Understanding Language Functions and Textual Cohesion

Language Functions in Communication

Referential Function: The act of communication focuses on the context, i.e., the topic or issue being referenced. Declarative sentences are used, and they can be affirmative or negative.

Poetic Function: Primarily used in literature. The act of communication focuses on the message itself, its provision, and how it is transmitted. Expressive resources such as rhyme and alliteration are employed.

Phatic Function: Consists of starting, stopping, continuing, or terminating communication. This involves salutations (Greetings, Hi, How are you?, etc.), farewells (Goodbye, See ya, Have a good time, etc.), and formulas to interrupt a conversation and then continue (Pardon me..., Wait a minute... As I was saying... We were talking about..., etc.).

Metalinguistic Function: Focuses on the language code itself. The code is the dominant factor.

Expository Text Characteristics

Expository text is characterized by its informative intent.

Pragmatic Characteristics:

The issuer has extensive knowledge of the subject they aim to inform about and plans their verbal performance according to the intended receiver. The issuer has informative or cooperative intent.

Code Characteristics:

High abundance of technical terms and neologisms, with a lack of examples. It is written for specialists in the material. Common code is also used, which is much simpler, with fewer technicalities, but many examples and comparisons for better understanding.

The channel used may be oral or written. The characteristics must be clarity, accuracy, and order.

Essential Statement Characteristics

Characteristics that any statement should have: clarity, order, precision, rigor.

Structural Features of Expository Texts

Structural features: Any exposition should have at least 3 parts:

1. Introduction
2. Development
3. Conclusion

Textual Cohesion

Cohesion: The web of relationships between the various elements of the text. Cohesion occurs through different procedures:

1. Repetition or Recurrence: Repeating words or phrases.
2. Replacement by Pronouns:
   • Anaphora: A pronoun replaces a term that appeared earlier in the text.
   • Cataphora: A pronoun anticipates a term that will appear later in the text.
   • Deixis: Refers to the communication process, the issuer, and the receptor. Deictic pronouns include pronouns of the 1st and 2nd person and demonstrative pronouns (this, that).
3. Markers and Connectors: Logically related markers connect statements. They differ from any syntactic function because they have no syntactic role. They are usually separated by commas and are usually recognized at first.