The community on this forum uses the word "function" to describe both Ne, Ti, Se, Fe, etc. and Creative, Role, PoLR, Hidden Agenda, etc. It would seem that there's been some sort of confusion somewhere along the way and we're using some of the terminology in Socionics incorrectly. The same term should not be used to refer to two entirely different things within the same theory. It just doesn't work.
Ne, Ti, etc. are also called Information Elements, facets of reality, aspects of reality, etc. What would each of the functions of Model A be called if not "function"? I know that Jimmy refers to them as blocks here, and that he refers to Ne, Ti, etc. as functions, but where did he get those terms from? Which are Jungian terms, which are MBTT terms, and which are Socionics terms? The names of each of the "blocks" as he calls them are misleading and confusing, and they don't all match what we use to refer to them here on the forum. Most importantly though, it doesn't make sense for there to be 2 areas, 4 blocks, and then 8 more blocks because it means that the same term is being used to refer to two things with different definitions within the same theory once again.
I haven't read every piece of information written by Socionists, but it seems likely that what's happened here is that people began referring to the Information Elements as functions because when you're talking about a specific type, take ENTp for example, Ne is the first function... that doesn't necessarily mean that Ne is a function in and of itself though.
I know that most of the confusion about terminology is most likely the result of the theory having been written in a different language and then translated into this one by different people, and also from there being similar theories that use some of the same terminology in reference to different things.
Is there a true authority on Socionics that's written anything about correct Socionics terminology in English?