功能语法讲义

Halliday and Systemic-Functional Grammar

M. A. K. Halliday (1925–), based on Firth‘s theories in the London School, has developed his Systemic-Functional Grammar (SFG).

1. Biography of Halliday:

1947

From 1947 to 1949

From 1949 to 1950

1955

1955 onwards

1975

1988

2. Brief introduction of SFG:

Systemic-Functional Grammar has two inseparable components: systemic grammar and functional grammar.

1) Systemic grammar:

It aims to explain the internal relations in language as a system network.

Language is a system network.

This system network is thought as meaning potential.

This system network consists of subsystems.

Language users make choices from these subsystems.

2) Functional grammar:

It aims to reveal that language is a means of social interaction.

People use language to interact with each other.

Meanwhile they make choices from the subsystems of language according to different functions they serve.

Therefore, the function or use of language determines language system.

3) Systemic-Functional Grammar is based on two facts:

(1) Language users are actually making choices in a system of systems and trying to realize different semantic functions in social interaction

(2) Language is inseparable from social activities of man.

¤Language is a potential: it is what the speaker can do. (Halliday 1978/2001: 27) …hence the description of language as a ‗meaning potential‘. (Halliday 1978/2001:

28)

¤The notion of ‗situation‘ refers to those features which are relevant to the speech that is taking place.(Halliday 1978/2001: 29)

3. Systemic Grammar

In Systemic Grammar, language is conceived as a ―system of systems‖. Systemic Grammar tries to establish a network of systems of language. Language is regarded as a multilevel code system, as is shown below:

This is what Halliday called the three strata of language.

¤Language is being regarded as the encoding of a ‗behaviour potential‘; that is, as a means of expressing what the human organism ‗can do‘, in interaction with other human organisms, by turning it into what he ‗can mean‘. What he can mean (the semantic system) is, in turn, encoded into what he ‗can say‘ (the lexicogrammatical system, or grammar and vocabulary); to use our own folk-linguistic terminology, meanings are expressed in wordings. Wordings are, finally, recorded into sounds (it would be nice if we could say ‗soundings‘) or spellings (the phonological and orthographic systems). (Halliday 1978/2001: 21)

A system is a list of choices or options. Systems and subsystems

Transitivity, mood and thematic systems are respectively components of the ideational, interpersonal and textual functions.