- Characteristics of the referential function
- Objectivity
- Precision
- Use of verbs and nouns
- Naturalness
- Indicative mode
- Use of deictics
- Monosemia
- Features
- Contextualize the receiver
- Report
- Give truth to what is communicated
- Examples of language referential function
- Others
- References
The referential function of language is used to reveal objective and precise details of the subject and the context in the communication process. These are the external elements that are associated and linked to the message and that are part of the information that two interlocutors communicate. An example of this type of function: Valencia is the city of sweet oranges.
The referential function is also known as informative and denotative and does not admit or accept subjective opinions of the issuer. This is because the message is closely linked to the concrete and tangible reality of what is being talked about. On the other hand, this language function does not wait for a response or reaction from the receiver.
Examples of sentences with referential function
Now, the referential function of language is characterized by the use of a series of resources that facilitate the transmission and understanding of the message. A specific case is the use of verbs and nouns.
Karl Bühler describes it as the symbolic function of language and relates it directly to the objective way in which a context can be described.
Characteristics of the referential function
The referential function of the language has the following characteristics:
Objectivity
The information that is transmitted is objective and concrete, this means that it lacks subjectivity and opinions.
Precision
Denotation is present because of the informative nature of this type of language. This means that the message is accurate and related to the meaning of the words, that is, it is literal.
Use of verbs and nouns
The use of nouns and verbs is essential to specify the transmission of information.
Naturalness
The referential function lacks exclamatory and interrogative sentences, therefore the intonation used is neutral, serene and balanced.
Indicative mode
Statements within the referential function are used in the indicative mode, precisely because it reveals certain information.
Use of deictics
The deictics or words that are used to indicate the subjects, time or space are essential within the referential function of language because they give the statement greater objectivity.
Monosemia
This indicates that there is only one meaning in the information being conveyed. That is, in no way can any information be included in the message that makes the receiver think that the news has two possible connotations.
Features
The referential function of language is widely used on the journalistic plane. Source: pixabay.com.
Contextualize the receiver
The subject who makes use of this language function must take into account in detail the elements that make up the context to which it refers. The speaker can refer to the components of the space in an enumerative way (one after the other).
This is why the use of the referential function is very common in the chronicle, because it allows giving force to what is described through contextualization.
Report
One of the objectives of the referential function of language is to make a subject or group known about an event. For this reason, it is very normal for it to be used in informative texts.
This particular function demands that objectivity is always present. Only then will the news that you want to transmit will reach the recipients in the clearest way.
Give truth to what is communicated
Whoever makes use of the referential function of language adds truth to what he describes. This is because what is being communicated is being directly endorsed by everything that happens around the central events. Each element that is added is a factor that strengthens the credibility of the message that is transmitted.
Examples of language referential function
- The players arrived at the stadium in the morning.
- Manuel's girl is five years old.
- The shoes will be ready next Tuesday.
- The thieves entered without anyone noticing.
- The baby's birth wasn't for today.
- The cookies are still in the oven.
- The newspapers headlined with the election results.
- The refrigerator has no repair.
- Three weeks later he realized he had been scammed.
- The supermarket on the corner sells cheaper.
- Maria's mother was ill last week.
- The boy fell asleep three hours ago.
- The juice is ready.
- The dogs wouldn't stop barking.
- This is the tree that bears the most fruit.
- The center box contains four tools.
- The tank belonged to Daniel.
- Adriana asked him why he did not come to the appointment.
- Students can choose between five answers.
- His family did not know what had happened to him.
- The island has an area of three hundred kilometers.
- The three of them are my sisters.
- The plane is about to land.
- The capital of Holland is Amsterdam.
- The fruits were not enough for everyone.
- The celebration ended the next day.
- The friends met again after three years.
- Customers did not stop calling during the day.
- My sister dyed her hair brown.
- The designer was in charge of adjusting the details of the dress.
- Simón Bolívar died in 1830.
- The cat climbed onto the roof just after the thunder sounded.
- The lady ran after seeing the accident.
- The sentence was not satisfactory.
- All the children went to play in the park.
- The creation of the mall was a multi-million dollar project.
- The theatrical performance starts in half an hour.
- As soon as my mom arrived, she closed the doors.
- The design of the family vehicle is comfortable.
- This year I travel to Spain, France and Portugal.
- My grandparents had bread with jam and coffee for breakfast.
- My dad comes home from work at six in the afternoon.
- Juan played guitar all night.
- The house will be alone for a month.
- The children stained the armchair with chocolate.
- The couple spent a weekend on the beach.
- The office smells of incense.
- Miguel called Pablo at night time.
- The cat fell asleep by the window.
- The movie was the highest grossing of the week.
- The climbers could not reach the top.
- Job options are few.
- The neighbors painted the house white and yellow.
- The witnesses testified in favor of the defendant.
Others
-The media described the event as massive
-Three days later he realized his mistake
-The young woman is 16 years old
-The document necessary for the project will be ready on Friday
-In the hospital operations are carefully planned
-The baker was baking the bread first thing in the morning
-We had to call a plumber to fix the fault
-In this supermarket the prices are higher than in the competition
-Neighbour's dog was barking for hours
-The trees in the park are getting taller
-The box on the shelf is empty
-The fish in the pond disappeared
-She was interested in knowing why he had not called her
-The restaurant menu offers several options to choose from
-His family did not find out about the event until two days later
-My cousins came to my birthday and brought me many gifts
-On the airport screen it says that our plane will be delayed
-The capital of Italy is Rome
-The island that we will visit on vacation is very small
-The food provided by the dining room was insufficient for so many children
-The town festivals have a maximum duration that cannot exceed 3 in the morning
-The designer made the sketch of the dress that was then sent to the dressmaker
-In the hairdresser you can choose the hair color that you like the most
-The children play ball in the village park
-The company's projects have to undergo a major economic study
-The hours of the shops are regulated by the state
-Your bus will arrive at 5 in the afternoon
-It is scheduled to arrive at 10 at night
-Her mother has food ready for her when she gets home
-The hotel serves a great breakfast on the top floor
-You have traveled a lot in the last year and visited three countries
-The stains on the chair are not removed
-Tourists took advantage of the sunrise to go to the beach
-On vacation there will be no one at home
-The children rang the bell and ran away
-The movie you want to see will be released next Friday
-The witnesses stated that they knew nothing of the matter
-The olive trees grow very well in this area
-He needed another pair of shoes for his dance class
-He managed to reach the top of the mountain in a few hours
-You forgot to close the door
-The banquet dinner will be served at 10 o'clock
-The family reunion will take place in the grandmother's garden
-Pablo always arrives five minutes early, but Juan always arrives five minutes late
-Her passion is shopping
-He will spend all day cleaning the house
-The neighborhood council will meet at 4 in the afternoon at the portal
-The decision was made jointly
-The place you want for your business is on that corner.
-In history class we are studying the Kings of Spain
-The rooms in that house were very large
-The tenants' furniture was mostly broken
-The nearest police station is up that street
-It is his first game in this soccer team
-In the town, nobody knew us when we arrived
-The path that the river follows leads directly to the town
-The fridge was empty and there was nothing to eat in the whole house
-Temperatures dropped dramatically this morning
-The pencil broke just before the exam started
-The car you bought second-hand was 10 years old.
References
- Language functions: reference, appellative, expressive, poetic, metalinguistic, phatic. (2009). (N / A): Educational Portal. Recovered from: portaleducativo.net.
- Referential function. (2019). Spain: Wikipedia. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org.
- Morales, A. (2019). Meaning of referential function. (N / A): Meanings. Recovered from: significados.com.
- 100 examples of referential function. (2019). Colombia: Examples. Recovered from: examples.co.
- Raffino, M. (2019). Language functions concept. (N / A): Concept. From. Recovered from: concept.de.