Welcome to the "Why" of Language: Understanding Purpose

Whenever someone writes a blog post, gives a speech, or sends a text, they have a reason for doing it. In English Language, we call this the purpose. Understanding the purpose is like being a detective—you are looking for the "motive" behind the words.

In your Unit 1 exam, you will analyze how a writer’s goal affects the way they use language. This chapter will help you move beyond simple labels and explore how texts often try to do several things at once. Don't worry if it feels a bit complex at first; by the end of these notes, you'll be able to spot a text's "hidden agendas" with ease!

What is "Purpose"?

At its simplest, purpose is the intended result of a text. It is what the creator wants to happen after the audience reads or hears their message. While there are many reasons to communicate, most texts fall into a few main categories:

  • To Inform: Providing facts, data, or objective information (e.g., a Wikipedia page or a news report).
  • To Persuade: Trying to convince the reader to think or act in a certain way (e.g., an advertisement or a political speech).
  • To Entertain: Providing enjoyment or imaginative engagement (e.g., a humorous blog or a travel memoir).
  • To Instruct/Direct: Telling the reader how to do something (e.g., a recipe or a "How-To" guide).
  • To Express Identity: Sharing personal feelings or establishing a social connection (e.g., a diary entry or a spontaneous conversation).

Quick Tip: In the exam, try to be more specific than just saying "the purpose is to inform." Instead, try: "The writer's purpose is to inform the reader about the environmental impact of fast fashion while simultaneously persuading them to shop sustainably."

The Reality: Multi-Purpose Texts

In the real world, texts are rarely just "one thing." Most of the texts you will see in your exam are multi-purpose. This means they have a primary purpose (the main goal) and one or more secondary purposes.

Example: A Charity Flyer

  • Primary Purpose: To persuade you to donate money.
  • Secondary Purpose: To inform you about the charity's work and to describe the living conditions of the people they help.

Example: A Tech Review Blog

  • Primary Purpose: To inform readers about a new smartphone's features.
  • Secondary Purpose: To entertain the reader with a witty writing style and to advise them on whether to buy it.

Did you know? Digital texts, like social media posts or discussion forums, are almost always multi-purpose. A person might post on a forum to get information (instruction), but also to bond with a community (social connection).

How Purpose Shapes Language

The purpose of a text acts like a set of instructions for the writer. It tells them which "tools" to use from their Language Levels toolkit. Here is how different purposes change the language used:

1. Persuasive Texts

  • Lexis (Words): Uses emotive language (e.g., "tragic," "revolutionary," "unbeatable") and rhetorical devices.
  • Grammar: Often uses imperatives (bossy verbs) like "Buy now!" or "Don't wait!" and inclusive pronouns like "we" and "us" to create a bond.

2. Informative Texts

  • Lexis: Uses concrete nouns, technical jargon, and "neutral" adjectives. The language is usually objective (based on facts, not feelings).
  • Grammar: Often uses the declarative mood (statements of fact) and passive voice (e.g., "The data was collected") to sound more official and unbiased.

3. Spoken and Electronic Messages

As the syllabus mentions, these are especially likely to be multi-purpose. In a spontaneous conversation, a speaker might be informing a friend about their day while also using "face-saving" strategies (pragmantics) to maintain the relationship.

Key Takeaway: When analyzing a text, always ask: "How does this specific word or sentence help the writer achieve their goal?"

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Don't fall into these common traps during your analysis:

  • The "One-Word" Trap: Labeling a text as "just" informative. Look for the "mixture" of purposes mentioned in the syllabus.
  • Ignoring the "How": Saying the purpose is to persuade but failing to explain which language features (like adjectives or sentence structures) do the persuading.
  • Confusing Purpose with Genre: A "recipe" is a genre; "to instruct" is the purpose. Make sure you keep these separate in your mind! (For more on Genre, see the "Genre, intertextuality and interdiscursivity" chapter).

Analysis Checklist: Spotting the Purpose

When you are looking at the two texts in Section A, run through this mental checklist:

  1. Identify the main goal: If the reader could only do one thing after reading this, what would the writer want it to be?
  2. Look for secondary goals: Is the writer also trying to be funny? Are they trying to look like an expert?
  3. Check the Tone: Is it serious and factual (Informative) or passionate and urgent (Persuasive)?
  4. Link to Language: Find two specific examples of language (one lexical, one grammatical) that prove the purpose you've identified.
Quick Review: Key Points

Purpose is the "why" behind a text.
Multi-purpose texts have a mixture of goals (e.g., to inform and entertain).
Spoken and digital texts are frequently multi-purpose and shift goals quickly.
Language choices (like imperative verbs or emotive adjectives) are the tools used to achieve a purpose.

Next Step: Now that you understand Purpose, you are ready to look at how writers "build" an Audience to receive that message!