Understanding Communication Elements and Language Roles

Posted on Jul 9, 2025 in Other subjects

Elements of Communication Activity

Communication involves several fundamental elements that interact to convey meaning:

  • Sender: The individual or entity who initiates the communication and transmits the message. The sender decides the mode of communication.
  • Receiver: The intended audience or recipient of the message. The receiver is not passive but actively participates in decoding the message, often having a desire or need for the information.
  • Message: The content or information that the sender wishes to convey to the receiver. This content is often formulated after considering the receiver’s needs.
  • Channel (Way): The medium or method through which the message is sent from the sender to the receiver. This can include verbal communication, written text, gestures, Morse code, or audio-visual media. For example, an advertisement might use television, radio, or graphic support to convey its message.
  • Code: The system of signs, symbols, or rules used to create and interpret the message. For effective communication, both the sender and receiver must understand the same code or code system. For instance, a book uses a specific language (like Basque in the original example).
  • Reference: The reality, objects, events, feelings, or concepts that the message refers to. It is “what we are talking about.”
  • Environment (Context): The surrounding circumstances or setting in which communication takes place. The context can significantly alter the meaning of a message and the overall status of the communication.

Understanding these seven factors is crucial, though it is not always easy to grasp their full interplay.

Communicative Requirements

For effective communication, certain requirements should be met:

  1. Communication should primarily be an exchange of messages.
  2. Noise (such as channel noise or message interference) should not hinder the communication process or disadvantage any participant.
  3. Psychological barriers, including fatigue, nervousness, unintentional misunderstandings, or mistrust, should be prevented.

Language Functions

Language serves various crucial roles, often referred to as its functions:

  • 1. Referential Function: This function focuses on conveying objective information about facts, events, or the nature of things. It aims to be free of subjectivity and is often considered a primary function of language.
  • 2. Emotive (Expressive) Function: This function reflects the sender’s internal state, emotions, or attitudes. It conveys feelings and perceptions, often used to clarify the sender’s situation. For example: “This is joy!”
  • 3. Conative (Appellative) Function: This function is directed towards the receiver, aiming to influence, persuade, or elicit a response. It is frequently used in advertising language. For example: “Hey, come inside!”
  • 4. Phatic Function: This function establishes, maintains, or checks the contact and connection between the sender and receiver, ensuring the communication channel is open. For example: “And how are you? Do you understand?”
  • 5. Metalinguistic Function: This function refers to language itself, examining its code, signs, and rules. It is used when language is used to talk about language. For example: “It is not known” (referring to the meaning or grammar of a phrase).
  • 6. Poetic Function: This function emphasizes the message’s form, aesthetic qualities, and the way it is conveyed, rather than just its content. While literature often highlights this function, language can fulfill various functions, sometimes even a single one (like the referential function) in different contexts.