Functional Grammar - Linguistica Inglese 1

FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR

It’s a specific area of systemic functional linguistics

Focused on:

grammatical structures

➢ context

language in use, contextual meaning → language always need a → it tells

➢ us something abut the language

descriptive →

It’s functional and a descriptive grammar based on empirical research (not

only strict rules) → the objects of study are real text from real world

THE AXIAL RETHINK – main features of SFL

1) ANTI-STRUCTURALISM: semiotic functions drive linguistic structures → our aim is to

functions

describe the laid by structures

choice-based

2) ANTI-FORMALISM: language is

context

3) PRO-CONTEXTUALISM: is really important, it has an influence on language

text

4) TEXT/COMMUNICATION-CENTRISM: the object of study is the used by people to

interact → unitive language that has a meaning

5) PRO-APPLICATIONISM: it always can be applied

6) MULTI-PERSPECTIVISM: it tries to explain real problems in language theory

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FORMAL GRAMMAR FUNTIONAL GRAMMAR

Primary concern sructure Meanings → we arrive to it

trough the structures

Unit of analysis sentence whole text (thah has to be

divided in part)

Languace concern syntax Semantics (study of

meanings)

Language is a set of rules for sentence a resource for meaning

construction making

CONTEXT

It impacts on the way we use language

Context of cultures: traditions, cultural identity, rules we have to follow, values

• system, western culture etc.

Ex: the way the relationship between teacher and students change according to the

country/culture influences the way they speak

Context of situation: here and now of communication

•

Each context of situation can be defined trough 3 variables:

1) FIELD: what’s going on?

- social activities

-subject matter

Those elements concern the language we use because we can use specific nouns

according to the subject

Es: during a science lesson we use specialized words, not used during an informal chat

2) TENOR: who’s taking part in the conversation?

The interlocutors can have different -social roles (teacher, students) → it takes time to

change -discourse roles (speaker, dresser) → it can

change easily

How it impacts on the language? We use:

- formal and informal terms

-more or less direct

-politeness (according to the social roles)

-declaratives ore questions (according to the discourse roles

It’s always a question of choice

Es: I can choose not to use an interrogative form to formulate a question like “I would like

to know who did this”

3) MODE: how’s language been used?

-channel (oral, written)

-spontaneous or prepared speech

SEMANTICS = study of functions/meanings

1) IDEATIONAL FUNCTION or META-FUNCTION: language can be used to describe real

construe

experiences (like objects or emotions) → language experiences (to give

linguistic form of something)

2)INTERPERSONAL FUNCTION: language is used to create/destroy social relationships

3)TEXTUAL FUNCTION (it goes trough point 1,2): we can do 1) and 2) because we are

able to create coherent texts

SYSTEMS of options (involved in point 1,2,3 of semantics and context)

1) TRANSITIVITY and CLAUSES IN COMBINATION

2) MOOD, MODALITY, APPRAISAL

3) STRUCTURAL and NON-STRUCTURAL COHESION

SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS

We can have different kind of :

1. Field -> ideational function -> TRANSITIVITY (what’s going on?)

Clause as rappresentation

(=proposizone, frase semplice) of experience/reality

Different from “sentence” = unit of writing, it can be made of more clauses. It

starts with a capital letter and ends with a dot.

Es: “Harry’s scar was almost blinding him with pain” processes

VERB – “was almost blinding” it represent actions,

 

There are two main kind of experiences:

1) the ones belonging to physical actions (hit, hug, take) -> material

processes

2 )the ones related to inner world, emotions -> mental processes

ACTOR – “Harry’s scar” It’s the doer of the action

 

GOAL – “him” the passive element

 

CIRCURMSTANCES – “with pain” additional information

 

2. Tenor -> interpersonal function -> MOOD (who’s taking part?)

Clause as exchange

SUBJECT – “Harry’s scar” it’s the element having agreement with the

 

verb.

It’s the element on which the clause is valid.

It’s different from the doer of the action -> interpersonal

CONFLATION (sovrapposizione di funzioni) : different functions laid by the same

elemente

actor = subject

3. Mode -> textual function -> STRUCTURAL COHESION (how does the text hang

together?)

Clause as message

THEME – “Harry’s scar” starting point, both the reader and the writer

 

know about it

RHEME – “was almost blinding him with pain” additional information

 

Question of becoming a better writer

NON STRUCTURAL COHESION: going beyond clause boundaries

Es: the repetition of “Harry” is a device to give cohesion

CONSTITUENCY

It refers to the fact that, in language, big units are made of smaller constituents

There is a scale, the Rank Scale, to classify the constituents:

Ranking clause – “Enemies of freedom attacked our country”

1. GROUP and PHRASES (=sintagmi)

-enemies of freedom: the main component is a noun

-attacked: the main component is a verb

-our country: the main component is a noun

2. Groups and phrases are made of WORDS

! attacked: one group, on word -> however, we have to identify 2 separated levels because groups have

the potential to grow up, to become bigger (adding verbs for example)

3. Words are made of MORPHEMES -> the smallest units of language having meaning

“Freedom” is made of -free: free morpheme, it can stands alone

-dom: bound morpheme, it always stays with something else

“dom” makes free a noun

! not all words can be separated into morphemes: country is just 1 morpheme !

UNITS OF MEANING

Clause complex – “add the eggs to the mix, then gradually add the flour”

I’s the union of more clauses

Clause – 1) add the eggs to the mix + 2) the gradually add the flour

Group/Phrases – add / the eggs / to the mix / (then) / gradually / add / the flour

● Noun groups (NG): the main constituent is a noun (es. the eggs)

● Verbal groups (VG): the main constituent is a verb (es. add). A VG can be finite (if shows

tense) or non-finite

● Adverbial groups (AG): the main constituent is an adverb (es. gradually)

● Prepositional phrases (PP): more complex prepositions + noun groups (es. to the mix)

GROUPS CAN also COMBINE (like units of every ranks)

● 

“apple pie” 2 nouns in the same NG

-pie is the head, the most important element of the group

● 

“ bread and cheese” 2 nouns (equal status) that combine to form an NG complex

ANALYSIS OF AN NOUN GROUP – PRE-MODIFIERS (about functions)



The head of the NG thing (is a function)

Pre-modifiers come before the thing

● 

Deictic noun used to indicate the thing (es. his, the, a)

● 

Numerative provides informations about the number/order of the thing (es. one, two, first)

● 

Epithet adjectives that provide the subjective/objective quality of the thing (es. cute, old)

● 

Classifier adjectives between the epithet and the thing

They tell us a specific subclass (the groups, the class of the thing) -> more than an objective quality

(they can have “very”)

NG groups can be post-modified EMBEDDING

: (=incastonato)

They always come after the thing

● “Much

Embedded within the PP group of continental Europe is hardening its attitude [to

Brexit]” Prepositional phrase linked to a specific noun (es. to Brexit, linked to “the attitude”). It

tells something more about the NG. Put it between [x]

● 

Embedded clause “Harry had never believed he would meet a boy [[he hated more than

Dudley]], but that was before he met Draco Malfoy. Put it between [[x]]

“I am one (thing) [[who loved not wisely but too well]]”



CLASSIFIER an embedded PP/embedded clause providing additional defining or circumstantional

info about the thing. They cannot be moved to another position.

EXAMPLES