analysing english grammar working with structures
Post on 28-Mar-2015
236 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
Analysing English Grammar
Working with structures
Outline of the workshop
Describe the main structural units in SFG
Useful tests for identifying clause internal boundaries
Function and Form
In working with grammatical structures, the key is to:
recognise structural units and connect them to the functions they serve to express
recognise functions and connect them to the structural units which serve to express them
Structural units
“Describing a sentence as a construction of words is rather like describing a house as a construction of bricks, without recognizing the walls and the rooms as intermediate structural units”. – Halliday (1994:180)
Main elements of the clause:experiential ‘view’
Clause
Participant Process Participant
John might fix it
Circumstance
tomorrow
Main elements of the clause:interpersonal ‘view’
Clause
Subject Finite Complement
John might it
Predicator
fix
ResidueMood
Adjunct
tomorrow
Main elements of the clause:textual‘view’
Clause
John might itfix
RhemeTheme
tomorrow
What are the main structural units of the clause?
Clause
noundeterminer verb noundeterminer word level
clause level
idiotthat drove carthe
he drove carthe
carthe was driven the manby
group level
ENRAGED COW INJURES FARMER WITH AX
Clause
nounadjective verb prepositionnoun
cowenraged injures withfarmer axe
noun
group group group group group level
ENRAGED COW INJURES FARMER WITH AX
Clause
nounadjective verb
cowenraged injures withfarmer axe
group group group group level
Groups in SFG
Nouns nominal group (nice people)
Verbs verbal group (was eating)
Adverb adverbial group (so quickly)
Adjective adjectival group (very nice)
Conjunction conjunction group (even if)
...
Phrase: reduction of a clause Preposition prepositional phrase
• Lexical base• Expansion of the lexical base (word) • Head + Modifier
PostmodifierPremodifier Head
much more quickly than he could
Groups : expansions of a word – Logical Structure
as nice as you
very good
nice people
the five red books on my desk
right in
even if
Basic structure of the nominal group
ng
Thing
Nominal group:
[Deictic] [Numerative] [Epithet] [Classifier] [Thing] [Qualifier]
D Modifier Qualifier
womanthe old who thought she had bought a hand massager
in the shoe
Determiners Modifiers
PostmodifierPremodifier Head
ng
ThingD Mod. Qualifier
womanthe old who thought she had bought a hand massager
[Deictic] [Numerative] [Epithet] [Classifier]
[Thing] [Qualifier]Determiners
Modifiers
PP
pg ng
thd
shoethe
PP → pg ng
pg: preposition groupng: nominal group
Basic structure of the prepositional phrase
Prepositional phrase: [Process] [Range] (experiential structure)
Not a case of Head + Modifier
in
pg
They filmed [the scene in the hallway]
Clause
Participant Process Participant
They filmed
ng
thd
scenethe
pp
pg ng
thd
hallwaythe
q
in
pg
They filmed [the scene][in the hallway]
Clause
Participant Process Participant
They filmed
ng
thd
scenethe
pp
ng
thd
hallwaythe
Circumstance
pg
in
pg
Boundaries and ambiguities
Groucho Marx:
« One morning I shot an elephant in my pyjamas…
... how he got into my pyjamas, I’ll never know »
Clause
Circumstance Process
shot anI
PP
in my pyjamas
One morning elephant
Circumstance
qualifier
Participant Participant
What function does this unit have?
Pronoun replacement test
The group acts as a single unit. Pronouns DO NOT replace nouns Pronouns replace a unit/group
One morning I shot an elephant in my pjs.
One morning I shot it.
One morning I shot an elephant in my pjs.
One morning I shot it in my pjs
Listener Comment from:RADIO 4 - SATURDAY LIVE
I thought the item on the old woman who thought she had bought a hand massager but actually bought a dildo was excellent
I thought
was excellentthe item on the old woman who thought she
had bought a hand massager but actually
bought a dildo
it was excellent
Movement tests
(Pronoun replacement test)
Cleft test Passive test Subject test
Cleft test
It was X that Y
e.g. I saw the man from the car
? It was the man I saw from the car? It was the man from the car that I saw? It was from the car that I saw the man? It was the man from the car that I saw
Passive test
X process Y Y was processed
e.g. I saw the man from the car
? The man was seen from the car? The man from the car was seen
Subject test: to determine Subject
1. Clause must be in declarative (statement) form
2. Reformulate the clause in the interrogative from (you may need to add an auxiliary verb)
3. The auxiliary will form a boundary around the Subject
e.g. The symptoms of early cataract can be improved with new eyeglasses.
Can the symptoms of early cataract be improved with new eyeglasses?
*Can the symptoms be improved of early cataract with new eyeglasses
‘the symptoms of early cataract’ is the Subject, and therefore one structural unit.
Basic structure of the verbal group
vg
Auxiliary3
Verbal group: [Finite] ([Polarity]) ([Auxiliary])* [Event]
Finite/Auxiliary1 Auxiliary2 Event
beenmight have tricked
I might[mod.] have[perf.] been[prog.] being[pass.]
tricked[lexical verb] by that guy.
Auxiliary4
being
3 ways for clauses to combine
– embedding (within) – [rankshifting]
• This is the house that Jack built
– co-ordinating (equal) – [parataxis]
• I like John and John likes me.
– subordinating (dependant) – [hypotaxis]
• I will like John if he likes me.
Recognizing (embedded) clauses
Each clause has only one main verb (Event)
Every independent clause must have a Finite element (whether expressed or not)
All non-finite clauses are embedded (and serve to express a function within the clause or a group)
In English, there are three types of non-finite clauses:
1. -ed (past participle)
The photograph faded by the sun could not be restored.
Destroyed by the rain, the sand castle left only traces.
2. -ing (progressive)
Having tried as hard as he could, John accepted defeat.
Quitting my job is not an option.
3. « to » (infinitival)
To win would be a great accomplishment.
She is happy to help.
3 types of NON-FINITE clause in English
How could we analyse these?
I dropped off some resumes and looked at a few places to rent for the winter months.
I didn’t get any information from the program head because I couldn't get through
How many clauses?
1. I dropped off some resumes
2. and (I) looked at a few places to rent for the winter months.
1. I didn’t get any information from the program head
2. because I couldn't get through
How many verbs ?
1. I dropped off some resumes
2. and (I) looked at a few places to rent for the winter months.
1. I didn’t get any information from the program head
2. because I couldn't get through
Any embedded clauses?
1. I dropped off some resumes
2. and (I) looked at a few places [to rent for the winter months]
1. I didn’t get any information from the program head
2. because I couldn't get through
Where are the group boundaries?
1. I | dropped off | some resumes ng vg ng
2. And | (I) | looked | at a few places [to rent for the winter months]
ng vg pp
1. I | didn’t get | any information | from the program head ng vg ng pp
2. Because | I | couldn't get through ng vg
I dropped off some resumes
Clause
ng
thd
resumessome
ng
th
I
vg
Finite/Event
dropped off
I looked at a few places to rent for the winer months
Clause
pp
ng
numd
fewa
pg
at
pg
ng vg
Finite/Event
looked
th
Ith
places
q
Clause
pp
ng
md
winterthe
pg
for
pg
vg
Event
to rentth
months
top related