A Functional- Notional

Approach to Language Learning

MARMARA UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMANT OF ELT
MA PROGRAMME
YDIO 703 APPROACHES AND
METHODS IN LANGUAGE TEACHING

Submitted by Buket Demirbken

Fall 2013, stanbul

Contents
1 Historical Background
1
2 Main components

33 3 Merits
Theoratical Bases

4 Drawbacks
Reasons for Optimism

5 Critics
 Historical Background
In 1972, British linguist D.A. Wilkims published a
document to describe language to an analysis of the
communicative meanings.

In 1976 Notional Syllabuses work followed it.

Wilkins work was used by Council of Europe in

drawing up a communicative language syllabus.

In 1970s, first books based on functional syllabuses

began to appear.
 BASIC CLAIMS

Functional- Notional approach focuses on the purposes

for which language is used. It emphasizes
communicative purposes of a speech act.

It underlines what people want to do or what they want to

accomplish .

The Functional Notional Approach helps learners to use

real and appropriate language for communication.

 The basic communicative purposes can be

expressed in two ways, depending on the
function;

Either formulas, fixed expressions

Communicative or functional expressions
What is function?

Function is the communicative act ; it is the

use of language to achieve a purpose;

inviting sb, writing an apology, ordering,

promising, greeting
 EXAMPLES
FUNCTION: Greeting
(informal) Hello
( formal) Good evening
FUNCTION: Leave-taking
(informal) So long or bye
(formal) Goodbye
FUNCTION: acknowledging an introduction
(informal) Please to meet you
(formal) How do you do?
FUNCTION: expressing and acknowledging
gratitude
(formal/informal) Thank you
You are welcome
 In English , formulas are fixed. In other
languages fixed formulas also exist but not
necessarily in the same social situation.

For example; Italian and Turkish

What is NOTION ?
It is important that functional language must also incorporate with specific
notions ;
vocabulary, nouns,verbs, adjectives, adverbs, structure
verbs, miscellaneous words.

The words following the functional expression would be considered

notions.

A notion is a concept, or idea and it may be quite specific, such as a

vocabulary (dog, house, for example); or it may be very general size,
emotion, movement,place

A notion may be time past; this may include past tenses, phrases like a
month ago, in 1990, last week, and utterances using temporal clauses
beginning with when.., before., after. and so on;
 Notion

universal linguistic structural and

phenomena; time, space,quantity, vocabulary
motion, matter, case and deixis. items

The notion of time , the notion of place

 For example; Id like to invite your son to come to
my club for lunch on Saturday.

Specific notions depend on three major factors;

a. the function
b. the elements in the situation
c. the topic which is being discussed
Situation includes;
The persons taking part in the speech act

The place where the conversation occurs

The time it is taking place

The topic or activity which is being

discussed.

The function+ the situation + the topic

What are exponents ?

Exponents are language utterances or statements

which stem from the function, the situation and the
topic.

They are language forms a speaker uses to express

a message or indicate social roles, formality,
informality.

Exponents are mostly depend on our personalities,

level of linguistic competence, social statue..
 Possible exponents in one example;
Please open the window
Open the window, please.
Would you open the window?
Would you mind opening the window?
I wonder if you would mind opening the
window ?
It might be a good idea to open the window.

Also, variations of language result from dialects,

informality, formality, mode, wishes..
 Specific
+ + Situation > Notions

communicative people nouns

expressions and / or place verbs

formulas time adj/ adv

topic structure words
michellaneous words
Unit-Credit System ( How are topics
organized? )
1. Functions are classified and put into units or
modules.
2. Units can be limited to specific duties such as serve
as a receptionist in a doctors office.
3. They are specific as global content but free as to
internal organization and mode of presentation
4. Units will specificy general grammatical,
lexical, notional-semantic items; that is ,
meaningful and appropriate use in context or
social situations.
Sample Unit
Function: Making an
appointment,persuading,refusing
1 2 3
A,B.Greetings
A.Asking for an
appointment
B.Accepting B. Refusing B.Refusing
A,B.Making A. Persuading A.Persuading
arrangements B. Accepting B. Adamant
refusal
A,B. Leavetaking A,B. Making A. Angry
arrangement interchange
A,B Leavetaking A,B. Cold
leavetaking
SITUATUION (Notion)
Getting things connected
e.g. gas, phone, TV.
Rent-paymentcontract
Buying furniture
Second-hand, markets,
auctions, small ads.
Paying bills-when and how.
At the door: milkman,
dustman, salesman.
Repair-plumber, electrician.
Making appointments,
Electotal Register.
LEXIS
Names of households items,
including plugs, etc.
Equipment.
Names of local institutions
e.g. clinic, library.
FUNCTION
Understanding and asking for
information..
Understanding directions and
local information.
Expressing intentions.
Declining.
Giving information.
Making requests to.
LITERACY
Reading bills, final demands,
meter and filling in estimated
bills, checking meter readings.
Library-Section headings
Form-fillings
Reading contracts.
ACTUAL LANGUAGE LANGUAGE
PATTERNS and
TENSES
Im looking for a large Im looking for
wardrobe. Have you got?
What sort of price did you have Could I have?
in mind? Can I?
Have you got anything Can you tell me?
cheaper? Would you like?
Im moving to... Can I have the Sorry, I
gas/electricity connected, Comparatives/Adjetives
please? Where can I?
Whats your address? (+ infinitive without to)
Its 70 deposit.
Hello, Im the
Could I see your identification,
please?
Where can I get a?
Are you interested in?
No, not today, thank you
SYSTEM AIDS and MATERIALS
Types of shops best for certain Simplified maps of locality
items. grading up to actual maps.
Where to buy what. Simplified and graded gas bills
Use of the telephone for buying, and meter readings.
inquiring.
7 days a week Pack Tapes
Filling bills and receips.
of dialogues situtaions.
Guarantees.
What is delivered-milk, etc.
How and when to pay bills.
Where to get local information-
library, rent officer,Legal centre.
Asking for identification from
strangers at the door.
Meaning of deposit.
 The same function may repeatedly occur in different
situations at succeeding units so there is a cyclical
order.

Grading is very difficult so it is expected that

performance tests are used instead of achievement
test.
Theoretical Bases
F-N approach combines communicative
grammar with cognitivisim and humanism.
The primary focus is the learner and the
function or functions of language- the
communicative purpose s/he wishes to
express and to understand.
Varied sociolinguistic situations are taken into
considerations.
Social roles, psychological attitudes of
participants, the place, time, the activity, topic
are all discussed .
 Communicative behaviour is always situationally
conditioned. On that point, there are three factors
underlie speech acts;

a. the functions
b. the varieties of language
c. the shared sociocultural allusions - presupposition-
Categories of Functions

Personal

Interpersonal

Directive

Referential

Imaginative
Varieties of Language
Geographical factors
Social factors
Status in the community or nation
Differences related to social classes
Educational background
Register; a.) formality, informality b.) the topic,
activity, work or profession c.) the mode-oral or
written-of the course.
Code-switching ; a persons individual use of the
language or dialect.
Ex: A doctor use a casual, informal register at home while
using a formal register at a professional dinner.
Cultural Knowledge
F-N curriculum provides implicit and explicit
information for learning of culture .
radio broadcasts, television, tapes, cassettes,
documentaries, films, pictures, short
illustrated dialogues, real-life situations.
Curriculum set realistic objectives as
paralinguistic feature of languages , gestures,
convey meaning to listeners.
Ex: cultural insights for immigrants
cultural immersion explicit information
Psycholinguistic Components
F-N curriculum takes cognizance;

Basic needs of learners ; need for survival

Threshold Level, self-realization, general
competency or advanced.
Self motivating; social, vocational, cultural
needs of learners
Individual differences: varying abilities:
cyclical or spiral approach.
Linguistics

F-N approach will provide learner to acquire

a reasonable, basic knowledge of the
phonological, grammatical and lexical
subsystems of the language and the use of
language in actual communication.
Encoding and decoding a message;
appropriateness, acceptability
Oral or written communication
Gestures and other paralinguistic features
Pyschological Bases
Related material with needs and experiences
of the learners
Student motivation
Meaningful material through their use in real
life
Active participation of learner depending on
learning strategies
Make a realitionship among the elements in
language, situation and culture.
Different learning styles and rates of learning
Time for transfer of learning
Educational Principles
Transfer of learning is not always automatic
A spiral and cyclical approach is recommended.
The curriculum is divided into units and modules
The starting point is the communicative function and
the social situation in which situation or purpose is
being expressed.
The title of the units is expressed in functional terms
The same function may be presented in different
situations
The grammar and vocabulary to be taught in each
unit result from the integration of function and
situation.
 In F-N curriculum ,a number of different functions
may be clustered in one unit.
In the F-N approach grammatical structure and
function do not overlap. The same structure may be
used to express more than one function of language.
Concepts and language needed in social studies,
geography, mathematics, art, music and literature are
integrated into the curriculum.
Units contain linguistics and cultural materials the
learners will need for sociocultural and
sociovocational purposes
Reasons for Optimism
It sets realistic learning tasks.
It provides everyday, real world language in a variety
of sociocultural situations.
It emphasizes the need for numerous, varied and
receptive activities.
The language used should be based on a situation or
setting. The speaker must have a real purpose to talk
about.
The act of communication is motivating as it
expresses basic, universal communicative functions
of language.
 It enables teachers refer to psycholinguistic,
sociolinguistic, linguistic and educational principles

It does not insist upon mastery of any body material

presented.
It makes provision through a unit and module system
for admission to certain programs at any time during
the year.
In F-N approach grammatical structure and function
do not overlap. There is no obligatory one to one
relationship.
A debatable issue
Some linguists and notably Halliday
developed a theory of language showing how
the formal grammatical patterns reflect the
functions of language structure.

No pedagogical use and not formulated

There is an arbitrary relationship between

function and grammar.
Form and Function
Meaning of an utterance is derived from the whole situation and not from
words and sentences used in isolation

Request Suggestion
Its cold here Statement
Would you ease Requesting
close the door Threat
I wonder if some one
could close the door
You have left the
door open
Critics
Dividing language into items is aganist the
nature of language

It neglects linguistic items and gives more

attention to fixed expressions and formulas

Grading is problematic and subjective.