1. Referential: Focuses on the context and provides information about the world. It aims to convey facts, knowledge, and objective information. Examples: "The sky is blue," "The capital of France is Paris."
2. Expressive: Focuses on the sender and conveys emotions, feelings, and attitudes. Examples: "I'm so excited!" "That's terrible!"
3. Conative: Focuses on the receiver and aims to influence or persuade them. Examples: "Close the door," "Please help me."
4. Phatic: Focuses on the channel and aims to establish, maintain, or discontinue communication. Examples: "Hello," "How are you?", "Good-bye."
5. Metalinguistic: Focuses on language itself and aims to clarify or comment on the language being used. Examples: "What does 'ambiguous' mean?", "That sentence is grammatically incorrect."
6. Poetic: Focuses on the message and aims to create an aesthetic effect through the use of language. Examples: Poetry, song lyrics, slogans.
These six functions often overlap and work together in real-life communication. Understanding these functions can help us analyze language and its impact more effectively.