Introduction to SFL

Experiential, Interpersonal and Textual meaning

Lise FontaineCardiff UniversityFontaineL@cf.ac.uk

Today’s outline:

the Introductory Programme General introduction to the 3 main

metafunctions Experiential Interpersonal Textual

Summary Questions - discussion

Introductory ProgrammeFunctional Grammar Lexicogrammar Functions of the clause and clause structure

Spoken Language Phonology Intonation

Text and Discourse Theme Information Structure

Grammatical Meaning Language as ‘system of meanings’

“When people use language, their language acts produce – construct meaning.” (Bloor and Bloor, 2004:2)

how meaning is built up through choices of words and grammatical resources

grammar (ibid.): semantic (concerned with meaning) functional (concerned with use) lexicogrammar (words and grammar are

inextricably linked)

Multi-functional view of grammar

each ‘bit’ of language (e.g. Clause) expresses more than one type of meaning/function/use more than one way of looking at meaning

3 main ‘strands’ of meaning sentence as representation of some phenomenon

in the real world sentence as social interaction sentence as text

Grammatical choice

I was given the new Jamie book for my birthday

Kev gave me the new Jamie book for my birthday

For my birthday, Kev gave me the new Jamie book

I got the new Jamie book for my birthday

Did Kev give me the new Jamie book for my birthday?

Kev gave me the Jamie book for my birthday didn’t he?

Context

a useful metaphor: multifunctional view of the clause

the ‘clause’

experientialinterpersonaltextuallogical

different strands of meaning

“I wasn't born into this party. I chose it.

I've never joined another political party.

I believe in it. I'm proud to be the

leader of it and it's the party I'll always

live in and I'll die in.” 

Special conference, April 29 1995

example of language in useTony Blair

"Like most people of my generation, I wasn’t

born into a political party. I am a liberal

by choice, by temperament and by

conviction. And when I talk to the people I

represent, I become more convinced every

day that only liberalism offers the answers

to the problems they face."October 19th, 2007

Nick Clegg

Language as a (complex) system….

… of CHOICES among meanings

I chose the labour party

I am a liberal by choice

Are they saying the same thing?

form and meaningsystem representation

meanings

forms

stop

go

traffic control

language as semantic systemlanguage - a resource for communicating

meanings to our fellow human beings sign system; potentialpotential

text – an output of the language system an instance of language in usesign; instanceinstance

The sociosemantic nature of discourse(Halliday, 1978:128)

Basic assumptions

The semantic system is one of three strata (levels) of the linguistic system Semantic (the meaning) Lexicogrammatical (the wording: syntax, lexis,

morphology) Phonological (the sound)

The semantic system is made up of 3 main functional components Experiential Component Interpersonal Component Textual Component

Language as a (complex) system of choices among meanings

Experiential

Textual

Interpersonal

(Representing experience)

(Speaker – Addressee interaction)

(Organisation (text/language))

I chose (the labour party)

I am a liberal by choice

3 (main) strands of Meaning

clause

Experiential meaning: expressing the CONTENT; expressing the processes and

other phenomena of the external world including thoughts, feelings, etc.

(Halliday, 1978:48)

The experiential component serves to "express our experience of the world that is around us and inside us"

(Halliday, 1970)

The Clause represents experiencespeaker as Observer

The Clause – a representation

The clause is a configuration of a process, participants involved in it and any attendant circumstances (Halliday and Matthiessen, 2004:169)

experience as ‘events’ or ‘goings-on’

Three components:

1. A PROCESS unfolding through time2. The PARTICIPANT(S) involved in the process3. CIRCUMSTANCE(S) associated with the

process

What’s going on?What’s being represented?

Kev gave me the new Jamie book for my birthday

Someone is giving someone something

Event of ‘giving’ the Process

Participating ‘entities’ the Participants

Why? Circumstance

Circumstance elements

optional elements of the clause peripheral not directly involved in the process occur 'freely' in all types of processes (in

theory) for Halliday, they do not have the potential of

becoming Subjects

PARTICIPANTS are "inherent" in the process

processparticipantscircumstances participants circumstances

3 main types of Experiential meaning

RepresentingExperienceM

ater

ial M

ental

Relational

« Outer » experiences

• Something happens

• There is a « doer »an ACTOR

Ex:

John drove the car.

« Inner » experiences

• Something is sensed

• Internal world of the mind

• There is a SENSER

Ex:

John sees the car.

Relating concepts

• Relating two concepts that refer in some way to the same thing

Ex. John is the driver.

Material Process Type

Process:material Proto-typical Action events ‘doing’, ‘happening’; physical actions Most salient type of process

Participants: Actor, Goal, Beneficiary Performer of the action – Actor Impacted/affected by the action – Goal Benefits/receives from the action - Beneficiary

Eat, kick, jump, hit, drive, walk, run, cook, etc.

What did someone do?What happened?

Mental Process Type

Process:mental Internal processes States of mind; senses Knowing, thinking, seeing, hearing, ...

Participants: Senser, Phenomenon Undergoing/experiencing – Senser Thing experienced – Phenomenon

think, know, see, hear, like, want, ...

What did someone think or see or want?

Relational Process TypesProcess:relational Being; relating Processes that describe or identify something;

express a relation between two concepts/entities

Participants: Carrier, Attribute; Identified, Identifier

The thing that carries the attribute – Carrier The attribute being ascribed – Attribute The identified entity – Identified The identifying entity - Identifier

What is it? Who is it?What properties does something have?

Be

Transitivity system

Same experienceprocess: material (giving)

I was given the new Jamie book for my birthday

Kev gave me the new Jamie book for my birthday

For my birthday, Kev gave me the new Jamie book

I got the new Jamie book for my birthday

Did Kev give me the new Jamie book for my birthday?

Kev gave me the Jamie book for my birthday didn’t he?

3 participants, 1 circumstance

I chose the labour party

I am a liberal by choice

Are they saying the same thing?

Material Process:Tony Blair did something (Actor)

Relational Process:Nik Clegg is described by something (Carrier); he is being something

Interpersonal meaning

expressing relations among participants in the situation and the speaker’s own intrusion into it (Halliday, 1978:46)

The Clause expresses (inter)personal relationsSpeaker as Intruder

Key elements for Interpersonal meaning and the Mood system

The Subject of the clause

the Finite element of the verb group

The main system concerned is the MOOD system

Experiential

Textual

Interpersonal

Transitivity

Theme

MOODclause

indicative

imperative

interrogative

declarative

2 key components: Mood and Residue In English, MOOD is determined by Subject and

Finite:

I have told you have you told me? no you haven't (you) tell me!

SUBJECT and FINITE together form the main component of the clause at this level of analysis – Mood Block

Declarative

Interrogative

Declarative

Imperative

Interpersonal meaning: Clause as exchange

Each « Finite » clause contains a VERBAL OPERATOR which expresses finiteness

In SFL, the finite element gives the (clause) a

point of reference:• Tense• Person • Modality• Mood

The FINITE in English is a VERBAL OPERATOR which

expresses either :

TENSE or MODALITY

The clause in English can be FINITE or NON-FINITE

Clause as exchangeHalliday’s metaphor of symbolic exchange

Role in exchange

Goods and services

Information

Giving Offer Statement

Seeking Command Question

proposal proposition

SPEECH FUNCTION

Clause as exchange – an example

Role in exchange

Goods and services Information

Give Offer

“I’ll pick it up”

Statement

“John said he would pick it up”

Seek Command

“Pick it up yourself”

Question

“Can’t John pick it up tomorrow?”

Can anyone pick up the parcel at the post office?

Clause as exchange

Role in exchange

Goods and services Information

Give Offer

Declarative

“I’ll pick it up”

Statement

Declarative

“John said he would pick it up”

Seek Command

Imperative

“Pick it up yourself”

Question

Interrogative

“Can’t John pick it up tomorrow?”

Direct (or congruent) exchanges

Clause as exchange

Role in exchange

Goods and services Information

Give Offer

Interrogative

“Could I pick it up for you?”

Statement

Interrogative

“How should I know?”

Seek Command

Declarative

“I’d like you to pick up the parcel”

Question

Declarative

“I wonder who could pick up the parcel for me”

Indirect (or incongruent) exchanges

Kind of Modality

Modal Finite Mood (Modal) Adjuncts

probability may, might, can, could, will, would, should, must

probably, possibly, certainly, perhaps, maybe

usuality may, might, can, could, will, would, should, must

usually, sometimes, always, never, ever, seldom, rarely

obligation may, might, can, could, should, must

definitely, absolutely, possibly, at all costs, by all means

readiness(inclination and ability)

may, might, can, could, will, would, must, shall, can, could

willingly, readily, gladly, certainly, easily

The speaker’s own intrusion into the situation

Working with interpersonal meaning

I was given the new Jamie book for my birthday

Kev definitely gave me the new Jamie book

Did Kev give me the new Jamie book?

Kev might have given me the Jamie book

Kev should give me the Jamie book

Kev, give me that book!

According to Halliday (1978: 48):

The TEXTUAL Function is intrinsic to language.

« It is the function of creating text, or relating itself to the context – to the situation and to the preceding text »

The Clause relates itself to text

Speaker as Organiser or Relevance-maker

Key elements for Textual meaning and the Theme system The Theme of the clause

The main system concerned is the THEME system

Experiential

Textual

Interpersonal

Transitivity

Theme

MOODclause

indicative

imperative

interrogative

declarative

material

circumstance

mental

relationalprocess

marked

unmarked

What is Theme? Seeing the clause as message

The Textual function is the linguistic resource that lets Speakers create text.

The word Text comes from Latin textere, which means to weave. A text is something woven.

Theme is a key element, on which the message is hinged.

Theme is defined as « the point of departure of the message …  that which locates and orients the clause within its context ». (Halliday and Matthiessen, 2004:64)

Identifying Theme Theme corresponds to the first element

having a role in transitivity:a participant, a process, or a circumstance

Most commonly, the Theme will conflate with the Subject and will have a Participant role in the transitivity.

Theme is said to be markedmarked when it is not the Subject of the clause (ie Circumstance)

Everything else in the clause is referred to as Rheme

Types of Theme

But do you want to go?

first element with a role in Experiential meaning

Finite: concerns Interpersonal meaning

Experiential Theme

Interpersonal Theme

tells us how this clause relates to others

Textual Theme

Working with textual meaning

I was given the new Jamie book for my birthday

Kev gave me the new Jamie book for my birthday

For my birthday, Kev gave me the new Jamie book

I chose the Labour party

Actor Process: Material Goal

Subject Finite/Event Complement

Mood: Declarative

Theme Rheme

Experiential Meaning

InterpersonalMeaning

TextualMeaning

I chose (the labour party)

Multifunctional view of the clause

Questions?

References Bloor,T. & Bloor,M. (2004) The Functional

Analysis of English. London: Arnold. Halliday, MAK (1978) Language as social

semiotic. Edward Arnold, London.