Are auras seizures? can people talk and function during auras? if so how functionable?

No, aura is not seizure. Some people have symptoms before they have a seizure or a migraine such as flashes of bright lights, partial vision loss, odor smell or stiff neck, etc. Aura is almost the same as prodrome, the usual symptoms occur before a clinical event. However, not all auras are followed by a clinical event. Yes, you can function and talk when experiencing certain aura.

Dr Le provides an excellent summary of aura characteristics, and these such events do indeed often precede focal seizures and classical migraine events. If the aura does not eventuate in further neurological issues, then this "tip of the iceberg" is not considered full-blown seizure activity. Intensity of an aura varies, so, no common patterns can be described. b