At the same time as choosing either to give or demand in an exchange, we also choose the kind of “commodity” that we are exchanging. The choice here is between exchanging
information: Who wrote “The Bostonians”?
“The Bostonians” is a novel by Henry James. Or exchanging goods and service:
Can I borrow your copy of “The Bostonians”? Would you like to borrow my copy of “The Bostonians”?
2. Commodity Exchange:
a. Information
The speaker says to the hearer with the aim of getting to tell something. For example:
“Who is The current President of Indonesia?” The current president of Indonesia is Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
b. Good and services
The speaker says to the hearer with the aim of getting to do something or give some object. For examples:
“May I take your pen?” “Would you like to borrow my pen?”
By cross – classifying these two dimensions of “speech role” and “ commodity
exc hanged”, we can come up with four basic “moves” types, they are statement, question,
offer, and command are what M.A.K. Halliday refers to as speech functions.
Based on the types of Speech roles above, Halliday 1994: 12 suggested that the built in interactivity of dialogue arise from the implication that speech roles position both
speakers ‘demand or give and the speakers’ potential response. It means that when the speaker takes on a role of giving or demanding by the same token, he assigns a
complementary role to the person he is addressing. If I am giving, you are called on to give.
The simultaneous cross-classification of these two variables of exchange- commodity and exchange role the four basic speech functions of English. The four basic
types of moves interactants can make to initiate a piece of dialogue. One of the most basic interactive distinctions concerns the kind of commodity being exchanged; that is, the
difference between using language to exchange information and using it to exchange goods and services. A second distinction concerns the type of interaction taking place; that is, the
difference between demanding and giving. In other words, we can demand information or we can give it and we can demand goods and service or give them.
2.3 Speech Functions
In the discourse structure patterns, the speech functions choices is a key resource for negotiating degrees of familiarity. If participants wish to explore their interpersonal
relations, they must choose speech functions which keep the conversational going and his frequently means that intimate relations involve interactants reacting to each other in
confronting, rather than supporting moves.
