Lecture 7

Clause as representationClause as representation

Metafunctions: Ideational (construes human experience) – Transitivity Interpersonal (enacts human relationships) – Mood Textual (creates discourse) – Theme/Rheme

Logical (links between components rather than unit–whole) Ideational function

Experiential (modelling a domain of "knowledge" – construing organic ‘wholes’)

Clause as representationClause as representation

Processes, participants, circumstances – setting up taxonomies of events,

things and qualities

Clause as representationClause as representation

semantic (role)

process participant(s)

circumstance

lexicogrammatical (realization)

verbal group

nominal group

adverbial group / prepositional phrase

ProcessesProcesses

Michael looked at her for a moment. Then he began to laugh. 'I'm so sorry,' said Michael, 'but it did sound comic, the way you said it! Cheer up, there's no tragedy. I have to go to the village this evening, and I'll fetch your suitcase then. It'll be quite safe at the White Lion. Did you have any lunch by the way? We were wondering about you.

ProcessesProcesses

Three questions that can be asked about any process and the clause of which it forms a nucleus:

1.What kind of process is it? 2.How many participants can/must be

involved in the process? 3.What roles can/must those

participants play?

ProcessesProcesses

material (‘doing’, ‘causing') behavioural (‘acting’) mental (‘thinking’, ‘sensing’,

'evaluating') verbal (‘saying’) relational (‘being’, ‘having’) existential (‘existing’,

‘appearing’)

Material processesMaterial processes

Associated participants: Actor & Goal

Actor. the participant always inherent in a material clause. The Actor can be animate (‘action’) or inanimate (‘event’). The process it participates in may or may not extend to affect another participant, the Goal.

Material processesMaterial processes

Actor Process         Goal They were making supper.

Actor   Process Circumstance The car crashed into a tree

Goal Process Circumstance Rome was not built in a day.

Mental processesMental processes

Associated participants: Senser & Phenomenon Phenomenon. Participant role in the transitivity structure of a mental clause: the phenomenon sensed by the Senser. (Senser in bold; Phenomenon in italics.)

Mental processesMental processes

She saw them. She saw them leaving the house.

These people don’t understand functional grammar.

She recognized the dilemma she and every teenager around her found themselves in.

One professor felt we should get our feet dirty.

Mental processesMental processes

Sarah fears nothing. Nothing frightens her.

His behaviour disgusted many people. / Many people condemned his behaviour.

Relational processesRelational processes

attributive: Associated participants: Carrier & Attribute

identifying: Associated participants: Token & Value (Identified & Identifier)

A Carrier is construed as being ascribed or attributed to an Attribute: the relation can be interpreted as one of class-membership – the Carrier is construed as a member of the class described by the Attribute.  

Relational processesRelational processes

Carrier Process Process Circumstance

His clothes are Very expensive

You Are A fool

This city park

comes alive On Saturdays

Relational processesRelational processes

Identified       Identifier Token       process     Value I am the villain.

Identifier               Identified Value          Process   Token The villain is me.

Verbal processesVerbal processes

Associated participants: Sayer and Verbiage (+ Receiver)

She told me the story of her life. He couldn't say a word.

Existential processesExistential processes

Associated participant: Existent (+Circumstance)

1.There is a fly in my soup.

Behavioural processesBehavioural processes

Associated participant: Behaver (+Range)

1.He was laughing. 2.They hummed a little tune. 3.We were watching the news.

Grammatical characteristics of Grammatical characteristics of process typesprocess types Material: typically occur with the

progressive in the present tense Mental: typically occur in the simple present tense Relational: typically occur in the simple present tense

Grammatical characteristics of Grammatical characteristics of process typesprocess types Halliday 138:

behavioural sharing characteristics of material and mental verbal sharing characteristics of mental and relational existential sharing characteristics of relational and material

The Range ParticipantThe Range Participant

"the element that specifies the range or scope of the process"

"elaborates or enhances the process" (Martin et al 118)

 a ‘complement’ which forms a semantic relationship with the

verb (cognate, or close in meaning) specifies part of the process is not affected by the process

I gave a description of the person I saw. (verbal process) They speak English. (verbal process) We played tennis the whole afternoon. (material process) They were singing folksongs. (behavioural) He played the guitar. (material) We visited the church. (material)

‘Circumstantial-like’: They have walked several miles. (material) I climbed that mountain because it was there. (material) They reached the North Pole. (material) We spent the whole morning in town. (material)

The Beneficiary (material and The Beneficiary (material and verbal processes)verbal processes) The duke gave my aunt a teapot.

(Recipient – 'to whom?') I sent a letter to everyone who lived in the neighbourhood. (Recipient) She did me a favour. (Client – 'for whom?') She posted a letter for me. (Client) They asked me a lot of questions. (Receiver – 'to whom?') The general shouted at them. (Receiver) "Stay with her!" he had said to Mrs. Allen. (Receiver)

Target (verbal processes)Target (verbal processes)

Can you describe the person you saw? He read and criticized her novel.

CircumstancesCircumstances

Location: Temporal (when?) – She’ll arrive on Thursday.  Spatial (where?) – She lives in Birmingham.

Extent: Temporal (for how long?) – She has lived there for eight years. Spatial (how far?) – It slid halfway over the floor.

Manner (means/quality/comparison) (how?) – Daddy went off quite happily at 7.40. He answered with a smile.

CircumstancesCircumstances

Cause: Reason (why?) – We have to be there early as it’s Friday.

Purpose (what for?) – He popped over for a chat.

Behalf (who for?) – He’s doing the shopping for me.

Contingency (concession) – Despite his eagerness he’s unlikely to succeed.

Accompaniment (who/what with?) – She returned with(out) her gun / with her friend.

CircumstancesCircumstances

Role: Guise (what as?) – He returned and remained at the hotel as an inoffensive tourist.

Product (what into?) – The constable's features broadened into a grin.

Matter (what about?) – I'll wager he learns more about you than you about him.

Angle (from what point of view?) – To a great mind, nothing is little.

ErgativityErgativity

Central concepts: Process Medium: Participant, typically the subject of the sentence (‘the entity through the medium of which the process comes into existence’ – Halliday p 164) Agent: ‘Doer of the action’ corresponding to Actor (‘the participant functioning as an external cause’ – Halliday) Range: covers all ‘object’ roles

I opened the door. (Agent – Process – Range) The door was opened. (Medium – Process) The door opened. (Medium – Process)

Oil floats on water. (Medium – Process – Location) The sugar dissolved. (Medium – Process)