Second edition

Possible function

A boy talking to his mother while he does his homework	Requesting (asking) to stop doing homework
A patient talking to his doctor	Describing a physical state

One exponent can express several different functions because its function depends on the context. One function can also be expressed through different exponents. Here are five different exponents of inviting someone to lunch. In what different situations would you use them?
Informal
Lunch?
Coming for lunch?
Come for lunch with us?
Why don't you come for lunch with us?
Would you like to come to lunch with us?
We would he very pleased if you could join us for lunch. f
Formal
These exponents express different levels of formality, i.e. more or less relaxed ways of saying things. Generally speaking, formal (more socially distant) language is used in more official and important situations amongst people who do not know each other very well. Informal (more socially casual) language often occurs in relaxed situations, amongst friends, people who know each other well or treat each other in a relaxed way. Informal exponents are sometimes colloquial, i.e. very casual and conversational, such as He's off his head, i.e. crazy. There are also neutral exponents which we use when vve want to show neither great respect nor too much casualness towards the person we are talking to. They fall between formal and informal. 'Why don't you come for lunch with us?' is an example of a neutral exponent.
People usually choose to use the level of formality that suits a situation. This is called appropriacy. A teacher greeting her class could choose to say 'I'd like to wish you all a very good morning' or 'Hi, guys!'. Both of these are likely to be inappropriate (unsuitable) in many classroom situations, the first because it is too formal and the second because it is too informal. It would probably be appropriate (suitable) for the teacher to say 'Good morning, everyone' or something similar. Of course, we sometimes use inappropriate language on purpose to create some effect, e.g. a shop assistant using great formality with a customer may he signalling that he would like the customer to leave. Language that reflects the situation in which it is used is often referred to as register. 'Hi' is an example of informal register, 'A very good morning to you' an example of formal register.
и Key concepts and the language teaching classroom
Read these tips and tick the ones which are most important for you.
ф Coursebooks in the 1980s and 1990s were often organised around functions. Each new unit focused on a new function, e.g. Unit I Expressing likes and dislikes, Unit 2 Making suggestions, Unit 3 Agreeing and disagreeing. These books were based on the Functional Approach (see Unit 15).


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