The referential function can also refer to the use of code switching when there is no suitable word in certain languages. For example, the English term of
‘fighting’ does not have the suitable Korean term. ‘Fighting’ here does not mean
to hit each other or to join in a war. ‘Fighting’ here means that we have the spirit
to do something or to give support or encourage others. However, some Korean pronounce it as ‘hwaiting’ instead of ‘fighting’.
b. The Directive Function
The directive function aims to include or exclude a person from a part of conversation. The directive function to exclude someone usually happens when
people talk about secret that they do not want other people to know. The directive function of excluding someone is often used by girls when they gossip other girls.
For example, a group of girls who speak Javanese and Indonesian are hanging out in a café. Suddenly, a girl from different group who does not
understand Javanese passes by.
A1 :
Liat deh, ada si B.
A2 :
Eh sama siapa dia?
A3 :
Sstt… Lho ya karo
pacare kan?
A1 :
Ngawur. Yange de’e kui si D.
A2 :
Lha kae sopo? Bribikane sing liya?
A3 :
Ha ya mboh. Adimu.
The dialogue shows that they use code switching from Indonesian to Javanese when they talk about someone else who does not understand Javanese. The
directive function here is to exclude the person they were talking about. Another example is the directive function to include someone who joins in
the middle of a conversation between bilinguals who speak Indonesian and English as showed in the dialogue bellow.
M : The Hunger Games movie is quite good. I like the character
played by Jennifer Lawrence.
N : Ah, the one who played as Katniss Everdeen. Yeah, I like her as
well. She seemed so natural.
L :
Hai seru banget kayanya. Lagi ngomongin apa?
M :
Eh dari mana aja? Kita nungguin kamu.
N :
Kamu udah nonton
Hunger Games
belum?
The dialogue above shows a conversation between two people who firstly spoke in English. Both of M and N can speak and understand English. However, a third
person who does not speak English comes and joins the conversation. The three of them are close friends, and therefore they do not want to exclude the other from
the conversation. In order to include the third person into the conversation, they use code switching to Indonesian, so the third person can understand about what
they are talking about.
c. The Expressive Function
