Which term describes language whose purpose is to smooth the conduct of social relations and has an interpersonal function?

Which term describes language whose purpose is to smooth the conduct of social relations and has an interpersonal function?

• A. Phatic Language
• B. Display Questions
• C. Face Validity
• D. Ellipsis

Answer: (A)

Phatic language focuses on social connection rather than exchanging new information. Its main purpose is to smooth interactions, maintain rapport, and signal politeness, helping conversation flow and relationships stay intact. Think of greetings and small talk like “How are you?” or “Nice weather today”—they don’t seek new facts so much as they acknowledge the other person and keep the social bond going. Other terms describe different things: a display question is used in teaching to prompt a response for demonstration rather than to shape social interaction; face validity is about whether a test or measure appears to assess what it’s intended to, not about everyday language functions; and ellipsis is the omission of words in a sentence, a grammatical feature, not a type of language with an interpersonal purpose.

Phatic language focuses on social connection rather than exchanging new information. Its main purpose is to smooth interactions, maintain rapport, and signal politeness, helping conversation flow and relationships stay intact. Think of greetings and small talk like “How are you?” or “Nice weather today”—they don’t seek new facts so much as they acknowledge the other person and keep the social bond going.

Other terms describe different things: a display question is used in teaching to prompt a response for demonstration rather than to shape social interaction; face validity is about whether a test or measure appears to assess what it’s intended to, not about everyday language functions; and ellipsis is the omission of words in a sentence, a grammatical feature, not a type of language with an interpersonal purpose.