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Introduction to SFL
Experiential, Interpersonal and Textual meaning
Lise FontaineCardiff [email protected]
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Today’s outline:
the Introductory Programme General introduction to the 3 main
metafunctions Experiential Interpersonal Textual
Summary Questions - discussion
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Introductory ProgrammeFunctional Grammar Lexicogrammar Functions of the clause and clause structure
Spoken Language Phonology Intonation
Text and Discourse Theme Information Structure
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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)
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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
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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
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a useful metaphor: multifunctional view of the clause
the ‘clause’
experientialinterpersonaltextuallogical
different strands of meaning
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“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
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"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
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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?
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form and meaningsystem representation
meanings
forms
stop
go
traffic control
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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?
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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?
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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
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Transitivity system
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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?
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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
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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
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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
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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!
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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
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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
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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)
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Questions?
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References Bloor,T. & Bloor,M. (2004) The Functional
Analysis of English. London: Arnold. Halliday, MAK (1978) Language as social
semiotic. Edward Arnold, London.