Systemic functional grammar (SFG) and discourse
by Riyadi Santosa
4 competence tests: mood and theme, transitivity, clause complex, verbal group and nominal group, the whole analysis (all of them are ‘take-home tests”
Halliday, 1985, 1994 Martin, et al 1997 Thompson, 2004 Hewings and Hewings , 2004 ILC materials
Why SFG?
To understand language as it is SFG sees society explains language, as
opposed to formal linguistics which seeks the explanation from neurological context.
The relation between social context and language is not cause and effect but rather ‘realization/ representation / symbolization’.
Thus, society is resources of meaning and language is the meaning maker.
Stratum, rank and meta-function
Social Context Language as text
Meta-functional solidarity across planes
Mode Field Ideational Textual Tenor Interper-
sonal
Stratification: Levels of abstraction in language
Discourse Semantics Content plane Lexicogrammar Phonology/ Graphology Expression plane
Strata cross-classified by meta-function
Ideational Interpersonal Textual
Meta-function, reality, and work done
Metafunction Reality construal ‘Work done’ Ideational (experiential & logical) reality observer Interpersonal Social reality intruder Textual semiotic reality relevance
Constituents
Constituency in formal linguistics My son likes candies very much
Constituency (continued)
Constituency in SFG happening process nuclear participant other participant circumstance likes candies my son very much
Clause as exchange
To construe social reality and realize interpersonal meaning
To explore clause resources for participating in exchanges.
Exchanges: to give and to demand information and goods or services
MOOD system is system of clauses as interpersonal resources.
MOOD system
MOOD System
declarative Subject ^ Finite Indicative polar + Subject Major + Finite interrogative Predicator Finite ^ Subject CLAUSE imperative Wh + pred ^ (com/adj) Minor no predicator
Exchange
goods and services
information
giving Here’s the small bear
This is the small bear
demanding Find me the small bear
Is this the small bear?
proposal
proposition
Mood structure
Mood structure is a structure where the meaning of proposal or proposition of a clause can be found.
Mood structure consists of 2 constituents: mood and residue.
Mood is built from the relation between subject and finite, whereas residue is the rest.
Subject is grammatical doer; finite consists of tense, modality, and polarity; complement is potential subject in passive; adjunct can’t be subject; predicator is verbal group excluding finite; continuative and conjunction connect the previous clause; vocative is used to summon.
Example of mood structure
Mood structure in indicative declarative We sang a song S F / P C Mood Residue Indicative:declarative; proposition We will sing this song for you S F P C Adj. Mood Residue Indicative:declarative; proposal
Example of mood structure (continued)
Mood structure in Wh interrogative How long must we sing this song? Wh/Adj. F S P C Re- Mood -sidue Indicative: wh interrogative; proposition What will we Sing? Wh/C F S P Re- Mood -sidue Indicative: wh interrogative; proposition
Example of mood structure (continued)
Mood structure in polar interrogative Is this the bear? F S C Mood Residue Indicative: polar interrogative; proposition Mood structure in imperative Be patient! P C Residue Imperative; proposal
Example of mood structure (continued)
Mood structure in embedded clause and projection They belived that they had won the
match S F / P C Mood Residue Indicative:declarative; proposition Mood structure in tag question You don’t understand do you? S F P F S Mood Residue Mood tag Indicative:declarative; proposition
CLAUSE AS MESSAGE
To explore clauses as semiotic resources to express message.
Principles:- language including clause is linear- so message is structured linearly- linearity means it is like a line which has a
start and an end This principles implies that message is structured
from beginning to an end. There are two points of views in looking at clause
as message: reader’s and listener’s point of view and speaker’s and writer’s point of view.
Message from reader’s and listener’s point of view
Message is expected to be structured from ‘known’ to ‘unknown’.
Or message is structured from old information and moves to new information.
For example:
My uncle visited me last week
Old New
He stayed in my house for 2 days
Old New
Patterns of old-new information in different genres
Patterns of old-new information in report Algae is a single-celled or simple multiple organism. Old New It can conduct the process of photosynthesis. Old New It is generally found in water Old New but it can also be found elswhere such as in rocks and trees. Old New
Patterns of old-new information in different genres (continued)
Patterns of old-new information in explanation Medical bill in US have risen outrageously Old New and steps need to be taken to reverse this trend. Old New Or the American will not be able to afford medical care. Old New The major factor of the case has been the dramatic increase of hospital services. Old New But the rise in the cost of hospitalization can only be partly blamed on inflation Old New since the hospital bill in the last two decdes have risen at a considerable rate. Old New
Message from speaker’s and writer’s point of view
The beginning is a stepping stone to develop a message
Message is structured from theme (topic) and moves to rheme (tail).
It is used as strategy to develop the message based on the theme or topic they think it is important
For example:
My uncle visited me last week
Theme Rheme
Last week my uncle visited me.
Theme Rheme
Luckily, we got the right bus.
Theme Rheme
Types of theme
There are three types of themes in English: topical, textual, and interpersonal.
Topical theme is the theme that develop the topic of discourse.
Textual theme is used to connect the previous clause.
Interpersonal theme is used to interact and transact socially.
Topical theme
There are two types of topical theme: unmarked and marked.
The unmarked topical theme is the typical theme in English clauses that are usually started with subject.
The marked topical theme is non-typical theme that is characterized by other than subject such as: complement, adjunct, or predicator
For example:
My uncle visited me last week
Theme Rheme
Unmarked
Last week my uncle visited me
Theme Rheme
Marked
Textual theme
To connect logically the first and second clause
Mostly in the forms of conjunction such: and, then, after, although etc., and continuative such as: Errr…, Emm…, Well…
For example:
But he doesn’t understand
Theme Rheme
Text Top
Err… he did it
Theme Rheme
Text Top
Interpersonal theme
To realize the interpersonal meaning of the theme.
Interactional interpersonal theme is realized in vocative
Transactional interpersonal (giving and demanding information and goods and services) theme is realized in finite and wh.
For example:
John, will you be the chairman?Theme RhemeInt Int top
Example of combination analysis of mood and theme of English clauses
We sang a song S F / P C Mood Residue Theme: Top Unmarked
Rheme
How long must we sing this song? Wh/Adj. F S P C Re- Mood -sidue Theme: Int/Top Marked
Rheme
Example of combination analysis of mood and theme of English clauses
What will we Sing? Wh/C F S P Re- Mood -sidue Theme: Int/Top Marked
Rheme
Be patient! P C Residue Top Marked Theme Well Darling I will take a rest for a
while Con Voc S F P C Adj Re- Mood -sidue Theme Text Int Top
Unm
Rheme
Night watch with Catriona Thornton:
Officers hurt in wild brawl: 4 charged in ‘touch and go’ fight Four policemen received minor injuries when they broke up a brawl involving 10 men in western Sydney early yesterday. The officers were called to a service station at Minto at 3 am after a report that people were causing a disturbance. A police spokesman said that when officers from Cambletown confronted the men, the group allegedly turned on them. “It was a touch-and-go situation for a while but the police managed to get things under control,” he said. “Although the offciers were outnumbered several arrets were
made.” Four were charged with a number of offences, including assaulting police and resisting arrest. At King Cross, police arrested two men after a car chase through the suburb’s narrow strrets early yesterday. The chase began on Bayswater Rd and continued through streets and laneways but ended on Victoria Rd after the offenders surrendered to police. The men were later charged in connection with a stolen motor vehicle. Police at Marrickville were called to break up a
brawl on the corner of Marrickville and Illawarra roads. About 40 people were involved in the fight but no one was injued. At Balmain, police arrested two people for attemped break-and-enter at a newsagency on Victoria Rd. They were taken to Balmain police station and later charged. In the inner west, Leichhardt police were called to break up a brawl involving about 30 people. In Sydney’s south, a 31-year-old woman suffered minor head injuries after she was assaulted at the bexley North shopping centre.
Clause as representation: transitivity
Clause also represents experience (ideational meaning: experiential)
Basically experience consists of three constituents:- process or the event / happening, realized in
verbal groups.- participants, realized in nominal groups, and- circumstance, realized in nominal groups or
prepositional phrase. In English, there are 6 types of processes: material,
mental, verbal, behavioral, relational, and existential processes.
Material process
A process of doing, physical action. There are two types of material process:
happening and doing. Happening material process is characterized by the absence of goal, while doing material process is characterized with the presence of goal.
Participants in material process involves: actor (the doer), goal (affected participant), beneficiary (client and recipient), and range.
Material process (continued)
‘doing’ ‘happening’ (transitive) (intransitive) John is cooking pizza John is cooking actor process goal actor process
doing: actor – process – goal - creative (making goal): create, make, build, develop, etc. - dispositive (affecting goal): send, throw, strew, pour, disolve, etc.
happening: actor – process
- move, fall, rise, come, go, soften, harden, melt, etc.
Material process (continued)
1. Material process in passive The pizza is being cooked by John goal process actor
Agentless passive
The pizza is being cooked goal process
2. Material process with dispositive –recipient - give, hand, throw, deliver, send, etc.
John sent Mac a table actor process recipient goal
John sent a table to Mac actor process goal recipient
Material process (continued)3. Material process with dispositive – client - buy, make, get, do, cook, bake, etc.
John baked Mac pizza actor process client goal
John baked pizza for Mac actor process goal client
4. Material process with range: - range can be an extension of process and a scope of process - range is not an entity.
John play guitar sang a song actor process range (extension of
process
John climbed the hill actor process range (scope of
process
Mental Process
A process of sensing: perception, cognition, and affection.
Perception: perceive, see, notice, obserbe, feel, smell, taste, hear, etc.
Cognition: assume, believe, conclude, consider, discover, doubt, etc.
Affection: enjoy, relish, regret, like, fear, dread. Favor, love, prefer, etc.
Participants: senser and phenomenon Three types of phenomena: micro (thing), macro
(thing with embedded process), meta (an idea)
Mental process (continued)
John likes saw wondered
pizza (micro) him selecting a shirt (macro) why he was chosen (meta)
senser process phenomenon To test: 1. at the moment of speaking: simple - No one sees him. - * No one is seeing him 2. bi-directional: - I fear that man / that man frightens me - I like it / It pleases me - I don’t understand it / It puzzles me - grieve / sadden, belive / convince, forget / escape, recall / remind 3. Mental process does not work with a question: ‘What di he do?’ -* What did he do? He liked the man.
Verbal process
A process of saying Participants: sayer, verbiage, receiver
John asked told said
him them
a question a story he’s sick
sayer process receiver verbiage
Behavioral process
Process of behaving 2 types: verbal behavior and mental behavior Verbal behavior: talk, chat, converse, speak,
call, discuss, abuse, flatter, etc. The participants: behaver, receiver, verbiage.
Mental behavior: look at, watch, listen to, experience, survey, smile, laugh, cry, memorize, concentrate, mediate, etc. The participants include behaver, and phenomenon.
For example:
John They
Talked chatted
to her each other
about the test about the game
behaver process receiver verbiage
He looked at studied
the carving the opera
behaver process phenomenon
To test behavioral from mental
Behavioral Mental 1. Unmarked present present in present
‘He is mediating’ present ‘He thinks so’
2. Directionality 1 way ‘She laughed’
2 ways ‘She likes it / It pleases her’
3. Phenomenality No metaphenomena *He mediated he would eat it
OK ‘He belives he can do it’
4. Proverb Works with proverb do “What is he doing?” “He is mediating”
Does not work with proverb do. *”What is he doing?” “He is seeing.”
Relational process
Two types: attributive and identifying Attributive relational process:
- a process of giving attribute to a thing
- participants: carrier and attribute
- types of attributives:
- appearance: be, seem, appear, sound,
look, taste, smell, feel, etc.
- phase: become, remain, turn, grow, run,
come, keep, stay, etc.
- measure: weight, cost, measure, number
For example:
He She They It
is becomes grew costs
at home an engineer wild Rp 5.000,-
carrier process attribute With ‘have’
He Has a piano carrier process attribute
For example (continued)
To test: Ben is a farmer * A farmer is Ben Attributive with conflated procees and attribute:
- matter, suffice, differ, dominate, smell, pong
It It They
matters suffices dominate
carrier process/attribute
Identifying relational process
A process of giving a value to athing Participants: token and value Types:
- Be: is, am, are, was, were, been
- Equality: equal, add up to, make, come out
as/at, amount to, translate, render,
paraphrase, reformulate, transliterate
- Signification: signify, expound, code, encode,
express, realize, spell, write, transcribe, read, mean,
denote, connote, define, call, name
Identifying relational process (continued)
- Representation: symbolize, represent, stand for, refer to, imply, index,
express,
reflect, personify
- Indication: indicate, suggest, betoken,
connote, smack of, evoke, reveal
- Role: play/act as, function, portray,
typify, personify
For example:
Identifying relational process (continued)
Ben This
is reflects
the farmer the crisis
token process value To test:
1. reversable 2. Token takes subject in active 3. Token is more concrete than value
The farmer The crisis
is is reflected
Ben by this
value process token
Existential process
A process of projecting that something exists Participant: existent For example:
There is a book on the table process existent circumstance
Ebola existed in Ethiopia existent process circumstance
Circumstance
There are 8 types of circumstances: angle, extent, location, manner, cause, accompaniment, matter, and role.
Angle: - verbal source - who says? - for example:
According to Xian cooking is easy Cir: angle
Circumstances (continued)
2. Extent:- nominal group with quantifier + unit of measure (yards, laps, rounds, years …) + preposition - How far/ long/many rounds/times…
Xian cooked the rice for 15 minutes Cir: extent
3. Location: - prepositional phrase, adveribial group - place and time - where and when - place: space –place or direction (source, passage, destination)
Xian cooked the rice in the microwave Cir: location: place
Xian cooked the rice in the morning Cir: location: time
Circumstances (continued)
4. Manner: - means, quality, comparison a. means: how, what with?
Xian cooked the rice with microwave Cir: manner: means
b. Quality: adverbial group (in…way/manner) How?
Xian cooked the rice quickly/ in the following way Cir: manner: quality
c. comparison: like, unlike (+adverbials: like, likewise, similarly differently ) What … like?
Xian cooked the rice Like Nan Cir: manner: comparison
Circumstances (continued)
Cause: reason, purpose, condition, concession, behalf a. Reason: through, because of, as a result of, due to, thanks to Why, how
Xian cooked the pizza thanks to the microwave Cir: cause: reason
b. purpose: for, in the hope of, for the purpose of what for?
Xian prepared the table for his lecture Cir: cause: purpose
c. condition: in the case of, in case What if?
In the case of token we apply subject in the active Cir: cause: condition
Circumstances (continued)
d. concession: inspite of, despite Inspite of his cold Xian prepared his lecture Cir: cause: concession
e. behalf: for, for the sake of, on behalf of who for?
Xian spoke on behalf of his students Cir: cause: behalf
6. Accompaniment: with, without, beside, instead of
Xian cooked pizza instead of rice Cir: accompaniment
Circumstances (continued)
7. Matter: about, concerning, with reference to, etc. Xian saw his supervisors in relation to his study Cir: matter
8. Role: as, by way of, in the role/shape/guise/form/ of
Xian came as a vampire Cir: role
Extra causer
Extra
Causer participant parti- process
Extra causer: example
1. Initiator: make, let, get (X) do The surgeont made the trrop march Intiator pro- actor -cess
2. Inducer: persuade, convinve, assure, satsfy
Nan convinced Xian the pizza was cooked inducer process senser phenomenon
3. Attributor: make, keep, leave, drive
The ranger drove the students crazy attributor process carrier attribute
4. Assigner: elect, name, vote, call, make
They elected him Premier assigner process token value
ENGLISH CLAUSE COMPLEX
paratactic (1,2,3…): and, but, so (that), or , (,), (;), direct speech
eg: His mother is a doctor and his mother is a lawyer inter- Take it or leave it dependence He is clever, but a bit selfish Simplex (1 process) hypotactic (α,β,γ,δ…): after, before, as, major when, if, etc., indirect speech (process) e.g: After having locked the door, she Complex rushed hurrily. clause (more than They went to the party although 1 processes) were tired minor locution (“): verbal projection (no process) eg: They said: “ We’re tired” They said that they were tired projection logico- semantics idea (‘): mental projection eg: They believed that they were right expansion elaboration (=) eg: He is clever, he can do it. She’s good, which’s how
she won. extension (+): add, alter,
oppose e.g: She’s clever, but a bit
selfish. He spoke well, except that he ignored the press
enhancement (x):time, reason, purpose, condition, concession eg: He finished, and then he shooked her hand. After he had finished, he Shooked her hand.
Procedure of analysis
Cut the clause complex into simplexes. If the clause contains only two clauses, then identify
the interdependence: paratactic or hypotactic and provide the symbol. After that, identify the logico-semantic or the meaning of the relation: projection or expansion.
If the clause contains more than two clauses, then find the main logico-semantics: projection or expansion. Then analyze the interdependence and the logico-semantic relation. After that, analyze the rest of the clauses by doing the same analysis.
Example of analysis
1. They said: “We’re tired.” 1 1a. They said:
“2 1b. “ We’re tired” 2. he spoke well except that he ignored the press.
α 2a. He spoke well, +β 2b. except that he ignored the press 3. She’s good, which’s how she won
α 3a. She’s good, which’s how =β 3b. she won 4. Marian said: “It could be dangerous if it id not managed wisely.” 1 4a. Marian said: α “2 4b. “it could be dangerous
xβ 4c. if it isn’t managed wisely.”
Possibility of English nominal group
Pre-modifier Post-modifier D ^ Num ^ E ^ C ^ T [ Q ]
Article: ord. num adj. N N Adj. clause a, the car. Num pres. part adj. Pr present part phr poss. adj. past. part gerund inf. phr past part. phr ger. Hr inf. phr N. Cl. adj. phr prep. phr car / ord number
For example:
Notes: ^ : comes before : is realized by T (Thing): thing, idea, or nominalized process or quality N (Noun) common and proper noun: table, crisis, Jack Pr (Pronoun): he, she, him, her, etc. Inf. phr (Infinitive phrase): to swim on the beach, to say Ger. Phr (genrund phrase): swimming on the beach, writing novel. N. Cl. (Noun clause): that he’s sick, what they wanted to say, how to do C (classifier): pre-modifier that classifies thing in terms of types: function or origin N: stone house, rubber boat, Javenese architecture Adj: black hair, modern achitecture, blue eyes Ger: swimming pool, dining table, sailing boat
For example
E (Ephitet): pre-modifier that describes things in terms of its size, shape, color, and condition (physical, psychological)
Adj: long hair, red boat, beautiful lady Present participle: running water, crying baby Past participle: one-eyed man, stolen car, broken heart Num (numeric): pre-modifier that tells the number or the order of thing Ordinal: the first fliht, the fourth building Cardinal: two books, many countries The 3 beautiful sailing boats D Num E C T
For example
Q (Qualifier): post-modifier that adds information about the thing. Adjective clause: a man who is wearing a black jacket the car that will be sold Present participle phrase: a man wearing a black jacket the crowds passing by Past participle phrase: the car stolen in the park the model modified for the reasearch Infinitive phrase: the car to sell the problems to solve Adjective phrase: a topic interesting to discuss the boats available in the harbour Prepositional phrase: a man with glasses a woamn in red a mansion below the hill Ordinal/Cardinal number: King Henry IV, Elizabeth II Filght 4, room 7
English verbal group Perfective V (to beat) Non- finite Imperfective V-ing (beating) Neutral V-en (beaten) Modal can, may, must, shall, will etc. (can beat) Finite Past V-ed (took) Temporal
Present V,V-s (takes)
Future will^V (will take) Verbal group Past have ^ V-en (to have taken) Secondary tense Present be ^ V-ing (to be taking) Future be going to ^ V (tobe going to take) Active Passive be^V-en (beaten)
For example
Notes: α : tense, modal (-): past; ( o ): present (+): future β, γ, δ : secondary tense, non- finite, or event 1. She is clever. 2. They will go hoe 3. She is singing 4. We have passed the exam αº βevent αmod βevent αº βº γevent αº β- γ event 2. They considered stepping down 2. They were thought to be the best α- βevent βimp γevent α- βpassive γevent βperf γ event