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.
EXPLANATION OD SPECIFIC TERMS
Notions are meaning elements that may be expressed through nouns, pronouns, verbs, prepositions, conjunctions, adjectives or adverbs. A notion is a concept, or idea: it may be quite specific, in which case it is virtually the same as vocabulary (dog, house, for example); or it may be very general – time, size, emotion, movement – in which case it often overlaps with the concept of “topics”.
A function is some kind of communicative act: it is the use of language to achieve a purpose, usually involving interaction at least between two people.
Functional Categories of Language
Mary Finocchiaroe has placed the functional categories under five headings as noted below: personal, interpersonal, directive, referential, and imaginative.
1. Personal
Clarifying or arranging one’s ideas; expressing one’s thoughts or feelings: love, joy, pleasure, happiness, surprise, likes, satisfaction, dislikes, disappointment, distress, pain, anger, anguish, fear, anxiety, sorrow, frustration, annoyance at missed opportunities, moral, intellectual and social concerns; and the everyday feelings of hunger, thirst, fatigue, sleepiness, cold, or warmth
2. Interpersonal
Enabling us to establish and maintain desirable social and working relationships:
-greetings and leave takings
-introducing people to others
-identifying oneself to others
-expressing joy at another’s success
-expressing concern for other people’s welfare
3. Directive
Attempting to influence the actions of others, accepting or refusing direction:
-making suggestions in which the speaker is included
- making requests; making suggestions
-refusing to accept a suggestion or a request but offering an alternative
-persuading someone to change his point of view
-requesting and granting permission
4. Referential
talking or reporting about things, actions, events, or people in the environment in the past or in the
future: talking about language (what is termed the metalinguistic function: talking or reporting about
things, actions, events, or people in the environment in the past or in the future; identifying items or
people in the classroom, the school the home, the community; asking for a description of someone or
something; defining something or a language item or asking for a definition.
5. Imaginative
Discussions involving elements of creativity and artistic expression; discussing a poem, a story, a piece of
music, a play, a painting, a film, a TV program, etc.; expanding ideas suggested by other or by a piece of
literature or reading material creating rhymes, poetry, stories or plays; recombining familiar dialogs or
passages creatively; suggesting original beginnings or endings to dialogs or stories solving problems or
mysteries
SAMPLES OF ASSESSMENT TASKS
Saying good morning to the instructor.
Brainstorming in the class.
Role Playing, where students will share their ideas about how they act of what character they are going to play.
Discussion
Conducting a survey
INSIGHTS OR REFLECTION
The functional and notional approach is more on communicating. In the classroom, communication is very vital for have a successful learning. It helps the learner to use real and appropriate language for communication.