Elements and Functions of Communication: A Comprehensive Guide

Posted on Sep 23, 2024 in Language

Communication: An Overview

Communication is the process of transmitting information.

Elements of Communication

  • Emitter (Sender): The origin of the communication act.
  • Receiver: The recipient of the communication act.
  • Message: The information transmitted from sender to receiver.
  • Channel: The medium through which the message is transmitted (e.g., air, touch, telephone, mail).
  • Context: The situation in which the communication takes place.
  • Code: A systematized set of signs and rules that govern their use.

Types of Signs

  • Natural Signs: Inherent and directly perceived (e.g., touch: a hug, taste: flavors, olfactory: smell, visual: images, hearing: sounds).
  • Artificial Signs: Conventional and arbitrary (e.g., icons: pictures, symbols: flags).

Functions of Language

  • Representative Function: Conveying information through declarative sentences (e.g., “I will not go to the picnic.”).
  • Expressive Function: Expressing emotions or feelings through exclamatory or interrogative sentences (e.g., “Oh, how wonderful my girl is!”).
  • Appealing Function: Influencing the receiver’s behavior through commands or requests (e.g., “Peter, come here!”).
  • Phatic Function: Establishing or maintaining social contact (e.g., “Okay? Right?”).
  • Metalinguistic Function: Referring to the language itself (e.g., using specific grammatical terms).
  • Poetic Function: Using language aesthetically to evoke emotions or create imagery (e.g., rhymes, comparisons).

Linguistic Signs

Artificial signs composed of:

  • Signifier: The physical form of the sign (e.g., letters forming words).
  • Meaning: The concept represented by the sign.
  • Referent: The actual object or phenomenon the sign refers to.

Characteristics of Linguistic Signs

  • Conventional: The relationship between signifier and meaning is based on social agreement.
  • Arbitrary: There is no inherent connection between the signifier and the meaning.
  • Mutable: The meaning of signs can evolve over time.
  • Linear: Signs are produced and perceived in a linear sequence.
  • Articulated: Signs can be broken down into smaller meaningful units (morphemes) and further into meaningless units (phonemes).

Narrative

The art of storytelling, recounting real or imagined events involving characters in a specific time and space.

Elements of Narrative

  • Narrator: The voice that tells the story.
  • Characters: The individuals who drive the events of the narrative.
  • Time: The duration and pacing of the story.
  • Space: The setting where the story unfolds.

Types of Characters

  • Type Characters: Possess generic traits.
  • Individualized Characters: Have unique and specific traits.
  • Flat Characters: Remain unchanged throughout the story.
  • Round Characters: Evolve and change over the course of the narrative.

Description

Using language to depict the characteristics and qualities of objects, people, places, or experiences.

Types of Description

  • Technical Description: Objective and factual, aiming for accuracy and precision.
  • Literary Description: Subjective and evocative, aiming to create an aesthetic experience.

Descriptive Techniques

  • Listing: Accumulating adjectives to describe the subject.
  • Comparison: Highlighting similarities or differences with other objects.
  • Metaphor: Creating a figurative comparison to enhance imagery.

Exposition

Presenting information clearly and objectively to enhance the receiver’s understanding.

Types of Exposition

  • Informative Exposition: Providing straightforward information in an accessible manner.
  • Specialized Exposition: Addressing complex or technical topics for a specific audience.

Expositional Structures

  • Analytical: Deductive reasoning, presenting the main idea at the beginning.
  • Synthesizing: Inductive reasoning, building towards a concluding thesis.
  • Parallel: Presenting equally important ideas without subordination.
  • Framed: Introducing the main idea at the beginning and reiterating it in the conclusion.

Argumentation

Presenting reasons and evidence to support or refute a particular claim or idea.

Elements of Argumentation

  • Argument: The central claim being defended.
  • Development: The reasoning and evidence presented to support the argument.
  • Conclusion: The final affirmation derived from the argument and its development.

Types of Arguments

  • Rational Arguments: Based on logic and reasoning (e.g., syllogisms, arguments from authority).
  • Emotional Arguments: Appealing to the audience’s emotions or values.

Levels of Language Organization

  1. Phonological Level: The study of sounds in language (phonemes).
  2. Morphological Level: The study of word formation (morphemes).
  3. Semantic Level: The study of meaning in language.
  4. Syntactic Level: The study of sentence structure and grammar.

Text and Discourse

Text

A cohesive and coherent unit of communication consisting of sentences that contribute to a unified message.

Properties of Text

  • Adequacy: Appropriateness to the communicative situation.
  • Consistency: Logical coherence and absence of contradictions.
  • Cohesion: The use of linguistic devices to connect ideas smoothly.

Textual Coherence

The logical connection of ideas in a text, ensuring clarity and meaningfulness.

Textual Cohesion

The use of linguistic elements to link sentences and paragraphs, enhancing readability and understanding.

Cohesive Devices

  • Recurrence: Repetition of keywords or phrases.
  • Lexical Reiteration: Using synonyms or related words.
  • Ellipsis: Omitting words or phrases that can be inferred from the context.
  • Connectors: Using conjunctions, adverbs, and other linking words.

Discourse Markers

: they express transitions and connections with related mental prayer the sense general.Hay 2 types of markers: the sentence modifiers advervios, and markers of textual function. literary genre