• What is the phatic function of language?
• Phatic function resources
• Examples of the phatic function
• Other language functions

We explain what the phatic function of language is, its resources and various examples. In addition, other functions of the language.

The phatic function uses speeches without their own meaning but which verify communication.

What is the phatic function of language?

The phatic function is one of the six functions (i.e. usage possibilities) of the language, as identified by the Russian linguist and phonologist Roman Jackobson (1896-1982) in his 1958 information theory. Language functions come off the communication factors (sender, receiver, message, code and canal) traditionally identified, and enhance the previous work of the German linguist Karl Bühler (1879-1963).

The phatic function of language, also known as the relational function, is one that focuses on the communication channel that allows the physical transmission of the information between sender and receiver. In the case, for example, of spoken language, the channel is the sound waves of the voice, transmitted through the air.

This means that the phatic function takes place when language is used to verify the availability and suitability of the communication channel, before beginning the exchange of information. In this way, it is verified that there are no stumbling blocks or barriers in the channel, which could deteriorate the quality of communication, if not impede it altogether.

To do this, speeches are used that mostly lack their own meaning, but that serve to provide feedback on the communication, that is, to confirm that everything is ready for the sender to broadcast and the receiver to receive.

Phatic function resources

The phatic function is manifested through different pieces of language, such as:

• Greetings, which can be used to start a communication channel or to express to the sender that one is ready to hear him.
• Non-referential questions, that is, questions that do not have to do with the communicated message, but with the communicative act itself, such as "Can you hear me?" or "Are you still there?"
• Accompanying phrases and particles, such as "ok", "aha", "clear" and other types of words that really have no meaning of their own, but serve to let the interlocutor know that your message arrives without interruptions and can continue to emit it.

Examples of the phatic function

Some examples of phatic use of language are:

• When we answer the phone and say "Hello?" or we say "hello?", we are really indicating that we are ready to start sending or receiving a message.
• When they are telling us an anecdote, and the sender asks us questions like "do you know?" or "Can I explain myself?" are ways of verifying that your message was fully understood.
• The same happens when they are telling us something and every so often we add a "yes", "ok", "sure", "umjum" and other words that have no meaning in themselves, but confirm to the sender that we continue to pay attention.
• When we enter a store and greet the manager with a "How are you?" or a "Hello", deep down we are not interested in his life and well-being, but wanting him to confirm if we can begin to communicate with him and tell him what we want.

Other language functions

In addition to the metalinguistic function, there are, according to Roman Jackobson, the following functions of language:

• Referential function, that which allows language to allude to objects of the reality, describe situations and express objective, concrete, verifiable contents of the world. It focuses on the message and the communicative situation.
• Emotional function, one that allows the speaker to communicate a subjective reality, of an emotional or interior type, such as a feeling, a perception, etc. To do this, obviously, it focuses on the issuer itself.
• Appellate function, one that allows the speaker to influence the receiver in a certain way, to request from him some type of action or behavior, or at least some type of response. Logically, it focuses on the receiver.
• Metalinguistic function, the one that allows the language to explain itself, that is, find equivalents from one language to another, or clarify terms that the receiver does not know, or even convert elements from one language to another. It focuses on the code of communication.
• Poetic function, that which enables language to generate aesthetic effects, that is, to draw attention to its own form and to the way the message is said, rather than the message itself. In that sense, it focuses on both the code and the message, and the most common example of this is found in literary texts.