1. Teaching Language
Functions
Teacher trainee: Supervised by:
Mr. Gouhmad Abderrahim Prof. Ayad Chraa
Ms. Assiya Agzoum

2. Outline:
• Introduction
• What are language functions?
• Types of language functions
• Why it is important to teach L.F
• How to present them:
a. P.P.P
b. Deductive and inductive
• Activities

3. • Within the standards-based approach to teaching
English as a foreign language, great emphasis is laid
upon helping learners use English in a variety of
contexts and for diverse purposes.
• Teaching of functions has become an integral part of
many EFL materials and textbooks.
Introduction

4. What are language functions?
Language functions are described in the literature as
being:
•“ways we can use language to achieve a communicative purpose,”
• “what people can do with language.“
• "what people want to do with the language. “
• “Language functions are the purposes for which human beings
speak or write” Harmer (2008).

5. Types of functions:
There are two types of functions:
• Social functions
• Rhetorical functions

6. Social functions
• Social / Communicative function of language is the
expressions of ideas, emotions, information, etc.
communicative function refers to communicative goal
for which language is used as means in the community.
• It is necessary to further focus on the learners developing the
ability to use social functions accurately (correctly) and
appropriately (in the right contexts).

7. Social functions
Social functions involve the following:
1,Making and responding to requests;
2. Responding to good and bad news;
3. Expressing regret;
4. Complaining;
5. Apologizing;
6. Asking for and giving advice;
7. Expressing opinion;
8. Agreeing and disagreeing;
9. Expressing certainty and uncertainty;
10.Expressing lack of understanding and asking for clarification, etc.

8. Rhetorical functions
Rhetorical functions have been defined as being
language functions that are often used in academic
spoken or written texts.

9. Rhetorical functions
Rhetorical functions include:
• Defining
• Addition
• Cause and effect
• Concessions
• Purpose

10. Why it is important to teach Language Functions?

13. Why it is important to teach Language Functions?
• Teaching language functions is very useful to develop other language
skills such writing, reading, speaking and listening .
• To use language independently.
• To develop communication among learners.
• Motivate students to learn to do things by using their language rather
than just to learn the structure .

14. Stages of teaching language functions
• Just as stages of teaching grammar there are three stages
of teaching language functions.
• Although they are criticized for being limited in certain
aspects, they are still found to be very useful in teaching
language functions.
• The three stages are in short P-P-P model.

15. Stages of teaching language functions
P.P.P stands for
P
P
P
resentation
ractice
roduction

16. Presentation
• The teacher presents language functions either in a dialogue
form or creating a context.
• The teacher has to create the context and should give
description to the students in order to make them know
where and in which situation such language functions to be
used.

17. Practice
• students are given opportunity to practice language functions
presented in the first stage.
• Ss are involved in pair work to conduct mini-dialogues.
Mechanical or communicative drills are used as means to
practice language functions.

18. Production
• the learners use the language functions freely as in their real life situations.
• This stage is also known as communicative stage as the learners focus on
fluency rather than accuracy.
• Students practice using new structures in different contexts often using their
own content and information in order to develop fluency with new patterns.
• Role play, oral games, guessing games, interviews, mini exchange, etc. are
some useful activities to teach language functions.

19. Presentation
Practice
Production

20. Presentation
The language function is presented in a form of a dialogue.
Ss are required to read the dialogue and answer the following questions

21. Practice
The learners are involved in some controlled activities.
Ss are required to fill the chart with the given expressions

22. Production
The learners use what they learnt freely.
Ss are required to come up with a short dialogues or exchange about
some situations.

23. How to present functions:
Basically, teaching lng functions is similar to grammar teaching.
i.e. There are two main approaches
Deductive Vs. Inductive

24. When teaching Functions deductively:
• The instruction is more teacher centred approach
• T gives Ss a new concept (e.g. expressing opinions ).
• T provides Ss with statements they need to say when they want
to express their opinions.
• T explains the rule.
• Ss practice using the concept in a variety of different ways
◦ Students learn rule  Use Rule

25. When teaching Functions inductively:
• The instruction is more learner-centred approach
• T presents the concept
• T provide Ss with a variety of dialogues and conversations.
• Ss evoke the rules themselves
• Ss come up with dialogs in which they are using the function
item.
◦ Students use rule  learn Rule

26. Activities
Communicative drills
This is one of the useful techniques to teach language functions.
Ss repeat the Language function.
The type of response is controlled but the students provide their own
content of information,

27. Activities
Communicative drills
For example:
The teacher would ask: How do you apologize to your partner if you
stepped on his foot
Student 1: I am very sorry!
Student 1: I do apologize
The above type of drill is very useful to develop communicative skills of students
and can be used to teach language functions.

28. Activities
Problem solving
The aim of this activity is to create a need for using language functions.
For this, the teacher creates a problem in order to get students have a
great deal of interaction
While interacting with friends, Ss need to use different language
functions such as, requesting, questioning, describing, refusing, etc.

29. Activities
Role play
In this activity students pretend they are in various social context and have a variety
social roles. Teacher gives student information about who they are and what they think
or feel.
When teaching how to ask and give advice
One Student pretend he is a doctor, the other student pretend he is patient.
The student who is playing the role of a doctor gives an advice to the student who is
asking the doctor

30. Activities
Other activities
• Information gap tasks ;
• Role-play, drama, (Learners freely act out roles )
• Interviews (Learners obtain information from each other on a
specific issue);
• Discussion (Learners discuss specified topic/ theme).

32. References
 English language guidelines for secondary schools: common core, first year, and second year
baccalaureate all streams and sections November 2007.
(‫الثأهيلي‬ ‫الثانوي‬ ‫بالتعليم‬ ‫اإلنجليزية‬ ‫اللغة‬ ‫مادة‬ ‫بتدريس‬ ‫الخاصة‬ ‫والبرامج‬ ‫التربوية‬ ‫)التوجيهات‬
 Harmer, J. 1984. The Practice of English Language Teaching. London: Longman.
 Ticket 2 English, second year Baccalaureate « Student’s book »
 Celce-Murcia. M. 2001. Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language (3rd ed). USA:
Heinle&Heinle.
 Nunan, D., 2003. Practical English Language Teaching. NY:McGraw-Hill.