ORAL

COMMUNICATION
Prepared by: Ma. Margarette Basco
Lesson 2: The Functions of
Communication
• Regulation/Control
• Social Interaction
• Motivation
• Information
• Emotional Expression
 What are the
Functions of
Communication?
Communication Functions
• How humans put communication (primarily
language) to use.
Regulation/Control
• Communication can be used to control the behavior
of human beings.
• Imperatives – in the form of commands
• Ex. Please sit down.
• Rhetorical questions – questions that influence
behavior and are not intended to get information
• Ex. Can you pass the paper?
• Declaratives – in the form of statements
• Ex. That’s not the right thing to do.
Social Interaction
• Communication can be used to produce social
interaction.
• To develop bonds and maintain relationships
• Examples:
• Let’s be friends.
• Will you be my girlfriend?
• I like you.
• I hate you.
Motivation
• Communication can be used to express desires,
needs, wants, likes and dislikes, inclinations,
choices, and aspirations.
• Motivation as a function of comm can be
grammatically realized as declaratives,
imperatives, and rhetorical questions.
• Examples:
- Declarative: I need food.
- Imperative: Give me some food.
- Rhetorical Q: Do you need food?
Information
• Communication can be used to give and get
information.
• Can be in the form of declaratives, interrogatives
(questions intended for getting info), and imperatives.
• Examples:
• Interrogative – Ex. Where do you study? What’s your
address? What’s your section?
• Declarative – Ex. I have an elder sister. I graduated from UP.
• Imperative – Ex. Tell me something about yourself. Teach me
how to solve this problem.
Emotional Expression
• Communication can be used to express emotions
(verbally and nonverbally).
• Expressing an opinion
Ex. For me, I am against K-12 because it is anti-poor.
I think the current administration should stop the
War on Drugs campaign.

• Expressing emotions
Ex. NON-VERBAL (gestures, facial expressions, body
movements) - happy (smiling), agreeing (nodding),
The Special Case of Expressing
Opinions
• The function to which expressing an opinion
belongs to depends on the purpose and setting in
which it is done
• Examples:
• Doctor giving a prescription – regulation/control
• Teacher sharing an opinion – information
• Teenage girl giving opinion who’s the most handsome
among her classmates – motivation
• Friend sharing about what his life is if he would break up
with her girlfriend – emotion