Essential Principles of Linguistics and Language Functions

Language Functions

• Referential (Thematic Context): Used when referring to another text or story.
• Emotional / Expressive (Transmitter): The issuer expresses feelings and wishes to the receiver.
• Appeals / Conative (Receiver): Appeals to the action of the receptor, encouraging them to perform a task.
• Phatic (Channel): Seeks to establish, extend, or terminate contact.
• Poetic (Message): Focuses on the structure of the message.
• Metalinguistic (Code): Language is used to describe or criticize language itself.

Language Study

Linguistics is the science that studies language and communication.

• Language: A phenomenon that serves to exchange ideas, emotions, and desires (e.g., Braille, Morse code).
• Language System: Oral and written signs tied to a particular cultural community or social group.
• Speech: The concrete realization of language at a specific time and place (the act). It is classified into individual levels.

Language = System (oral and written signs) + Speech (materialization).

Communication Dynamics

• We listen and learn language almost without realizing it.
• Speech is used by inertia; one does not need to be aware of the code, but one must know it to provide an explanation.
• All societies live in linguistic communication, which we use personally.
• Language allows for infinite performances.
• Body language is a key dynamic.

Sociolinguistic Variations

• The Spanish language is not uniform across countries or cities.
• Languages change over time, with the exception of dead languages.
• Languages adapt and enrich themselves.
• Sociolinguistic differences reflect social bias.
• Each country speaks Spanish adapted to its socio-cultural sector.
• Speech is self-regulated based on the communicative situation.
• Always consider the level of your listener and adapt your tone accordingly.
• Each group assigns unique names to objects (e.g., regional terms for shrimp).
• Standard Language: A general line of language where universal rules converge across all variations.

Levels of Linguistic Analysis

• Word + Word: Phrase
• Phrase + Phrase: Sentence
• Sentence + Sentence: Text and Discourse

Analysis Levels

• Word (Semantic Level): Semantics and lexicology.
• Sound (Phonetic/Phonological Level): Phonetics and phonology.
• Text Construction (Morphosyntactic Level): Morphology and syntax.
• Full Text Analysis (Pragmatic Level): Text linguistics and discourse analysis.