Appunti di Lingua e linguistica inglese 1

TO SUMMARIZE

• SFL/ FG focus on language in use

• Descriptive approach: it aims at describing language

• The basic unit of analysis is the TEXT, which is then broken down into clauses

• Language/ text are always embedded in a context of culture and a context of

situation and there are connections between the context and the texts we nd

therein

• Under this approach, each and every clause in a language can be analysed in

terms of IDEATIONAL, INTERPERSONAL and TEXTUAL MEANINGS linked to the

FIELD, TENOR and MODE of discourse, respectively

• These three kinds of meaning mirror the 3 main functions of language:

IDEATIONAL, INTERPERSONAL and TEXTUAL function

Unity 2

Identifying constituents

“In the present chapter, I want to turn to

some more concrete preliminaries: the

ways in which we can split up the sentence

so that we can later go

(clause) into parts

on to look at the particular functions

each part serves”.

Terminological note: instead of ‘sentence’,

we will be using the term ‘clause’ in our

writing,

analyses. The sentence is a unit of

beginning with a capital letter and ending

with a full stop. In Thompson's words: "The

term sentence is […] best reserved to label

stretches of written text bounded by full

stops or the equivalent" (2014: 23).

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grammatical analysis.

The clause is a unit of Some clauses are also, at the same

time, sentences… but not all of them. Conversely, one sentence can be made up of

more than one clause.

Some people regard Nebraska as a place you cross on the way to a more

interesting place. But over half a million sandhill cranes might disagree. Every

March, they land here for a closer look at things. And ocks of humans swoop in to

witness the awesomeness of a crane migration. There are those who will always

think our state is strictly for the birds. But you might disagree, so go to

VisitNebraska.com for a free Travel Guide. And a closer look at one very interesting

place.

Nebraska. Honestly, it's not for everyone.

Structural labels Clause con ation (It refers to cases where there One primary

can be an overlap, meaning that functions are

Combination of words, verb and other

con ated)

there are actually groups (a) Every March, they land here for a closer look at things. verbs

that include only one (b) Honestly, it's not for everyone.

word, such as the ones

that are underlined Groups and Phrases

Every March – they – land – here – for a closer look – at

things.

4 Honestly – it – 's not – for everyone.

fl fl fl

Words

Every – March – they – land – here – for – a – closer –

look – at – things.

Honestly – it – 's – not – for – everyone. The smallest unit

Morphemes

Every – March – they – land – here – for – a – closer – look of a meaning having

– at – things. a meaning

Honestly – it – 's – not – for – everyone.

Nominal group (NG), Verbal group (VG), Adverbial group (AG), We take

Prepositional Phrase (PP) modal verbs,

Nominal

• Groups – centred around a noun/ pronoun which modify the

main verb and the

Scotland travel guide, the awesomeness, nothing, they, it...

– main verb itself

Verbal

• Groups – centred around a verb

regard, is (not), might disagree, need to know...

–

Adverbial

• Groups – centred around an adverb

honestly, strictly, always...

–

Prepositional Phrases

• – a preposi on + a NG

of a lifetime, for the birds, of a crane migration, for a free Travel Guide

–

Groups and clauses may combine to form complexes

Cranes and humans go to Nebraska

Cranes and humans = a

➢ Nominal Group complex

two nouns, having the same status, are linked by a conjunction ('and')

➢

(1.) And ocks of humans swoop in (2.) to witness the awesomeness of a crane

migration.

Clause (1) + clause (2) = a

➢ clause complex

notice how clause (1) is itself linked to the previous text by the conjunction

➢ 'and' (though this is a di erent sentence, beginning with a capital letter and

ending with a full stop)

NG analysis: analyzing the functions of the elements in a nominal group

Why is it relevant?

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fl ff ti

Because NGs = very important and productive structures in English

• They can also become very long and complex, 'concentrating' much meaning in

• them (meaning, i.e., that would otherwise be expressed in clause form) - this is

an interesting feature of the English language

Because understanding the structure and functions of NGs can help you better

• understand how to use them and put them together appropriately when you

speak English/ write in English

How NGs are organized in English

NG analysis: pre-modi cation. Di erent functions

6 fi ff

Di erence between Ephitet and Classi er

TIP: Di erently from Epithets, Classi ers do not accept degrees of comparison or

intensity (i.e., you cannot say 'a *very sorting hat', or 'this hat is *more sorting than

that')

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ff ff fi fi NG analysis: post-

modi cation

Embedding

NGs may be expanded by

including other units from a

higher rank (= clauses) or

the same rank (= PPs) in the

rank scale (see Thompson

2014: 24).

Everything you need to know to plan the trip of a lifetime

Everything [[you need to know]] Embedded clause

>

to plan >

the trip [of a life me] Embedded PP

[[you need to know]] and [of a lifetime] are post-modi ers

Note 1. embedded clauses are conventionally inserted into double square brackets

[[ ]], while we use single square brackets [ ] for embedded PPs.

Note 2. you cannot move an embedded element away from its NG (= to another

position in the clause) without strongly a ecting the meaning of the clause itself.

In functional terms, post-modi ers are called Quali ers

Quali er = an embedded PP or embedded clause providing additional, de ning

information about the Thing of the NG.

More examples from the Nebraska ad:

Some people regard Nebraska as a place you cross on the way to a more interes ng

place

a place [[you cross on the way to a more interesting place]]

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fi fi ti fi ff fi fi fi ti

FUNCTIONS: Deictic + Thing + Quali er

And swoop in to witness

ocks of humans the awesomeness of a crane migra on

ocks [of humans] the awesomeness [of a crane migration]

FUNCTIONS: Thing + Quali er FUNCTIONS: Deictic + Thing + Quali er

Di erence between embedded PP (= Quali er)

and non-embedded PP

That dog with the black There was a stone

tail belongs to my uncle. in my boot.

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fl ff fl fi fi fi fi ti

Ideational meanings (field)

The three (simultaneous) views of the clause

The three metafunctions of language/

the three layers of meanings in the clause

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Transitivity system

A series of resources that refer to the entities in the world and how these act alone and

among others.

- Process (VG) CONSTITUENTS STRUCTURE

- Participants (NG)

- Circumstance (PPs, AG, NG)

Six process categories

Material process

Expresses something that is physically done/ has happened/ has changed. Participants:

Actor: the doer

Goal: the thing that undergoes the process

Example

World temperatures (actor) are rising (material process) because of human activity

(circumstance)

And climate change (actor) (now) threatens (material process) every aspect [of human life]

(goal)

If nothing (goal) is done (material process)

Mental process

Express something that is thought/ felt/desires/ that has to do with perceptions

They can create a projection of other clauses (direct/indirect speech)

Participants:

Senser: the person who feels, thinks…

Phenomenon(not necessary): the entity that is sensed (always a NG)

Example

While other areas (senser) will see (mental process) more intense storms (phenomenon)

Students (senser) will learn (mental process) a lot (phenomenon) today (circumstance)

Scientists (senser) think (mental process) <(that) global warming (actor) could exceed

(material process) 4c (goal) in the future (circumstance)>(projected clause)

Relational process

Express relations in terms of being (or becoming) and having. It is divided into:

Attributive: assign an attribute or a generic quality

Identifying: assign an identity or a de ning quality

Participants:

Attributive

Carrier

- Attribute

-

Identifying

Identi ed

-

- Identi er

Examples

Extreme weather events (carrier) are (already) (attributive relational process) more intense

(attribute)

They (carrier) do not have (attributive relational process) the money (attribute)

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fi fi fi

Wild res (carrier) are becoming (attributive relational process) more frequent (attribute)

Climate (identi ed) is (identifying relational process) the average weather [in a place] [over

many years) (identi er)

Climate change (identi ed) is (identifying relational process) a shift [in those average

conditions] (identi er)

How do I distinguish attributive and identifying?

ni the identifying the two participants (identi ed and identi er) can be exchanged, while in

the attributive you cannot.

Ex. Climate is the average weather in a place over many years

The average weather in a place over many years is climate

Verbal process

Express what is said, involves verbal communication. As with the Mental process, Verbal

processes can also create projected clauses.

Participants:

Sayer: the person who speaks/talks/shouts...

Receiver: the addressee

Verbiage: the content or type of communication (the students asked several questions)

Target:

(Occasionally) an entity to which something is being "done" using words (the

teacher praised the students for their work)

Example

They (sayer) say (verbal process) <global warming needs to be kept to 1.5c by 2100>

(projected clause)

Behavioral process

In between Mental and Material, expresses (largely involuntary) physiological activity

(sneeze, cough) or physical expressions of psychological states (smile, cry).

Participant:

Behaver: the doer of the process

conscious/intentional processes of perception.

Has a sub-category that is For instance,

seeing and hearing are Mental processes, while staring and listening are Behavioral

processes.

Example

If nobody (behaver) listens (Behavioral process) to them (circumstance)

Existential process

Expresses the existence of something, usually with there (not considered the process) and

the verb to be

Participant:

Existent: the entity that is said to exis