Systemic-Functional Grammar ???

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Systemic-Functional Grammar???
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• M.A.K. Halliday has developed ideas stemming
  from Firths theories in the London School.
• His systemic-functional grammar is a
  sociologically oriented functional linguistic
  approach and one of the most influential
  linguistic theories in the 20th century.
  

Systemic-Functional Linguistics has two
components Systemic Grammar and Functional
Grammar.
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Systemic Grammar
Systemic grammar aims to explain the internal
relations in language as a SYSTEM NETWORK, or
MEANING POTENTIAL. And this network consists of
subsystems from which language users make
choices. ????????????????????????,????????????????
??????????????,??"????"?
The notion of system is made a central
explanatory principle, the whole of language
being conceived as a system of systems.
Halliday defines system as a system of
potentials, a range of alternatives.
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Systemic Grammar
The system of a language is made up of many
systems. On a general level, there is the Chain
System and the Choice System.
Surface aspects of grammar, such as sentence
structures, linguistic units, and their ranks
(sentence, clause, group, word, and morpheme)
The axis of chain
The axis of choice
Meaning aspects of grammar
Axis of choice (paradigmatic)
Axis of Chain (syntagmatic)
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Entry conditions Terms or options
First person
singular
number
Second person
person
plural
Third person

• He eats the apple.
• All systems have three essential characteristics
• The terms in a system are mutually exclusive
• A system is finite
• The meaning of each term in a system depend on
  the meaning of other terms in the same system.

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Functional Grammar
Three metafunctions

• ideational function language construes human
  experience
• interpersonal function language enacts human
  relationships
• textual function language creates discourse

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Ideational function
The ideational function is to express our
experiences of both the physical world and mental
world. The ideational function mainly consists
of transitivity and voice.
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Transitivity
Transitivity is a grammatical system. It
specifies the different types of process that
are recognized in the language, and the
structures by which they are expressed. The
basic semantic framework for the representation
of process consists of three components (1) the
process itself, (2) participants in the process,
and (3)circumstances associated with the process.
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Process
In English, we make choices between different
types of process, participants, circumstances,
roles, and members. They are known collectively
as the transitivity choices. We first divided the
choices into six kinds
Material process (John kicked the ball)
Mental process (John likes Mary)
Transitivity
Relational Process (John is on the sofa)
Behavioural process (John laughed)
Verbal process (John said it is cold in the room)
Existential process (There is a cat on the sofa)
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Process
1. Material processes Processes of doing
Material processes are processes of doing. Such a
process is expressed by an action verb (e.g.
beat?break?kick), an actor (logical subject) and
the goal of the action (logical direct object,
usually a noun or a pronoun). Actor and Goal
correspond to Agent and Patient. For example
My brother broke the window. (Actor-Process-Goal)
The girl smiles. (Actor-Process)
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Process
2. Mental Processes Processes of sensing
Two participants Senser and Phenomenon. Senser
the conscious being that is feeling, thinking,
or seeing. Phenomenon
what is sensed felt, thought, seen. Three
principal subtypes (1) perception (seeing,
hearing, etc), (2) affection (liking, fearing,
etc), (3) cognition (thinking, knowing, etc)
e.g. Mary liked the gift. (Senser-Process-Phenomen
on)
The gift pleased Mary. (Phenomenon-Process-Senser)
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Process
3. Relational Processes Processes of Being

• Two types the Attributive and the Identifying.
  (???/???)
• Attributive process expresses what attributes
  a certain object has, or what type it belongs to.
  (Carrier-Process-Attribute)
• Identifying process expresses the identical
  properties of two entities. (Identified-Process-Id
  entifier)

participant reversible
attributive only one (carrier) No
identifying two Yes
Mary is wise. Wise is Mary.
Tom is the leader. The leader is Tom.
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3. Relational Processes Processes of Being
Halliday points out that in any identifying
clause, there is a Token (the more specific
category) and a Value (the more general
category).
e.g. John is the
monitor.
Identified Process Identifier
Token Value
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Process
These two relations can be further classified
into the Intensive (? is a ), Circumstantial (?
is at a), and Possessive (? has a).
Mode type attributive identifying
(1)Intensive (???) (2)Circumstantial (???) (3)Posessive (???) Sara is wise. The fair is on a Tuesday. Peter has a piano. Tom is the leader the leader is Tom. Tomorrow is the 10th the 10th is tomorrow. The piano is Peters Peters is the piano.
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Process
4. Verbal Processes Processes of Saying

• Verbal processes are those of exchanging
  information.
• Commonly used verbs say, tell, talk,
  praise, describe, etc.
• Participant Sayer, Receiver, and Verbiage (the
  verbalization itself or the content of message).

He said that. (Sayer-Process-Verbiage) The
notices tells you to keep quite.
(Sayer-Process-Verbiage) She asked me some
questions. (Sayer-Process-Verbiage)
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Process
5. Behavioral Processes Processes of Behaving

• Behavioral processes refer to physiological and
  psychological activities such as breathing,
  coughing, dreaming, and crying, etc.
• Generally only one participant the Behaver
  (often a human) is involved in these processes.

The girl laughed heartily. (Behaver-
Process-Circumstantial) He sighed deeply.
(Behaver-Process-Circumstantial)
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Process
6. Existential Processes Processes of Existing
or Happening
It is usually realized by there-construction.
Existent an event, an object or a human being.
There was a storm. (Process-Existent) On the
wall there hangs a picture. (Circumstance-
Process-Existent)
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Process Types Category Meaning Participants
Material Action Event Doing Doing, happening Actor, Goal
Behavioural Behaving Behaver
Mental Perception Affection, Cognition Sensing seeing feeling, thinking Senser, Phenomenon
Verbal saying Sayer, receiver,verbiage
Relational Attribution Identification Being attributing identifying Carrier, Attribute, Identifier, Identified, Token, Value
Existential existing Existent
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Participants
1. Beneficiary
The beneficiary is the one to whom or for whom
the process is said to take place. It appears in
material and verbal processes, and sometimes in
relational processes.
e.g. He gave her
a book.
(Actor Process Beneficiary Goal)
He bought a present for
her.
(Actor Process Goal
Beneficiary)
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Participants
2. Range
The Range is the element that specifies the range
or scope of the process. It may occur in
material, behavioural, mental, and verbal process.
(range)
He climbed the mountain. They moved the
mountain.
material process
(goal)
mental process
He likes it. (it specifies the domain of ones
liking)
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Participants
2. Range
Verbal process the range element expresses the
class, quality, or quantity of what is said.
She speaks German. (class) He asked a difficult
question. (quality) He made a log speech.
(quantity)
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Circumstances
Extent and Location Manner (Means, Quality and
Comparison) Cause (Reason, Purpose and
Behalf) Accompaniment Matter Role
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1. Extent and Location
Extent is related with the notion of distance and
duration (a stretch, a period) whereas Location
is related with the notion of place and time (a
spot, a point). Both of them can express spatial
and temporal meanings.
He walked two miles. (Extent spatial) He stayed
for two weeks. (Extent temporal) He studied in
the classroom. (Location spatial) He gets up at
six oclock. (Location temporal)
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2. Manner
Manner consists of three subcategories Means,
Quality, Comparison.
Means refers to the means or instruments whereby
a process takes place.
(1a) The pig was beaten with the stick. (1b) She
beat the pig with the stick. (2a) The pig was
beaten by a stick. (2b) The stick beat the pig.
instrument
actor, agent
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2. Manner
Quality represents various meanings such as
degree.
e.g. It puzzled him too much.
Comparison represents the meaning of similarity
or difference. It is typically expressed by a
prepositional phrase with like or unlike.
e.g. He worked like a slave. He signed his
name differently.
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3. Cause
Three subcategories Reason, Purpose, and Behalf.
Reason represents the reason for which a process
takes place.
Purpose represents the purpose for which a
process takes place.
Behalf represents entity, on whose behalf or for
whose sake the action is undertaken.
He died of starvation. (Cause Reason) Lets go
for a walk. (Cause Purpose) He put in a word on
Johns behalf. (Cause Behalf)
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4. Accompaniment
This semantic element represents the meanings and
(positive accompaniment), not (negative
accompaniment) as circumstantials. It is
expressed by prepositions or prepositional
phrase, e.g. with, without, instead of.
e.g. He came with/without her. He came
instead of her. He set out with/without
his umbrella.
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5.Matter
This element corresponds to the interrogative
what about? and is expressed by prepositions or
prepositional phrase, e.g. about, concerning,
with reference to.
e.g. I worry about her health. They are
talking about the weather.
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6. Role
The element corresponds to the interrogative
what is? and is expressed by prepositions and
prepositional phrase, e.g. as, by way of.
e.g. I came here as a friend. They leave
the place untidy by way of protest.
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Voice

• ??????,??????????????????????
• Traditional grammar
• Voice active vs. passive
• Functional grammar
• Voice

Middle ????
active
non-middle ?????
passive
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• middle voice only one participant involved
• The glass broke.
• The baby stood up.
• non-middle voice two participants or more
• She gave me this book.
• The landlady wont sell.
• active They have sold all the tickets. (actor)
• passive All the tickets have been sold by them.
  (goal)
• He rose to speak, and was listened to with
  enthusiasm by the great crowd present.

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Interpersonal function

• The interpersonal function embodies all uses
  of language to express social and personal
  relations. This includes the various ways the
  speaker enters a speech situation and performs a
  speech act.
• ?????????????, ???????????????????????,??,??
  ,??,????????,?????????
• This function is realized by mood and
  modality.

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• Speech roles and functions

Role in exchange Commodity exchanged Goods services information
giving giving Offer I will show you the way. Statement Were nearly there.
demanding demanding Command Give me your hand. Question Is this the place?
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Mood

• A The dukes given away that teapot, hasnt he?
• B Oh, has he?
• A Yes, he has.
• B No, he hasnt!
• A I wish he had.
• B He hasnt, but he will.
• A Will he?
• B He might.
• Mood Subject Finite.
• Residue Predicator, Complement Adjunct
• The boy will never write
  the report.
• Subject finite adjunct predicator
  complement

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Declarative vs. Interrogative
Grammar can confuse students.
subject finite predicator complement
Mood Mood Residue Residue
Can we find a solution?
finite subject predicator complement
Mood Mood Residue Residue
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Imperative
(Do) Think about it!
finite No subject predicator complement
Mood Mood Residue Residue
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modality

• Modality specifies if the speaker is expressing
  his judgment or making a prediction.
• ????????????????????????????
• Modalization (information)??????????????????
• Probability ???? (possible, probable, certain)
• Usuality ???? (sometimes, usually, always)
• ??????? That will be John.
• ???????????? Thats probably John.
• ???? That will probably John.

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• Modulation (Goods Service)
• ????,?????????????????
• Obligation ??? (allowed, supposed, required)
• ????,??????????????????
• Inclination ???? (willing, anxious, determined)
• 1.??????? You should take it.
• 2. ???? You are supposed to know that.
• 3. ??? I am anxious to help him.

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The textual metafunction

• "The textual metafunction creates discourse"
• The textual function refers to the fact that
  language has mechanisms to make any stretch of
  spoken or written discourse into a coherent and
  unified text and make a living passage different
  from a random list of sentences.
• Theme vs. Rheme
• Cohesion

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Theme vs. Rheme

• Theme
• the starting point of the message.
• first constituent in the clause
• Simple theme (????????????????)

The boy In a small house near the beach Give that teapot away gave the teacher his homework. a woman stood out in the rain. if you dont like it
Theme Rheme
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Multiple Themes(??????????,?????????????????)
Well, But Certainly surely Sanity the course is a precarious state. starts tomorrow.
Textual Interpersonal Experiential
THEME THEME THEME RHEME
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Theme Choice in the Non-Declarative

• Wh-Questions
• What happened to her?
• Yes/No Questions
• Did he tell you where I was?
• Imperative
• Dont cry about it.
• Have a cup of
  tea.
• Lets have a
  look at this recipe
• Exclamative
• What a nice plant youve got!
• How nice Helen is!

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Unmarked vs. Marked

• Unmarked (Theme Subject)
• The two Indians stood waiting.
• The Indian who was rowing them was working very
  hard.
• But I will have some photographs taken.
• There was no need of that.
• Marked (Theme ?Subject)
• Across the bay they found the other boat.
• In February 1979 he was awarded the George Cross
  posthumously.
• And when you get down there you find he hasnt
  actually got any.
• That I dont know.

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Cohesion

• Grammatical cohesion reference, ellipsis,
  substitution, conjunction.
• Lexical cohesion repetition, synonymy/ antonymy,
  hyponymy/meronymy, collocation

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• 1. Reference
• (????,????,?????more, other?)
• John works in the Department of English. He
  teaches linguistics.
• John has passed the exam. This is what I have
  been told.
• This is no good. Id like to have the other one.
• 2. Ellipsis (?????????????????)
• My father planned and my brother built all these
  houses.
• How old are you, boy? Seven, sir.

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• Substitution (??????????????)
• Has John passed the exam?
• I think so.
• I have lost my watch.
• Get a new one.
• Conjunction (?????????????????,?and, but,
  because, therefore, however)

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• Repetition
• Gentlemen may cry peace, peace but theres no
  peace.
• The journey which has brought me to Peking has
  been a very long one. Long when measured in
  miles. Long when measured in time.
• synonymy/ antonymy
• Everyone cheered. The leader acknowledge the
  applause.
• He fell asleep. What woke him was a loud crash.

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• hyponymy/meronymy
• After an hour or so the sun was rapidly
  sinking, the white clouds had turned red, the
  hills were violet, the woods purple, the valleys
  black.
• A big tree with a thick trunk and outspread
  branches was nearby.
• Collocation
• Shake your chains to earth like dew
• which in sleep have fallen on you!