The Functional Analysis of English: A Hallidayan Approach (Arnold Publication)

332 Pages·2004·0.97 MB·English

by  Thomas Bloor

The Functional Analysis
of English
Second Edition
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The Functional Analysis
of English
A Hallidayan Approach
Second Edition
Thomas Bloor and Meriel Bloor
A member of the Hodder Headline Group
LONDON
Distributed in the United States of America by
Oxoford University Press Inc., New York
First published in Great Britain in 1995
Second edition published in Great Britain in 2004 by
Arnold, a member of the Hodder Headline Group,
338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH
http://www.arnoldpublishers.com
Distributed in the United States of America by
Oxford University Press Inc.,
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY10016
© 2004 Thomas Bloor and Meriel Bloor
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically,
including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval
system, without either prior permission in writing from the publisher or a
licence permitting restricted copying. In the United Kingdom such licences
are issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency: 90 Tottenham Court Road,
London W1T 4LP.
The advice and information in this book are believed to be true and
accurate at the date of going to press, but neither the authors nor the publisher
can accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
ISBN 0 340 80680 X
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Typeset 11 on 12pt Times by Phoenix Photosetting, Chatham, Kent
Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Bath.
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Contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgements xiii
List of symbols xv
1 Ameaningful approach
1.1 How to use this book 1
1.2 Grammar and meaning 2
1.3 Linguistic choice 3
1.4 Language in use 4
1.5 The study of texts 5
1.6 The notion of rank 7
1.7 Functions and metafunctions 9
1.7 Summary 12
1.7 Further study 13
1.7 Exercises 14
2 Labels
2.1 Music, mathematics, medicine and motor-vehicle maintenance 16
2.2 Apolitical parable 16
2.3 Word classes 18
2.4 Subjects 28
2.5 Groups 30
2.6 Three ways of looking at a clause 32
1.7 Summary 34
1.7 Further study 34
1.7 Exercises 35
3 Structure of the clause
3.1 Subject revisited 38
3.2 Finites and Predicators 43
vi Contents
3.3 Complements 48
3.4 Adjuncts 52
3.5 Sample analysis 58
1.7 Summary 59
1.7 Further study 60
1.7 Exercises 62
4 Information structure and thematic structure
4.1 Organizing ideas 64
4.2 Information structure: Given and New information 65
4.3 Thematic structure: Theme and Rheme 71
4.4 The interaction of information structure and thematic structure 79
1.7 Summary 81
1.7 Further study 81
1.7 Exercises 82
5 Grammarand text
5.1 Text and texture 84
5.2 The textual component of the grammar 85
5.3 Thematic progression 88
5.4 Cohesive ties 93
1.7 Summary 101
1.7 Further study 101
1.7 Exercises 103
6 Process and participant
6.1 Meanings: the clause as representation 106
6.2 Processes 108
6.3 Material process 110
6.4 Mental process 116
6.5 Relational process 120
6.6 Verbal process 122
6.7 Other processes 125
6.8 Grammatical metaphor 126
6.9 Circumstance 131
1.7 Summary 132
1.7 Further study 133
1.7 Exercises 134
7 Structure of the nominal group
7.1 Head and Modifier revisited 138
7.2 Logical and experiential metafunctions 140
7.3 Postmodifier/Qualifier versus Adjunct 144
Contents vii
7.4 Embedding 145
7.5 Nominal group complexes 146
7.6 Other kinds of group complex 148
1.7 Summary 149
1.7 Further study 149
1.7 Exercises 151
8 Embeded clauses
8.1 Embedded clause as Postmodifier/Qualifier 154
8.2 Multiple embedding of clauses 162
8.3 Embedded clause as Subject or Complement 164
8.4 Postposed clause 166
8.5 Other embedded clauses 168
1.7 Summary 169
1.7 Further study 170
1.7 Exercises 170
9 Clause complexes: expansion
9.1 Ways of combining clauses 172
9.2 ‘Equal’clauses 172
9.3 Dependent clauses 176
9.4 More complicated complexes 186
9.4 Summary 188
9.4 Further study 189
9.4 Exercises 189
10 Clause complexes: projection
10.1 Projection 193
10.2 Paratactic projection 193
10.3 Hypotactic projection 195
10.4 Non-finite projections 198
10.5 Grammatical metaphor: embedding versus dependency 199
10.6 Even more complicated complexes 202
10.7 Ambiguous structures 205
10.7 Summary 205
10.7 Further study 206
10.7 Exercises 207
11 Applications of functional analysis
11.1 Explanations and theories 212
11.2 Writing in science and technology 213
11.3 Valued texts 219
11.4 Language development and language teaching 221
viii Contents
11.5 Language and literature: stylistic analysis 226
11.6 Language and power 228
11.7 On applications and SFLtheory 230
11.7 Summary 231
11.7 Further study 232
12 Historical perspectives
12.1 Origins 234
12.2 Before the twentieth century 234
12.3 De Saussure 236
12.4 Linguistics in America 238
12.5 Whorf 241
12.6 The Prague School 243
12.7 Malinowski and Firth 244
12.8 Corpus linguistics 246
12.9 Some functional alternatives 248
12.10 Systemic Functional ‘grammars’ 250
12.10 Summary 251
12.10 Further study 251
Answerkey 254
Glossary 279
References 291
Index of authors 305
Subject index 309
Preface
This edition of The Functional Analysis of English was prepared with two
main objectives: first, to clarify any confusions and to correct infelicities in
the first edition, originally published in 1995; and, second, to incorporate new
developments in Systemic Functional Linguistics.
With respect to these aims, we were helped by our students at the univer-
sities of Aston, Warwick and Birmingham, who did not hesitate to demand
explanations of any passages that seemed to them unclear or to question the
accuracy of our analyses. Their input has been invaluable. We were also
stimulated by feedback we received from lecturers who had chosen to use the
book as course texts. Their comments were sufficiently encouraging for us to
believe that revisions would be worthwhile, and we were able to benefit from
their experiences in universities and colleges in many countries.
The book retains its original purpose of providing a relatively simple intro-
duction to systemic functional linguistics as it is used in the analysis of
English. It sets out the principles and techniques of systemic functional gram-
mar with explanations of basic terminology in what we hope is an accessible
way for students who are new to linguistics. Since it also provides the reader
with a set of tools for analyzing real samples of English, we believe it will
also be of use to specialists in other fields, such as discourse analysis, media
studies and gender studies, who have been working with alternative models of
analysis and wish to learn new skills. There is still a chapter, somewhat
expanded, providing an overview of the applications of functional grammar
to social and educational issues and a chapter explaining the place of func-
tional grammar in the history of linguistics.
Since 1995, when the first edition of The Functional Analysis of English
was published, systemic functional linguistics has grown in substance and
expanded in popularity. In the second edition, we have introduced a few of
the latest developments and elaborated on the original text to introduce
new terms. Inevitably, some aspects of the grammar and its applications
are only introduced briefly, but we have tried to make suggestions in the
Further study sections for readers who wish to consider these in more
detail. We still recommend students to turn to An Introduction to