UNIT 1. LANGUAGE AS COMMUNICATION: ORAL AND WRITTEN LANGUAGE.

FACTORS
DEFINING A COMMUNICATIVE SITUATION: SENDER, LISTENER, CODE, FUNCTIONALITY
AND CONTEXT
INDEX
1. INTRODUCTION
2. LANGUAGE AS COMMUNICATION
2.1 Language definition
2.2.Language functions
2.3.Communicative competence
3.ORAL AND WRITTEN LANGUAGE
3.1.Oral language
3.2.Written language
4.FACTORS
DEFINING
A
COMMUNICATIVE
SITUATION:
LISTENER, CODE, FUNCTIONALITY AND
CONTEXT
5. CONCLUSION
6. BIBLIOGRAPHY AND LEGISLATION

1. INTRODUCTION
According to the curriculum of Primary Education, which has been specified
for the Valencian Community in Decree 108/2014, the main aim of learning a
foreign language is to acquire communicative competence, which allows the
students to understand and produce oral and written texts. This work is
essential for the development of reading skills and mastery of writing in a
coordinated and simultaneous way in the three language areas of the
Valencian Community.

This unit deals with the language as communication

and the main characteristics of oral and written
language. Moreover, the factors that define a
communicative situation are also explained in this
unit, namely the sender and the receiver of the
message, the functionality and the context.

2. LANGUAGE AS COMMUNICATION
2.1. Language Definitions.
The word language has prompted innumerable definitions. Some focus on the general concept of
language (what we call lengua or lenguaje) and some focus on the more specific notion of a language (what
we call lengua or idioma).
As it is difficult to make a precise statement about formal and functional universal properties of
language, some linguists have tried to indentify its essential defining characteristics.
The most widely acknowledged comparative approach has been the one proposed by Charles
HOCKETT. He set 13 design features of communication using spoken language: Auditory-vocal channel,
Broadcast transmission and directional reception, Rapid fading, Interchangeability, Total feedback,
Specialization, Semanticity, Arbitrariness, Discreteness, Displacement, Productivity, Traditional
transmission and Duality of pottering. As an example, we have:
- Auditory-vocal channel: sound is used between mouth and ear.
- Total feedback: speakers hear and can reflect upon everything that they say.
- Traditional transmission: language is transmitted from one generation to the next primarily by a process
of teaching and learning.
After having studied the main properties of language (what is language?) we will now see its function
(whats language for?).
2.1. Language Functions (or Communication theories)
We could mention different authors with their views about language functions, such as Malinowsky,
Grice, Searl, but Halliday and Austen will be explained with more detail:
- The British linguist Halliday (1975) identifies seven functions that language has for children in their early
years. For Halliday, children are motivated to develop language because it serves certain purposes or
functions for them. (IRIPHIR)
Instrumental: This is when the child uses language to express their needs (e.g.'Want juice')
Regulatory: This is where language is used to tell others what to do (e.g. 'Go away')
Interactional: Here language is used to make contact with others and form relationships (e.g. 'Love
you, mummy')

Personal: This is the use of language to express feelings, opinions, and individual identity (e.g. 'My
good girl')
Heuristic: This is when language is used to gain knowledge about the environment (e.g. 'What the
tractor doing?')
Imaginative: Here language is used to tell stories and jokes, and to create an imaginary environment.
Representational: The use of language to convey facts and information.
- The British philosopher J.L. Austin, was the first to draw attention to the fact that many utterances do not
communicate information but are equivalent to actions. Austen called these utterances performances, and he
found 3 types of performative acts, called locutionary act, illocutionary act. And perlocutory act.
2.3. Communicative competence
Communication is a key word for us as English teachers. Not only is it the essence of human
interaction, it is the centre of language learning.
Chomsky was one of the first language investigators to try to explain how a child learns language; he stated
that the child has an ability to generate completely novel sentences he or she has never heard before
(generative grammar).
But later, linguists such as Hymes, noted that a child does not know just a set of rules. He/she learns how and
when to use them, and to whom. He thought that a communicative and cultural dimension should be
incorporated.
Halliday considered that language is, indeed, learnt in a functional context of use. To summarize all
the above, a communicative context governs language use, and language learning implies an acquisition of
these rules of use.
Grammar is not enough, as we can be grammatically correct and socioculturally incorrect or with ill-designed
strategies. And so communication breaks down.
What is more, according to Canale and Swain, our communicative competence could be sub divided in five
different types:
The 1 type is the Grammatical Competence, that is, the capacity of producing grammatically correct
sentences, for example when we learn the order of the adjectives. The 2 type is the Discourse Competence
or the capacity to carry out different types of communicative interactions depending on the purpose of the
communicator. For instance: at the time of having an important conversation with the boss or an informal
one. The 3 division is the Sociolinguistic Capacity, that is, the capacity of producing statements suitable
for the context. As an example, we have that a waiter should not order a customer to sit down. The 4 division
deals with Strategic Competence, or the resources used by the speaker to transmit a message when the rest
of the competencies are insufficient. For instance, we can do a gesture instead of saying a word at the time of
indicating that we want someone to pass us the salt.
This model exerted a great influence in the Spanish Educational syllabus designs, where we can find 5
subcompetences including the socio-cultural competence, which implies the knowledge of certain cultural
keys which can help us to understand the meaning of messages. An example of this would be the symbol of
the pound.
Now, the Common European Framework of Reference For Languages (CEFR) sees Communicative
language competence as comprising several components: linguistic, sociolinguistic and pragmatic.
Linguistic competences include lexical, phonological, syntactical knowledge and skills and other
dimensions of language as system.
Sociolinguistic competences refer to the sociocultural conditions of language use.
Pragmatic competences are concerned with the functional use of linguistic resources (production of
language functions, speech acts). It also concerns the mastery of discourse, cohesion and coherence, the
identification of text types and forms, irony, and parody.

3. ORAL AND WRITTEN LANGUAGE.

3.1. Oral Language
Oral communication is a two-way process in which both speaker (encoder) and hearer (decoder)
must be present in the same situational context at a particular time and place (unless we talk about
special cases of oral communication such as phone conversations).
Unlike written communication, in oral interaction we can monitor the reactions of the hearer through the
feedback so that we can our speech in the course of the communication, as well as use different linguistic and
non-linguistic features (gesturing, intonation...) to make our messages clearer. Furthermore, technological
advances have produced some changes in Oral Communication; for instance: situations in which the
participants are not face to face (telephoning, video call).
Besides, Oral communication presents some possible difficulties or limitations. For example, there is not
enough time to look for the most appropriate way to express the message that we want to transmit. This
produces an excessive use of repetitions or gap fillers like err, um, well, so
However, there are also some helpers which facilitate this type of exchange of information. We will name
two important strategies:
Paralinguistic Codes or Prosodic Features which are: stress, rhythm and intonation. They
could make clearer the meaning of some ambiguous interpretations.
Paraphrasing, that is, to use different explanations for the same topic.
3.2. Written language.
On the other side, Written communication can be defined as a two-way verbal process between the encoder
of the message (writer) and the decoder and interpreter of the message (reader), by using both productive
(Writing) and receptive (Reading) skills.
Likewise, written communication also presents some difficulties: due to the fact that written texts are
elaborated on a different time and space from the readers moment, it is necessary to give several details to
facilitate the readers comprehension.
Nevertheless, the important role of new technologies has changed this type of exchanges of messages. As an
example, with SMS, e-mail or whatsApp, we obtain an instant written communication.
Unlike Oral Communication, we cannot use non-verbal communication or Prosodic Features for supporting
the written language. So we will have to consider some helpers which can make written communication
easier.
First and foremost, the time spent on the production of written texts allows us choosing the correct structures
and vocabulary for the context. Eventually, we will refer to Graphological Features which could be of
two kinds:
Spelling, that is the representation of the sounds of a language by written methods. This is an
important advantage because in written language we cannot misunderstand the meaning of certain
homophones like pair (pareja) and pear (pera).

Punctuation, that is useful for indicating the pauses, intonation and interpretation of the speech.

4.FACTORS DEFINING A COMMUNICATIVE SITUATION: LISTENER, CODE,

FUNCTIONALITY AND CONTEXT
Although it is neither the only model of communication process nor it is universally accepted. It
contains the following elements:

Transmitter: is the person who transmits a message.

Receiver: is the person or group of people to whom the message is directed to.
Message: is the meaning or content that is transmitted.
Channel: is the means through which the information is transmitted. For instance, the air
through which the sound waves circulate.
Code: it consists on a set of signs whose combinations and rules are known by both the encoder
and the decoder. For instance, the use of flags in navigation.
Context: it refers to the situation where communication takes place. This context will determine
the formality of the language. For instance, the register used in a class between a teacher and a
pupil will be different from the one used during a chat between two students in the playground.
Other authors added the purpose, topic, register, functions
The concept of linguistic function
The word function, for instance, may be considered a synonym of use. However, when dealing with
language, it is related to the way people use language. Therefore, when we refer to the functions of
language, we are actually talking about the properties of language, and the purposes it is used for by
individuals.
As stated before in point 2, there have been many different views of language functions.
(este podra ir aqu, o en elpunto 2.. o quitarlo porque ya hemos explicado algunos)
* JAKOBSON. The functions he establishes are derived from the constituents of his communicative
model:
1. Emotive: it is generated by and related to the speakers attitude. A mood is projected in this
use of language. Thus this function is related to the feelings the speaker wants to transmit.
2. Conative: it is oriented towards the addressee, and language is used to cause some effect on
the addressee, that is to say, it intends to provoke some sort of response of behaviour.
3. Referential: considered as the clearest function of language, given that its related to the
context. In this use of language, the message always deals with something different to the
speaker and addressee themselves, but they are still involved.
4. Phatic or Transactional: oriented towards the channel. As an example we may refer to the
sort of messages whose aim is just to check that the communication still exists, and which
also intend to keep the channel busy.
5. Metalingual: oriented towards the code. It makes reference to the fact that language may
serve the purpose of speaking about the language itself.
6. Poetic: oriented towards the message. The importance of communication is related to the
message itself, to its beauty, etc, that is to say, the referent loses its importance in favour of
the way something is expressed.

5. CONCLUSION
In this unit, we have seen that learning a foreign language today implies knowing how to use the
language just as a native does: knowing the structures and the vocabulary, at oral and written levels, in
a variety of circumstances and situations.
Right now, the teaching of English is more complex that it used to be. The English teacher can
not just teach structures, vocabulary or pronunciation. He/she should add a new element: the social
one. The teacher should keep in mind that the structures that he/she will teach (the code) are
transmitted within a context, through a channel, and orientated to an addressee who will interpret it. In
short, the function of the message and the factors than intervene in a communication act are aspects
which must be included in the methodology of the foreign language.
To conclude, I would like to highlight the importance of learning a foreign language to develop their communicative
competence. It is also important to bear in mind that our work as teachers has to be teaching the students to develop
their learning to learn competence. Moreover, it has to be flexible and adapted to the specific needs of our students,
because, as Rita Dunn said, If the child is not learning the way you are teaching, then you must teach in the way the
child learns.

6. BIBLIOGRAPHY AND LEGISLATION

Collins English Dictionary. Collins. Glasgow, 1992.
Crystal, D. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language. CUP. Cambridge, 1987.
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Enc. Brit. Inc. Chicago, 1990.
Halliday, M. A. K. Spoken and written Language. Geelong, Vic. Deakin University Press,
1976.
Halliday, M. A. K. Language as social semiotics. Arnold. London, 1978.
Halliday, M. A. K. Functional grammar. Arnold. London, 1982.
Halliday, M. A. K and Hasan, R. Cohesion in English. Longman. London, 1976.
Richards, J. C, Platt, J., and Platt, H. Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied
Linguistics. Longman. London, 1992.
Steinberg, D. D. Psycholinguistics. Longman. London.1982
Crystal, D. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language. C:U:P.

Organic Law 2/2006 dated May 3rd

Organic Law for the Improvement of Educational Quality (LOMCE) 8/2013, dated December 9 th
Royal Decree 1513/2006 dated December 7th
Royal Decree 126/2014, dated February 28 th
Decree 108/2014, dated July 4 th