Transcript Material processes

Unit II
The experiential meta-function
and the transitivity of the clause
[Based on Gerot & Wignell, chapter 3, pp. 52-79;
Bloor & Bloor, chapter 6, pp. 106-126; Martin,
Matthiessen & Painter, chapter 4, pp. 100-164]
The verb (transitivity) in traditional grammar – classes of
verbs and structure of the clause – Verb determines
structure of the clause (how many and what type of
complements the clause has)
Type of verbs
Structure
Intransitive verbs
S + F/P (no complement)
He ran. He walked. The water boiled
Monotransitive verbs
S + F/P + C (= DO) (one
complement  DO)
He made a cake. He bought a car. He
used my pencil. He saw a bird. He
wanted a friend.
Ditransitive verbs
He gave his brother some money.
S + F/P + C (= DO) + C (= IO)
He gave some money to his brother,
(two complements  IO and DO) He bought his brother a car.
He bought a car for his brother.
Complex transitive
S + F/P + C (= DO) + C (= OC)
(two complements  DO and
OC)
They appointed him king.
They called him Neo.
The verb (transitivity) in traditional grammar –
classes of verbs and structure of the clause
Type of verbs
Structure
Linking verbs (stative)
S + F/P + C (SC) (one
complement  SC)
She is/seemed hard-working and
meticulous.
She is a (renowned) scientist.
She is the head of the research team.
She became a nurse.
She went mad.
She grew tired.
Linking verbs (resultative)
S + F/P + C (SC) (one
complement  SC)
Transitivity in traditional grammar –
concern with form rather than
meaning
Traditional grammar is mainly concerned with form, and, in the
case of the verb, with the number and type of complements
associated with each type of verb and the clause structure resulting
from the choice of one or the other verb.
A functional approach to grammar, and more specifically to the
verb or to transitivity, is concerned with meaning, though in both
approaches the verb has a key role in determining the structure of
the clause, as we will see.
Transitivity in Systemic Functional Grammar
TRANSITIVITY is the system or resource for
construing experiential meaning, i. e. meaning about
the world outside and inside the speaker.
It is the resource for construing (= interpreting and
expressing) events, happenings, goings-on, mental
states, sayings, behaviour and relations of different
kinds.
Transitivity in Functional Grammar: nuclear and
peripheral transitivity


Nuclear transitivity: resources that are central to the
representation of events, happenings, states, relations,
more specifically:
The Process
The Participant(s) involved in the Process
Peripheral transitivity: resources that are not so central
to the representation of events, happenings, states,
more specifically:
Circumstances
Transitivity in Functional Grammar: nuclear
transitivity (Process and participants)
Process: the resource for sorting out/ classifying/
categorizing our experience of events and goings-on in
general into a small number of types. The process is
realized by verbs (lexical verb).
There are 6 to 7 process types that are generally
recognized and these are on the next two slides.
Participants: people, things, etc. involved in a given
process (action, going-on, happening, state). The
participants are generally realized by NGps.
Nuclear transitivity (Basic process types:
meaning and examples)
Process type
Meanings
Examples
Material
actions and
happenings
(outside world;
observable)
He ran. The window broke. He
climbed the tree.She made a
cake. She broke the window. She
gave him a present.
Mental
perception,
cognition and
affective
processes (inner
world; not
directly
observable)
I saw a bird, I heard a sound. I
saw him cross the street.
I knew (the answers). I
believe/think he is wrong.
I fear the outcome. I like the
smell. The woman scares me. The
decision pleased me.
Behavioural
human and
animal
physiological
behaviour;
human
paraverbal and
mental behaviour
He snored/coughed. He slept
soundly. He breathed heavily.
They shouted/cried/growled.
He pondered/reflected over the
problem.
Nuclear transitivity (Basic process types
and associated participants)
Process type
Meanings
Examples
Verbal
saying (mental
process that
becomes
observable)
He told a lie. He told a story.
He said “Hello”. “I’m tired!”
he exclaimed. He answered
that he was unaware of the
decision.
Existential
existence
There is a bird on the tree.
Ghosts exist.
Relational
being and having
He is a (famous) scientist. He
is the head of the department.
He has blue eyes/a car.
Meteorological
weather or time
processes
It’s 8 o’clock. It’s noon. It’s
windy. It’s raining/snowing.
Nuclear transitivity (Basic process types
and associated participants)




Basic process types are distinguishable from each other
in:
Meaning
Number and kind of participants
Subtypes
Distinctive features and reactances
In what follows we will look at the 7 basic types
presented before and analyse them paying attention to
the four critwria above:
Nuclear transitivity: different process types
described and illustrated in more detail - Material
Process type Participants
Material
(actions and
happenings
– outside
world –
observable)
Subtypes
Examples
+Actor
-middle
-He ran. The
window broke.
+Actor
+Range
-m. w/range
+Actor
+Goal
-effective
+Actor
+ Goal &
Beneficiary:
(Recipient/
-effective
(giving type)
Distinctive
features/
Reactances
-Substitution
by do (do to)
-Selection of
-He climbed the Present
tree.
progressive
(Present in
-He broke the
present) as
window.
unmarked
tense in the
present
He gave me
-No capacity
flowers. He
to project
brought me
(see mental
flowers.
Participants in material processes explained
Actor: doer of the action; participant who carries out
the action;
Range: participant that represents the scope of
application of the action, but that is not affected by it
Goal: participant being affected or receiving the
impact of the action.
Beneficiary (Recipient): participant that receives
the goal being exchanged in a process of giving (to+
Ngp)
Beneficiary (Client): participant on behalf of whom
sth is done (for + Ngp)
Participants in material processes analyzed
He
Actor
ran.
Process
The window
Actor
He
Actor
climbed the tree.
Process Range
He
Actor
made a mistake
Process Range
He
Actor
broke the window.
Process Goal
He
Actor
cooked the meal
Process Goal
He
Actor
gave/brought
Process
me
Recipient/Client
broke.
Process
flowers.
Goal
Material processes as “doing-words”
Material processes: the only processes that can confidently be
called “doing-words” (term used in traditional school-grammar
to refer to verbs in general). This is seen in the fact that they
are the only ones (except maybe for some behavioural ones)
that can be substituted by “do”.
One can say “What he did yesterday was go/run/walk to the
park”; or “What he did to the poor man was kill him/kick
him/punch him” or “What he did with the book was tear it into
pieces”. But one cannot say “What he did was see a bird/ hear
a strange sound” or “What he did was know the
answer/understand the question” or “What he did was want a
cake/fear the outcome”. These last sentences would appear
illogical because the verbs in them do not express a “doing”, a
material process.
Material processes: distinguishing between
Range and Goal
Range (not liable to be impacted
or affected; it just expresses the
scope of the process)
Goal (impacted/affected)
Cannot be probed by “do to”, “do Can be probed by “do to”, “do
with”
with”
*What did he do with the
tree/mountain?
He climbed it
What did he do with the tree?
*What did he do with the piano?
He played it.
What did he do with the piano?
He hatched it.
He put it in one of the corners of
the room and decorated it.
Material processes: distinguishing between
Range and Goal
Range (not liable to be impacted
or affected; it just expresses the
scope of the process)
Goal (impacted/affected)
can be replaced by a PP
Cannot be replaced by a PP
“He climbed (up) the tree”
“He played (on) the piano”
“He jumped (over) the fence”
Material processes: distinguishing between
Range and Goal
Range (not liable to be impacted
or affected; it just expresses the
scope of the process)
Goal (impacted/affected)
Not liable to be followed by an
Attribute, a Role, a Beneficiary or
a Location
followed by an Attribute, a Role, a
Beneficiary or a Location that
represents the result of the impact
They painted the wall white. They drove the
car hot. (Attribute)
Cut the onions into cubes. They broke the
window into pieces. (Role: Product)
They kicked the cat down the stairs
(Location)
They gave/brought a car to the kid/for the
kid (Beneficiary; Client)
Material processes: distinguishing between
Range and Goal
Range (not liable to be impacted
or affected; it just expresses the
scope of the process)
Goal (impacted/affected)
Certain material processes with
Not possible for material
range can be restated by means of processes with Goal
a single verb
He took a bath/a shower (= He
bathed/showered).
He made a mistake (= he erred).
Nuclear transitivity: different process types
described and illustrated in more detail - Mental
Process
type
Mental
Participants
+Senser
percep+Phenomenon/
tion,
+Macrophenom
cognienon (act tion,
affection perception)
+Metaphenom.
– inner
world –
(fact - emotion)
non+ Metapohenoobservamenon (idea ble)
cognition)
Subtypes
Examples
Reactances
perception
-He saw a
bird. I saw him
cross/crossing
the street.
-He knows all
the answers.
He believes
that you are to
blame.
-I like/fear
him. He
pleases/scares
me. He regrets
the fact that he
was unable to
-No
substitution
by any verb
-S Present as
unmarked
tense in
Present
-Bidirectional
-Capacity to
project
cognition
affection
Participants in mental processes explained



Senser: an entity endowed with higher or lower consciousness, like a
human being and, for some processes, an animal. It can be Subject (I
like fruit) or Complement (Fruit appeals to/pleases me);
Phenomenon: a thing (person, object, place, etc.) that can be
perceived, known or that can be the object of an emotion of some
kind. It is a participant in the mental clause and it is always a Ngp (He
saw the animal; he knew the animal; He loves animals);
Macrophenomenon: an event or happening or doing in the material
world that can be perceived; only used with processes of perception. It
is an embedded clause that is a participant in the mental clause (he
saw [[him help the old lady/him helping the old lady]]; he heard [[him
shout his name/him shouting his name]]).
Participants in mental processes explained


Metaphenomenon: fact: an abstract, non-material, semiotic
entity that preexists the emotions it triggers; only used with
processes of emotion and an embedded participant element in
the clause.
I regretted (the fact) [[that I had not had the courage to speak
to her]].
I liked (the fact) [[that she was black]].
[[That she was so young]] surprised me.
Metaphenomenon: idea: abstract but not preexisting the
process; rather brought into existence by it. Not really a
participant in the clause but a separate clause:
I understood that it was futile.
I knew that it was of no use.
Participants in mental processes analyzed
He
saw
a bird. (perception)
Senser Process Phenomenon
I
saw
[[him cross/crossing the street]]. (perception)
Senser Process Phenomenon (Macrophenomenon: act - Embedded )
He
knows all the answers. (cognition)
Senser Process Phenomenon
He
believes || that you are to blame. (cognition)
Senser Process
Metaphenomenon (idea – dependent clause)
Participants in mental processes analyzed
I
like/fear him.
Senser Process Phenomenon
bidirectional
He
Phenomenon
pleases/scares me.
Process
Senser
He
regrets (the fact ) [[that he was unable to help]].
Senser Process Phenomenon (metaphenomenon: fact)
[[That he was unable to help]]
Phenomenon (metaphenomenon: fact)
surprises
Process
me.
Senser
Nuclear transitivity: different process types
described and illustrated - Behavioral
Process
type
Participants Subtypes
Behavioural
+Behaver
(+Behaviour)
+ Range
+ Matter
+Target
(physiological,
mental
and
paraverbal
behaviour)
Examples
Reactances
Physiological He slept soundly.
-No
substitution
by do.
(Para)verbal
-Present in
Present as
unmarked
tense in
Present
He snored/
breathed.
Mental
behaviour
He babbled/
grunted/sang a
song. He cried/
laughed/ giggled.
They talked about
the problem
He pondered/
meditated over the
matter. He
watched the film.
He listened to the
-No
projection
Participants in behavioral processes
explained


Behaver: person or animal having the behavior, usually
endowed with consciousness. Most behavioral processes ONLY
have a single participant, and that’s the Behaver.
Behavior: found in very few cases in which the behavior
usually repeats the behavioural process with some added
attribute (he breathed a deep breath; he dreamt a strange
dream)

Range: in very few cases in which the the process takes a
second participant that is not a behavior and that is different in
nature from the process itself: he watched a movie; they
observed the stranger; they discussed/debated the problem.
Participants in behavioral processes
explained


Matter: used with verbal behavioral and mental behavioral
processes (They talked about the problem; They
reflected/pondered over the problem).
Target: used with verbal behavioral processes expressing
insult, offence, criticism (They criticized his manners. He
insulted him.) Both “his manners” and “him” in these sentences
are the Target of the insult or the criticism.
Behavioral processes: a transition category
Behavioral processes are said to be located
between material processes, on the one hand,
and mental or verbal processes, on the other.
This is particularly true of the verbal
behavioral and the mental behavioral
processes. They are not properly verbal or
mental because THEY CANNOT PROJECT and,
in the case of mental ones, because THEY
INVOLVE VOLITION. So they are more “saying”
and “thinking” or “perceiving” as BEHAVIOUR.
Behavioral processes: a transition category
Their transitional character can be perceived in the
following examples:
He said that he was ill
He thought that he was ill
are properly verbal and mental because they can project
(a locution and an idea respectively).
He talked about his illness
He reflected on/over his illness
are not properly verbal or mental because thereis no
saying in the first one and no idea being brought into
existence in the second one. They are saying and
thinking as behaviour.
Nuclear transitivity: different process
types described and illustrated - Verbal
Process type
Participants
Verbal
(saying)
+Sayer
+Verbiage /
+Receiver
+Locution
(Not a
participant in
verbal clause)
Subtypes
Examples
Distinctive
features/
Reactances
He told (us) a -Presence of
lie/a story.
receiver
+ Locution:
Quoting
Reporting
-No
substitution
“I’m tired” he by “do”
-S. Present as
said
unmarked
tense in Pr.
He said (to
-projection
me) he was
tired.
Participants in verbal processes
explained



Sayer: The person or thing (dictionary, sign, article, newspaper,
etc.) that says sth.
Verbiage: the content of what is said, always expressed by a
Ngp
Receiver: the adressee; the person to whom sth is said
Processes of saying or verbal processes can project another
clause that expresses the content of what was said (locution).
It can project it verbatim (quotation) or parapharse it in line
with the here and now of the speaker (report). The “locution”
IS NOT a Participant in the verbal clause but a separate clause
projected by it
Participants in verbal processes
analyzed
He told (us)
a lie/a story.
Sayer Process Verbiage
He
Sayer
said
a few words to us.
Process Verbiage
“I’m tired”
Locution: Quotation
He
Sayer
he
Sayer
said
(to me)
Process Receiver
said/answered.
Process
(that) he was tired.
Locution: Report
Nuclear transitivity: different process types
described and illustrated - Existential
Process type Participant
s
Subtypes
Examples
Existential
(existence)
-Existential
There are
different
species of
whales. On the
sofa (there) was
a cat.
-Existential
plus (some
other
meaning)
Through the
window there
came the
sounds of
Sydney.
+Existent
Distinctive
features/
Reactances
No
substitution
by “do”
--S. Present as
unmarked
tense
--Presence of
unstressed
there in S
position
-
Participants in verbal processes
explained
Existent: it is the participant that the process
introduces as existing, as having existence.
For some, the non-stressed “there” has no
experiential role in the clause. It is just a dummy
Subject, a place-holder for Subject. For others, it
encodes the process together with “be”. When the
clause starts with a Circumsatance it can be omitted.
It can be marked together with the verb “be”
Participants in verbal processes
analyzed
There are different species of whales.
Process
Existent
On the sofa (there) was
Circ. of place Process
a cat.
Existent
Through the window (there) came
Circ. of place
Process
the sounds of Sydney.
Existent
Nuclear transitivity: different process types
described and illustrated - Relational
Process type
Participants
Subtypes
Examples
Relational
(being and
having)
+ Carrier
+ Attribute
Attributive
She is
-Presence of
famous. She
“be” or verbs
is a (famous) comparable
scientist. She in meaning.
has blue eyes. --No
+Token
+Value
Identifying
She is the
leader. The
Aconcagua is
the highest
peak in
America.
Distinctive
features/
Reactances
substitution
by “do”
--S Present as
unmarked
tense
Relational processes further described
Process type
Participants
Subtypes
Examples
Relational
attributive
(being and
having)
Assigning sb
to a class
+ Carrier
+Attribute
Intensive
She is
famous. She
is a (famous)
scientist.
Assigning sb
a quality/an
attribute
Possessive
Circumstantial
Distinctive
features/
Reactances
Attribute
realized by
adjective,
indefinite
nominal
group or
circumstance
(PP)
-
She has blue
eyes. She has
two siblings.
She has a car.
She is in high --Carrier and
school. New Attribute are
York is in the nonreversible
States.
Relational processes further described
Process type
Participants
Relational
+Token
identifying
+Value
(being and
having)
Identifying
an entity by
reference to
some other
entity
Meanings of
symbolization
Subtypes
Examples
Distinctive
features/
Reactances
intensive
America is the
beacon of
democracy.
The Aconcagua is the
highest peak in
America.
This is Neil’s.
This belongs to
Neil.
The time of the
meeting is
Friday. The
cause of his
illness is stress.
-Presence of
definite
nominal
groups
possessive
circumstantial
-Reversible
Participants in relational processes
explained
Carrier: The entity that is assigned to a class (She is a
teacher; This is a chair) or that is assigned an attribute or
quality (She is tall; This table is long)
Attribute: The class an entity belongs to (She is a teacher;
this is a chair) or the quality an entity is assigned (She is tall;
This table is long)
Token: The concrete entity that embodies/ represents/
symbolizes a value (Susan is the kindest salesperson in the
shop; He is the leader).
Value: A more abstract entity that can be perceived only if
represented by a more concrete entity (Susan is the kindest
salesperson in the shop; He is the leader).
Participants in verbal processes
analyzed – Attributive processes
She
is
famous. (intensive)
Carrier Process Attribute
She
is
a (famous) scientist. (intensive)
Carrier Process Attribute
She
has
blue eyes/a car/two siblings. (possessive)
Carrier Process Attribute
She
is
in high school/in the States. (circumstantial)
Carrier Process Attribute
Participants in verbal processes
analyzed – Identifying processes
America is
the beacon of democracy. (intensive)
Token Process Value
The beacon of democracy is
Value
Process
The Aconcagua
Token
America.
Token
is
the highest peak in America. (intensive)
Process Value
The highest peak in America
Value
is
Process
the Aconcagua.
Token
Participants in verbal processes
analyzed – Identifying processes
This
Token
is
Neil’s.
Process Value
Neil’s
Value
is
this. (possessive)
Process Token
This
Token
belongs to
Process
Neil. (possessive)
Value
The time of the meeting
Value
is
Friday. (circumstantial)
Process Token
The cause for his illness
Value
is
stress (circumstantial)
Process Token
Reversibility of identifying processes- problems
and criteria for identifying Value and Token
Because Identifying
processes are reversible,
it is sometimes difficult
to distinguish between
Token and Value. There
are some criteria/tests
we can apply to identify
between the two:
Token
Value
More concrete
entity
“America” in
“America is the
beacon of
democracy”
Abstract
notion, value
“the beacon of
democracy” in
same clause
Subject in a
clause with the
verb
“represent”
“America
represents the
beacon of
democracy”
Complement in
clause with
“represent”
See “the
beacon of
democracy” in
other box
Transitivity in Functional Grammar – its relation
to context and meaning
Context
Meaning
Lexico-grammatical
(systems)
Field (what the text is Experiential
about)
(meaning about the
world or worlds
perceived or
imagined)
TRANSITIVITY
Tenor (the
relationship between
the interactants)
Interpersonal
(meaning about the
relationship between
interactants)
MOOD
Mode (whether the
text is spoken or
written)
Textual (meaning
about the text we
construct in
interaction)
THEME-RHEME
Where is transitivity to be placed in the model of
language? In which level or stratum?
Ideology
Context of culture
tenor
field
Context of
situation Interpersonal
Semantics
Experienc.
exper.
Mood
o
Léxico-grammar
Mode
Transitivit.
Textual
mean.t.
Theme
ema
Phonolog.
/Graphol.
Functional model of language in context. The language levels are in green
Causation and Different Process types

Causation + Material
The devil made me do it.
I got the kids to tidy up their room.
Causation and Different Process types

Causation + Material
Actor
The devil made me do it
Initiator Material
Goal
I
Initiator
Actor
got the kids to tidy up their room
Material
Goal
Causation and Different Process types

Causation + Mental/Verbal
She made me rethink my attitude
You make me say things I don’t mean to
Causation and Different Process types

Causation + Mental/Verbal
Senser
She
Inducer
made me rethink my attitude
Mental
Phenomenon
Sayer

You
Inducer
make me say things I don’t mean to
Verbal
Verbiage
Causation and Different Process types

Causation + Relational
She
drives
me
crazy.
They
consider
him
lazy.
They
call
me
Bruce.
They
made
him
their leader
Causation and Different Process types

Causation + Relational
She
drives
Attributor
Process
me
Carrier
crazy.
Attribute
They
Attributor
consider
Process
him
Carrier
lazy.
Attribute
They
Assigner
call
Process
me
Value
Bruce.
Token
They
Assigner
made
Process
him
Token
their leader
Value
Differences between this and the traditional
approach to verbs



Concern with meaning and with form only as a
consequence of meaning
Concern with text (interested in establishing
patterns of transitivity in text)
Concern with purpose (interested in explaining
patterns in terms of purpose, or author’s
intention or meanings being made in text)