The Double Goodbye and the Phatic Function of Language

We've all been there. You are walking along the street with a friend and say your goodbyes as you approach a corner, only to realize, as the lights change, that you are both heading in the same direction. Suddenly, your once-lively conversation comes to a halt and you are left walking in an awkward silence. But why is it that the word "goodbye" should have such power over your conversation? I think the answer lies in what Roman Jakobson termed 'the phatic function of language'.

According to Jakobson, the phatic function is focused on contact, or on beginning, ending or continuing a conversation. The question "how are you?" at the beginning of a conversation is primarily phatic, as we are not so much interested in how the person is actually doing, but rather wish to establish contact with them. The word "goodbye" is also largely phatic, signifying the end of a conversation. By saying "goodbye" and continuing to walk with someone, we create a disparity between physical and linguistic contact. We can still see and hear the person we are with, but we are no longer in conversation with them. We cannot simply continue our previous conversation because we have already ended it with our "goodbye". Nor can we start a new conversation (by saying "Hello", for instance) because there has been no break in physical contact. If we had said "goodbye" and walked on different streets for a block, only to meet up again on the same corner, it would be much easier to restart our conversation, perhaps with a somewhat jesterly "Hello again". But, since we never left our friend, we cannot simply begin a new conversation. The solution, then, seems to lie in simply ignoring the "goodbye" and forcing the previous conversation to continue. Either that, or walking in an awkward silence until you finally (actually) part ways.