Transcript London - BESIG

Systemic Functional Grammar –
Why have most Business English teachers never heard of it?
Chia Suan Chong
[email protected]
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Label the parts in this sentence:
I can’t possibly cover all of Systemic
Functional Grammar in half an hour!
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Did you say:
I
can‘t
possibly
cover
all of SFG
in half an hour.
subject
auxiliary
modal
adverb
verb
object
adverbial phrase
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But if you used the part of speech ‘verb’, why not:
I
can‘t
possibly
cover
all of SFG
in half an hour.
pronoun
aux modal
adverb
verb
noun phrase
adv phrase
Parts of speech/ Class label:
nouns, verbs, adverbs, determiners etc...do not show the
part it plays in a structure.
Only functions in pedagogic structures:
subjects & objects.
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What is SFG?
• Grammar: the organisation of language;
• Chomsky: grammar hard-wired into brain;
vs
Halliday: Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny;
language acquisition is an interplay between
nature & nurture;
• Learning a language is learning how to mean
(Halliday, 1975); a child learns structures that
reflect the functions required to serve his/her life.
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What, then, are the functions of language?
Halliday’s 3 metafunctions
• Interpersonal metafunction
• Textual metafunction
• Experiential metafunction
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1. Interpersonal Metafunction: The Clause as Exchange
Declaratives
Coursebook
grammar
can
confuse
students.
subject
finite
predicator
complement
Mood
Residue
Students
could
have been
confused.
subject
‘past’ finite
predicator
complement
Mood
Residue
Coursebooks
do not
use
functional labels.
subject
‘negative’
finite
predicator
complement
Mood
Residue
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Interrogatives
Can
we
find
a solution?
finite
subject
predicator
complement
Mood
Residue
Question tags/Mood tags
SFG
can
inform
our teaching
can’t
it?
subject
finite
predicate
complement
finite
subject
Mood
Residue
Mood Tag
Imperatives
No finite
No subject
Think
about it!
predicator
complement
Mood
Residue
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• The subject carries the responsibility for the
validity of the clause.
• The finite carries the validity of the proposition.
• Together, the subject and the finite (the mood)
represent the point of view of the speaker while
the residue carries the actual content.
• Manipulating the mood enables us to
indicate polarity (negative or positive),
indicate time,
indicate modality,
make interrogatives and imperatives,
make question tags
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In fact, the finite is the core bandied about in exchanges.
Boss:
Chia:
Boss:
Chia:
Boss:
You didn’t teach the students any real grammar!
Yes, I did!
No, you didn’t!
Did!
Didn’t!
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Understanding the mood element,...
The audience
looked (did look)
subject
‘past’ finite
at me strangely.
‘look’ predicator
Mood
complement
Residue
...explains the appearance of the dummy auxiliary ‘do/did’.
Did
the audience
look
at you strangely?
finite
subject
predicator
complement
Mood
Residue
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It also explains the different meanings of...
You
may not
leave
this room.
subject
‘negative’ finite
predicator
complement
Mood
Residue
...as in ‘you are not allowed to leave’...and...
You
may
not leave
this room.
subject
finite
predicator
complement
Mood
Residue
...as in ‘you are allowed not to leave’.
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...which perhaps clarifies the difference between...
You
must
not leave
this room.
subject
finite
predicator
complement
Mood
Residue
and
You
don ‘t
have to leave
this room.
subject
‘negative’ finite
predicator
complement
Mood
Residue
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Name these tenses and aspects:
I am speaking at the BESIG conference.
I am going to be telling them about SFG.
When I decided to submit the proposal, I had
already talked about this subject many times
...at the pub.
I will try not to get carried away with the theory.
I am going to have irritated a few people by the end
of this talk because I will have shaken quite a
few beliefs about language.
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Using SFG,
• We model ourselves into the past, present or
future according to the finite.
• The predicate gives the point of event as seen
from that modelled self indicated by the finite.
Thus,
I am speaking – present-in-present
I am going to be telling – present-in-future
I had already talked – past-in-past
I am going to have irritated – past-in-future
I will have shaken – past-in-future
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Complete the following with –ing or to-inf.
Deny + ______
Agree + ______
Enjoy + ______
Hope + ______
Imagine + ______
Want + ______
and... Remember + ? ; Hate + ? ; Regret + ?
Can you find a ‘rule’ that’s useful for students?
Perfective (to-inf): unreal – future, appearance,
goal, intentions, proposal;
Imperfective (-ing): real – present, reality,
happening, action, proposition.
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Why do we use the passive?
Raymond Murphy probably owns an
island in the Caribbean.
The island in the Caribbean is
probably owned by Raymond Murphy.
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2. Textual Metafunction: The Clause as Message
Raymond Murphy
probably
owns
Theme
an island in the Caribbean.
Rheme
Given-------------------------------------------------------------------------------New
The island in the
Caribbean
is
probably
Theme
owned by Raymond Murphy
Rheme
Given-------------------------------------------------------------------------------New
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What, therefore, is the difference between...
I cancelled the meeting.
I called the meeting off.
And why can’t we say, ‘I called off it’?
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Compare:
I
cancelled
Theme
the meeting
Rheme
Given-----------------------------------------------------New
I
called
the meeting
Theme
off.
Rheme
Given-----------------------------------------------------New
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‘Today, happen something really strange.’ X
Reformulation: ‘Today, something really strange
happened.’
How can we leave ‘something really strange’ in the
new position?
What happened today was something really strange.
The thing that happened today was really strange.
Something happened today. It was really strange.
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3. Experiential Metafunction: The Clause as
Representation
• Who does what to whom?
• The clause represents the content of our experiences
• Grammatical system of transitivity
• Different functional labels for
Participants (realised by nominal groups)
Processes (realised by verbal groups)
Circumstances (realised by prepositional
phrases or adverbials)
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Material processes (doing & happening)
e.g. build, chase, write, etc.
I
gave
the
audience
a bribe
during my talk.
Actor
Process:material
Beneficiary
Goal
Circumstance
I
gave
a bribe
Actor
Process:material
Goal
Beneficiary
The audience
was given
a bribe
during my talk.
Beneficiary
Process:material
Goal
Circumstance
to the audience during my talk.
Circumstance
A bribe
was given
to the audience
during my talk.
Goal
Process:material
Beneficiary
Circumstance
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Mental processes (sensing)




Emotion e.g. like, hate, etc.
Cognition e.g. imagine, know, etc.
Perception e.g. hear, feel, etc.
Desideration e.g. want, desire, etc.
I
love
this audience!
Sensor
Process: Mental: Emotion
Phenomenon
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Existential processes (introducing)
There
is
money
in my bag for everyone.
Process: Existential
Existent
Circumstantial Adjunct
Relational processes (being & having)
The lady in the back row
is
gorgeous.
Carrier
Process: Relational
Attribute
Verbal Processes with projections
She
said,
“Your talk
Sayer
Process: Verbal
Quoting
is
most intriguing!”
Quoted
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Different process types have
different basic unmarked forms.
e.g. Unmarked present tense for
material processes is the present-in-present
relational and mental process is present simple.
Therefore,
‘I hate theoretical grammars but I’m loving this one.’
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Thank you for listening!
[email protected]
Twitter:
chiasuan
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