Systemic Functional Grammar

Systemic Functional Grammar
(SFG):
Introduction
Overview
• Theoretical background:
the notions of system and function (3-6)
• The linguistic model:
syntagmatic and paradigmatic
representation (7-24)
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Functional Grammar
A grammar of functions
“People who study and use a language are mainly interested
in how they can do things with language --- how they can
make meanings, get attention to their problems and interests,
influence their friends and colleagues and create a rich social
life for themselves. They are only interested in the grammatical
structure of the language as a means to getting things done.
A grammar which puts together the patterns of the language
and the things you can do with them is called a functional
grammar.”
[COBUILD, 1990]
SFG: Theoretical background
Functional Grammar
A grammar of meanings
“People who study and use a language are mainly interested
in how they can do things with language --- how they can
make meanings, …” [COBUILD, 1990]
(1) Drouet returned to Ecuador to manage a travel agency.
(2) I don’t know whether I can manage much longer.
manage 1: be responsible for controlling a business, organization or system
manage 2: be able to continue with a reasonable way of life
Different meaning/function
different grammatical form
SFG: Theoretical background
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Systemic Functional Grammar
A grammar of meanings
“[In a functional grammar]… a language is interpreted as a
system of meanings, accompanied by forms through which
meanings can be realized.” [Halliday, 1985/1994]
system
meaning
form
realization
SFG: Theoretical background
Systemic Functional Grammar
A grammar for text analysis
“The aim has been to construct a grammar for the purpose of
text analysis; one that would make it possible to say sensible
and useful things about any text [my emphasis].” [Halliday, 1985]
“...whatever the final purpose or direction of analysis, there has
to be a grammar at the base. … A text is a semantic unit, but not
a grammatical one. But meanings are realized through wordings;
and without a theory of wordings – that is, a grammar – there is
no way of making explicit one’s interpretation of the meaning of
a text.” [Halliday, 1985]
grammar
text
SFG: Theoretical background
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System and Structure,
Function and Form
• 2 axes:
• syntagmatic (structure)
• paradigmatic (system)
• relation: a paradigmatic (systemic) option is realized
syntagmatically (in structure)
• in SFG, paradigms are functionally motivated;
function is realized by form
SFG: The linguistic model
Metafunctions
Who’s who, where, when, how, why?
There are fewer species of the larger baleen whales, that
filter krill and small fish through their baleen plates. The
largest is the Blue whale which is seen frequently in the Gulf
of St Lawrence. It reaches a length of 100 feet and a weight of
200 tons. The young are 25 feet long at birth and gain about 200
lbs a day on their milk diet.
There are fewer species of the larger baleen whales,
that filter krill and small fish through their baleen plates.
The largest is the Blue whale
It reaches a length of 100 feet and a weight of 200 tons.
which is seen frequently in the Gulf of St Lawrence.
The young are 25 feet long at birth and
gain about 200 lbs a day on their milk diet.
ideational (processes, participants); transitivity
SFG: The linguistic model
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Metafunctions
Things you can argue about
There are fewer species of the larger baleen whales,
[- Are there?]
that filter krill and small fish through their baleen plates. [- They don’t]
The largest is the Blue whale
[- Is it?]
which is seen frequently in the Gulf of St Lawrence.
[- It isn’t.]
It reaches a length of 100 feet and a weight of 200 tons. [- Does it?]
The young are 25 feet long at birth and
[-The aren’t always]
gain about 200 lbs a day on their milk diet.
[-Do they?]
interpersonal (propositions (statements, questions) and
proposals (commands)); mood
SFG: The linguistic model
Metafunctions
Perspectives
For one thousand years, whales have been of commercial interest for
meat, oil, meal and whalebone. About 1000 AD, whaling started with
the Basques using sailing vessels and row boats. Over the next few centuries,
whaling shifted to Humpbacks, Grays, Sperms and Bowheads. By 1500, they
were whaling off Greenland; by the 1700s, off Atlantic America; and by the
1800s, in the south Pacific, Antarctic and Bering Sea. Early in this century,
whaling shifted to the larger and faster baleen whales.
For one thousand years, whales have been of commercial interest for...
About 1000 AD, whaling started with the Basques using sailing vessels ...
Over the next few centuries, whaling shifted to Humpbacks,...
By 1500, they were whaling off Greenland;
by the 1700s, off Atlantic America;
and by the 1800s, in the south Pacific, Antarctic and Bering Sea.
Early in this century, whaling shifted to the larger and faster baleen whales.
textual; starting points of messages (clauses): theme
SFG: The linguistic model
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Metafunctions
• Ideational: “…that part of the grammar concerned with
the expression of experience, including both the processes
within and beyond the self---the phenomena of the
external world and those of consciousness.”
• Interpersonal: “…the grammar of personal
participation; it expresses the speaker’s role in the speech
situation, his personal commitment and his interaction
with others.”
• Textual: “…concerned with the creation of text; it
expresses the structure of information, and the relation of
each part of the discourse to the whole and to the setting.”
[Halliday, 1973]
SFG: The linguistic model
Structure: the interpersonal aspect
Statement, question, command etc (speaker role and speaker
assessment)
Quite recently the Norwegians were whaling off Greenland.
…
the Norwegians were whaling ...
Subject
Finite
Predicator
Mood
Mood structure
SFG: The linguistic model
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Structure: the ideational aspect
What, who, when, how etc.
Quite recently the Norwegians were whaling off Greenland.
Quite recently the Norwegians were whaling off Greenland.
Circumstantial
Actor
Process
Circumstantial
(Time)
(Place)
Transitivity structure (nuclear and circumstantial)
SFG: The linguistic model
Structure: the textual aspect
What’s the starting point of the message?
Quite recently the Norwegians were whaling off Greenland.
Quite recently the Norwegians were whaling off Greenland.
Theme
Rheme
(Circumstantial)
Theme-Rheme structure
SFG: The linguistic model
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Structure: all three aspects
Function structure
Quite recently the Norwegians were whaling off Greenland.
Quite recently the Norwegians were whaling off Greenland
Circumstantial Actor
Process
Circumstantial
(Time)
(Place)
Adjunct
Subject
Finite Predicator Adjunct
Theme
Rheme
SFG: The linguistic model
Structure and system
• Description of structure: function structure
• What generates such structures? What does the
grammar (i.e., the set of rules) look like?
system network
• system network: classification hierarchy
SFG: The linguistic model
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A grammar in SFG
• system network
• systems representing ideational, interpersonal
and textual aspects
• realization statements:
• inter-axis (paradigmatic - syntagmatic)
• inter-rank (selection of syntactic category)
• compared to GTG: categories (features) are
functionally motivated, surface constraints
separate (realization)
SFG: The linguistic model
System: paradigm
Example: present tense in English
singular plural
1st person I am
we are
2nd person you are
you are
3rd person s/he/it is
they are
SFG: The linguistic model
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System: paradigm
Example: English Mood
declarative
He tickled the baby.
interrogative
Did he tickle the baby?
imperative
Tickle the baby!
declarative
+ Finite; Subject ^ Finite
interrogative + Finite; Finite ^ Subject
imperative
+ Nonfinite
SFG: The linguistic model
System: paradigm
Example: English Mood + tagging
not tagged
tagged
declarative
He tickled the baby. …didn’t he?
interrogative
Did he tickle the baby? …did he?
imperative
Tickle the baby!
…will you?
not tagged
tagged
declarative
+Finite; Subject ^ Finite
… Finite ^ Subject
interrogative + Finite; Finite ^ Subject … Finite ^ Subject
imperative
+Nonfinite
… Finite ^ Subject
SFG: The linguistic model
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