Introduction to Functional Grammar

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INTRODUCTION TOFUNCTIONAL

GRAMMARTEXT GRAM


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What is Grammar ?Grammar is the way

spoken and

written language is

organised.It is concerned with

the ordering of

word groups,

clauses and

sentences andmor hemes within


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Morphemes are the roots and affixes of woThere are two kinds

of morphemes.Free morphemes are words or parts ofwords that can stand on their own.For example,railway consistsof two freemorphemes

rail and way


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Bound morphemes include prefixes and suffixes (rebuild, kindness) inflection (beaches) possession (dadsbeer) tense markers (joking, played)Bound morphemes cannot stand on their own. They must combine with free morphemes.For example, the word unhealthy consists of thprefix un and the word healthy


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What if you are required by curriculum to teach traditiona

It's actually quite easy to combine methods and introduce traditiat a later stage. The functional grammar blocks are thus broke

individual grammatical terms helping to preserve the overal

PARTICIPANT

(NOMINAL

GROUP)

PROCESS

(VERBAL GROUP)

PARTICIPANT

(NOMINAL GROUP)

CIRCUMSTA

(ADJECTIVAL

Noun Verb

(simplepast)

Verb

(inf.)

Possessive

determiner

Adjective Noun Preposition Determ

Annie wanted to play her new clarinet in the


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What is Systemic Functional Linguistics (S

Systemic Functional Linguistics is an approach to languagemainly by Michael Halliday in the UK and later in Australia.

While American-style linguistics evolved in the modellworlds languages, SFL was developed to address the needs oteaching/learning.

Central: language use must be seen as taking place in sociaLanguage is not good or bad, it is appropriate or inapproprcontext of use.

Language function (what it is used for) is often more implanguage structure (how it is composed).


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SFL: focus on what things do

A structural approach is concerned with how things are composed (their internal

A functional approach is more concerned with what the unit does.

Function of syntactic units:

Functions of speech acts as a whole: (speech function):

give/demand, action/i nf ormati on

Functions of texts as a whole (genre):

descri ption, r ecount, narr ative, explanation, exposit ion, etc.

John liked the way she smiled

Subject Predicate Complement

Senser Process Phenomenon

Theme Rheme


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What is Functional Grammar ?Functional grammar describes the relationshipsbetween grammatical structures and meaning.It focuses on language resources for analysing texts (what issubject matter (field)

analysing interaction (who is communicating with whroles & relationships (tenor)analysing the ways messages are constructedmode and medium (mode)


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Functional grammar emphasisesthe ways in which languagefunctions to assist meaning, butalso relies upon knowledge,understanding and the use ofterms of traditional grammar. Rod Cam pbell andGramm ar in


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In traditional grammar, there arelevels of language construction such asletters, words, sentences and paragraphs.Functional grammar looks at suchlevels in a functional way.These levels are known as ranks.

At different ranks, we are concernedwith different patterns and functions.

Levels of Grammar


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Functional Grammar has three ranksClauseGroupWord My mothers friend hid thirty dollars under his bed.

At the clauserank hid is a processat the wordrank, hid is a verbsuch an analysis underlines the differencesbetween traditional and functional grammar


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The ClauseThe basic unit of meaning

is the clause which providesinformation about :

What is happeningWho is taking partSurrounding circumstances

(eg; where, when and how)


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Joe windsurfs at YeppoonWho ?

(Participant)

What ?(Process)

Where ?(circumstance)


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TheLanguageLadder

Whole Text

SentencesClauses

Phrases

Words

FunctionalGrammar

TraditionalGrammar


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Sentenceadd the eggs to the mix and beat in well.Clauseadd the eggs to the mix - and beat in well.Groupadd - the eggs - to the mix - and beat in well.wordadd - the - eggs - to - the - mix - and - beat - in - well.

morphemeadd the eggs to the mix and beat in well.

Units of Meaning


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TextSocial Context

Subject MatterRoles andRelationshipsMode and Medium

Cultural ContextWHAT is beingspoken or writtenabout ?

WHO is involved inthe interaction ?HOW is themessage beingconveyed ?

GenreURPOSEWhat is thepurposeful culturalactivity ?

Context/Text ModelGeneric Structure(How is the text orgCohesive Ties(How are the ideas rVocabulary(Which words are uGrammar(How are the words

Intonation, Paragrap(How are the imporSpelling(What are the sounNon Linguistic Feat(What else conveys


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Cultural ContextTelephone ConversationPurpose - to informsomeone


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Social Context

Cultural ContextTelephone ConversationPurpose - to informsomeoneSubject Matter (What ?)

Last weeks State of OriginRolesand Relationships (Who ?)Information Giver/Seeker

Mate to Mate, closeMode and Medium (How ?)Telephone Conversation

Spoken (Auditory)


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Generic StructureSpelling and VocabularyGrammar and CohesionIntonation, Paragraphing &PunctuationNon Linguistic FeaturesTextual Fe

Social Context


Subject Matter (What ?)Last weeks State of OriginRolesand Relationships (Who ?)Information Giver/Seeker


Spoken (Auditory)


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Generic StructureSpelling and VocabularyGrammar and CohesionIntonation, Paragraphing & PunctuationNon Linguistic Features

Textual FeatSocial Context


Subject Matter (What ?)Last weeks State of OriginRolesand Relationships (Who ?)Information Giver/Seeker


Spoken (Auditory)

Gramm

Documents

Introduction to Functional Grammar