Language as Purposeful: Functional Varieties of Texts

The text is an illustration of explicit critical pedagogy which aims at helping our students reflect metalinguistically on the process of 'languaging' tout court, and then doing it in English. It would help them develop language awareness and competence - especially as regards the functions of langauge in use, ie in context. The study of language in this functional perspective is indeed an exploration of "...some of the most important and pervasive of the processes by which human beings build their world." (Christie 1985: v). The linguistics it teaches is not only rooted in the social but is socially-accountable. The central focus is register theory and analysis, including the related concepts of context of situation and culture (Malinowski); communicative functions (Jakobson); intertexuality (Lemke) and contratextuality (Martin), Bernstein's model of coding orientations and Bahtinian heterglossic relations. Numerous exercises and their keys are also included.