The analysis of discourse is, necessarily the analysis of language in use. A such, it cannot be restrieted to the description of linguistic forms independent of the purpose of functions which those forms are designed to serve in human affairs. While some linguists may concentrate on determining the formal properties of a language is used for. While the formal approach has a long tradition, manifested in innumerable volumes of grammar, the functional approach is less for the principal function of language have resulted in vague, and often confusing, terminology.
We will adopt only only two terms to describe the major functions of language and emphasise that this division is an analytic conveniece. It would be unlikely that, on any aoccasion, a natural language utterance would be used to fulfil only one function, to the total exclusion of the other. That function which language serves in the expression of content we will describe as transactional, and that function involved in expressing social relations and personal attitudes we will describe as interactional. Our destinetion transactional, stand in general correspondence to the functional dichotomies, expresive, referential, ideational, and descriptive.
