LANGUAGE+FUNCTIONS+and+FORMS

Standards are designed to supplement the ELA standards to ensure that LEP students develop proficiency in both the English language and the concepts and skills contained in the ELA standards. They can be found on the web at www.ode.state.or.us/teachlearn/real/standards. This section contains language functions and forms that native English speakers acquire mostly before entering school or naturally at home. These language functions and forms, however, need to be explicitly taught to English language learners (ELLs). They may be taught to ELLs at all grade levels, and as the need and context arises. Forms of a language deal with the internal grammatical structure of words. The relationship between boy and boys, for example, and the relationship (irregular) between man and men would be forms of a language. A language function refers to the purpose for which speech or writing is being used.

In speech these include: • giving instructions • introducing ourselves • making requests

In academic writing we use a range of specific functions in order to communicate ideas clearly. These include: • describing processes • comparing or contrasting things or ideas, and • classifying objects or ideas

The contrast between form and function in language can be illustrated through a simple medical analogy. If doctors studied only a limited portion of the human system, such as anatomical form, they would be unable to adequately address their patient’s needs. To fully treat their patients, physicians must understand the purposes of the human body and the relationships between organs, cells, and genes (Pozzi, 2004). Similarly, ELLs need to understand both the form (structure) and the function (purpose) of the English language in order to reach higher levels of proficiency. Pozzi, D.C. (2004). Forms and functions in language: Morphology, syntax. Retrieved March 10, 2005, from University of Houston, College of Education Web site: http://www.viking.coe.uh.edu/grn11.intr/intr.0.1.2.htm