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assigned to the referents In the emotive use of language the
character of the attitude aroused in the addressee is of prime
importance. The symbolic use of language clearly manifests itself in
scientific and documentary texts where the truth values assigned to
language 'symbols' are clear-cut, unequivocal, and ascertainable. In
literary texts, especially in poetry, the emotive use of language is
domineering.
Karl BUhler (1965, pp28-32) distinguishes three basic functions of
language, each linked to the three variables in his 'organon model of
language'. The three functions are: (1) the representational or
referential function, which is linked to objects and relations in the
real world; (2) the emotive-expressive function, which is linked to the
speaker/writer of the message; and (3) the conative function which
relates to the receiver of the message. Baler's three basic functions
of language echo Ogden and Richard's except that Baler's are more
economical and less overlapping. The three variables in Baler's model
are the message-sender, the message, and the message-receiver. The
message, or rather the linguistic expression of it, is determined by
the physical and non-physical referents and the truth values assigned
to them. The effectiveness of the message rests solely on the objects
and relations existing in the real world, the message-sender's attitude
towards them, and his attitude towards the receiver of the message.
The representational-referential and the emotive-expressive functions
of language are significantly conducive to the effectiveness of the
message.
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