
RS: "Hokay. An San tos?"
 "Tendjewberrymud"
G: "What?"
RS: "San tos. July San tos?"
G: "I don't think so"
RS: "No? Judo one toes??"
G: "I feel really bad about this, but I don't know
what 'judo one toes' means."
RS: "Toes! toes!...why djew Don Juan toes? Ow bow
singlish mopping we bother?"
G: "English muffin!! I've got it! You were saying
'Toast.' Fine. Yes, an English muffin will be fine."
RS: "We bother?"
G: "No..just put the bother on the side."
RS: "Wad?"
G: "I mean butter...just put it on the side."
 "Tendjewberrymud"
RS: "Copy?"
G: "Sorry?"
RS: "Copy...tea...mill?"
G: "Yes. Coffee please, and that's all."
RS: "One Minnie. Ass ruin torino fee,
strangle ache, crease baychem, tossy
singlish mopping we bother honey
sigh, and copy....rye??"
G: "Whatever you say"
RS: "Tendjewberrymud"
G: "You're welcome"
 "Tendjewberrymud"
1. What options did the room service give
in cooking the eggs order of the guest?
What did the guest want?
2. What other food did the room service
offer? How about the drinks?
3. Why is the conversation entitled as
such?
4. If you were the guest, how would you
have reacted?
5. What does the conversation tell us about
communication?
Language Forms for
Regulation and
Communication as a means of regulation
Control
and control can come in the form of
commands (imperatives) such as:

Please come in.

Get a chair.
Run!
Continue what you’re saying.
Language Forms for
Regulation and
Another form in which it can take as a form of
Control
control would be questions that influence human
behavior. They are called rhetorical questions
because they are not intended to get information.

Why don’t we go to the dining

room now?
Can you pass the salt?
Don’t you think you need a
haircut?
Language Forms for
Regulation and
Statements (also known as declaratives) may also

Control
be a form in which communication may be for
regulation/control. The idea is that when a person
says something, he or she wants the listener to do
something.
I want to be alone.
You need to hurry.
That’s not the right thing to do.
Social
Interaction
The most familiar and the primary
reason why people communicate is
to produce social interaction.
This is because people love to talk
and love to talk with each other. In
their daily course of living, human
beings develop and maintain bonds,
intimacy, relations, and
associations.
Social
Interaction
Social interaction allows
humans to be connected.
A family becomes close not
because they live under the
same roof but because each
member interacts with each
other.
Examples of this are invitations,
greetings, encouragement, marriage
proposals, etc.
Let’s be friends.
Will you marry me?
Be my activity partner.
I like you.
Hello!
It is interesting to note that by
simply interacting through
communication, humans
already form relationships
even without direct invitations
to do so.
The mere act of spending time
with a person and talking
This is why a young man trying to
develop a romantic relationship
with a woman spends a lot of
time with her.
It is also evident when parents
spend time with their children or
friends hang out together.
As Bronislaw Malinowski says, “ties
of union are created by mere
Motivation
Motivation as a function of
communication refers to a
person using language to
express desires, needs, wants,
likes and dislikes, inclinations,
choices, aspirations.
This is when the Speaker’s
purpose is to persuade another
Motivation
This is different from
Regulation and Control where
the Speaker simply directs
others and insists on his/her
own agenda.
In this function, persuasion is
used to move the Listener away
from his/her own position
Motivation
Examples of communication used
as motivation include expressing
one’s ambitions, talking about
preferences, making petitions,
and more.
Motivation as a function can be
grammatically realized usually as
declaratives but sometimes as
Forms expressing motivation include
the following:
I need…
I want…
Give me…
I dream of…
We pray for…
Do you have…?
Can I…?
This is also one of the basic
functions of human
communication. Humans have
been using communication to
obtain their needs even as
babies.
Being able to communicate what
our preferences, desires,
needs, and sentiments is
closely connected to how a
Not surprisingly, motivation can
also serve to strengthen social
interactions.
As individuals express their
preferences, goals, and
aspirations, they bond more
closely with persons who share
similarities with them.
Find a
partner.
1. Full name, Nickname (and why),
Take Age
turns
interviewi
2. Province where the family came
ng each from
other to
find out 3. Favorites/Likes
the 4. Dislikes
following:
5. Other things that the class does
not and should know
(achievements)

Then, introduce your partner to the class.

Information
Communication can be used for
giving and getting information.
This is most useful. This
function is used when the
Speaker wants to make others
aware of certain data,
concepts, and processes–
knowledge that may be useful
Information
Giving information usually
comes in the form of statement
of facts (declaratives) and
sometimes in terms of rhetorical
questions.
Getting information may come in
the form of questions intended
for getting details, of
Giving information using…
…statements

I have three brothers.

Theresian School of Cavite was
established in 1988.
Giving information using…
…a rhetorical question
Did you know that some earphones
can be used as microphones?
Getting information using…
…questions
Where is Mt. Halcon?
Did it rain last night?
Getting information using…
…declaratives
I don’t know where to find the city
hall.
I need to understand how my bill
was computed.
1. Give three examples of pieces of
information that people share
with one another on a daily
basis. Explain briefly why each
piece of information is
important.
2. What do you think are the
changes or developments that
have changed in the way people
communicate information?
Explain your answer briefly.
1. Think of different emotions that
people feel. Make a list and, as a
class, come up with one final list
of at least twelve emotions.
2. Write each emotion on a piece of
paper and put them in a box. Let
everyone pick one emotion from
the box.
3. Each student will read the
following speech in the emotion
that he or she got from the box.
Write about the time you experienced
the following emotions: proud, joyful,
angry, devastated, guilty.
Emotion What the experience was about

Proud
Joyful
Angry
Devastated
Guilty
 DON’T STOP THE MUSIC
Music should strike fire from the
heart of man, and bring tears
from the eyes of woman.
~Ludwig Van Beethoven~
 
 DON’T STOP THE MUSIC
You know, I have found that to be
so true. There is a song for every
occasion. I remember when I was
at Ridgeway campus. If my
friends needed music for a party
or just to listen to something,
they would often come to me. I
had a great collection.
 DON’T STOP THE MUSIC
Over the years I managed to pack my
computer, which had a storage
capacity of 10 gigabytes at the time,
with over 7 gigabytes of music. That
was over 2000 songs or 7000 minutes
of listening time. You could put the
player on shuffle and listen to music
for 5 days, 24 hours a day without
ever having to hear the same song
twice.
 DON’T STOP THE MUSIC
When I was ...uhh... in love...
there music to go with it. The
music took that intangible and
inexpressible feeling of being in
love and turned it into words
that made sense. And even
without words the instruments
could express it so clearly.
 DON’T STOP THE MUSIC
I could just lie down on the bed,
stare at the roof and listen.. and
I knew:“Love will find a way;
Anywhere I go ; I'm home; If you
are there beside me.”
 DON’T STOP THE MUSIC
There was music there for every mood I
was in.
 
When I felt like “getting Jiggy with it” I just
slammed the volume high on the “Woox”
bass system and I was gone. Too bad if my
neighbors were studying because I just
had to let loose. The good thing was that
even if the neighbors came banging on
the door for me to turn it down I could not
hear them! Nanananananana...nanana
 DON’T STOP THE MUSIC
Well... it didn’t always find a way. But it did at the
right time.
When I was sad I could count on the music. Not so
much to cheer me up, but to share the sadness with
me. Sometimes you need to wallow in your misery a
little and have your pity party. And perhaps even... a
good cry. Boys II Men told me to “just hold on”...
They said:
“I know you've been going through some things
The pain you hold inside's written on your face
Well, so am I, but I know things can change
Well, you can die, you can sigh, you can cry, till you’re
midnight blue
But that's not you, no, no
 DON’T STOP THE MUSIC
Then, shortly after I finished my
studies I had to sell the
computer. I lost all the music
despite my best efforts to copy
it... it was all copy-protected.
 
 DON’T STOP THE MUSIC
 That was a huge blow and I have
never gotten myself to get back
into collecting music as much as
I did then. I haven’t enjoyed
music as much as I did then.
 DON’T STOP THE MUSIC
Yesterday, as I came from work I
felt really tired and drained of
energy. So, remembering how
much music had helped me over
the years I decided to take the
long route home and listen to
some music on the way.
 DON’T STOP THE MUSIC
So I started with some Jimmy Buffet’s
“Everywhere you go you always take the
weather with you”
 
Then I remembered R. Kelly and slipped in
the CD. “Men, it’s been a while,” I thought.
Yo, Kelly, show me what you got, baby! SO
we started “stepping in the name of love”
and then we talked about how we’ve “been
around the world and gets nothin’ but
love.” That was a great song.
 DON’T STOP THE MUSIC
So if you ever feel sad, if you ever
feel lonely, if you ever feel
happy, or if you ever feel
ecstatic…
Remember: the music is there for
you no matter what your mood.
Just let the music Play.
Emotional
Expression
An emotional expression is a
manifestation of one’s internal
emotional state.
It is an important signal that
conveys a variety of information
regarding a person’s state of mind
and his or her intentions.
Emotional
Expression
Humans always need to express
their emotions both verbally or non-
verbally. Emotions are a central part
of who we are.
Beyond thinking about the things
and people in our world, we feel
about them and ourselves. Whether
it is love, fear, anger, joy hope, or
any other emotion, humans need to
Emotional
Expression
Generally, the closer the
relationship or the tighter the
familiar circle you are in, the
easier it is for you to
communicate how you feel.
Emotional
Expression
You will, for instance, show
love or anger differently to
different people depending on
how close you are to them.
Similarly, the degree of
emotion you will express will
vary with the type of social
relationship you have with
Emotional expression through
language may come in the form of
interjections or exclamations:
Yes!
Ouch!
Oh no!
Really? (expletives)
Emotional
Expression
Aside from being expressed
verbally, it is the function which is
most commonly expressed non-
verbally.
1. What do you think were the first
messages exchanged by early
humans with one another?
2. In the absence of language or
words, in what ways do you
think they expressed their
emotions?
3. What are the benefits of using
spoken language to express
one’s emotions instead of other
means?
Say something about the following
topics. What are your opinions
about them?
1. West PH Sea
2. Davao bombing
3. Ferdinand Marcos burial
4. Pak Ganern
5. New restaurants in Cavite
6. International concerts in the
Philippines
Expressing
Opinions
How about expressing opinions?
What function does it perform?

The function to which expressing an

opinion belongs depends on the
purpose and setting in which it is
done
Expressing
Opinions
For example, when a doctor or a
lawyer gives an opinion, it is likely
to be about regulation or control.
Expressing
Opinions
When a teacher gives an opinion
about a topic, it is likely to be about
information.
Expressing
Opinions
A teenage girl giving an opinion on
who among the currently popular
male celebrities is most handsome,
that is likely to be about motivation.
Expressing
Opinions
Lastly, when a teenage guy
expresses an opinion about what his
life would be now that his girlfriend
broke up with him, that is likely to
be in the realm of emotional
expression.
Expressing
Opinions
Expressing an opinion has broad
functions covering every category
of communication functions.

As long as humans communicate,

there will always be a particular use
or function to our communication
efforts.
Seatwork:
A. Identify the type of noise in each
situation.
1. Thinking about your report in Science while
having a class discussion in English
2. The speaker using a different dialect in his
speech and not saying its meaning in
Filipino/English
3. The telephone ringing in the other room
4. Watching a Korean movie without subtitle
5. Barking dogs of your neighbors
Seatwork:
B. Identify the function of communication in
each situation.
1. Asking the mall guard where the restroom is
2. Sharing how your day went while eating
dinner with the family
3. The teacher looks sharply at the noisy students
4. A younger sibling is crying because he was
teased
5. A group of boys asking the bus driver to stop
in front of the bank