Introduction to

functional grammar
Systemic Functional Approach
Systemic Approach
Systemic Linguistics
Functional Semantic Approach
 Introduction to
functional grammar
1.Language system – Texts
2. Key Researchers
 What do they mean?
Why can we make meaning from them?
Do they mean the same to everyone?
When I got home
last night, I could
not believe what
………….. had
done.

What choices are possible?

What’s the implication of the choice?
 What is implied about what a language
system has to encapsulate?
Culture What is the broad and specific context?
How does that impact on the text?
Genre What is the specific purpose of the text?
How is it organised to achieve this?
Topic What is being discussed / written
about?

Relationships Who is taking part? What is the nature

of their relationship? What are their
statuses and roles?
Mode Is it spoken, written or multimodal?
 What’s the context of
A: Yes Please the text?
B: Can I have those two? What accompanies
the language?
A: Yes. One’s forty five. One’s twenty
five. What kind of a text is
it? (genre)
B: And have you got …………………..
What are the stages
A: Yes. How many would you like? of the text?
B: I’ll take two What is it about?
(field)
A: Right. That’s four dollars twenty
altogether. Who is involved?
(tenor)
B: Here you are.
Mode of
A: Thankyou.
communication?
B: Thankyou. (mode)
Data reveals that the greatest What’s the context
consumer spending traditionally of the text?
What
occurs during the pre Christmas accompanies the
period. A consequence of this language?
spending is debt. The publicity and
What kind of a
expectation of a gift laden text is it? (genre)
Christmas has lead some families to What are the
incur debts beyond their means of stages of the text?
What is it about?
immediate repayment, leading to
(field)
the additional and spiralling cost of Who is involved?
interest fees. A substantial (tenor)
education program is required to Mode of
communication?
reverse this trend. (mode)
3 main kinds of meaning simultaneously:
1.Experiential: information (field)
2.Interpersonal: relationships (tenor)
3.Textual: relation to mode (mode)
 Field

Field continuum

 everyday ………..specialised ………highly

fields fields technical fields
 Tenor

Tenor continuum

 equal status….………great difference in status

 familiar …….…………..………...….very distant

 great deal of …………………………………little

emotional expression emotional expression

 Mode

Mode continuum

 most spoken-like………....… most written-like

A representation of the model of language

CULTURE

SITUATION

tenor

field mode
LANGUAGE

REGISTER

GENRE
 SEMIOTIC SYSTEM
(SYMBOLIC MEANING MAKING SYSTEM)

meaning (discourse / semantics)

words and structures (lexico – grammar)

sounds / letters (phonology / graphology)

 Differences between traditional and functional grammar

traditional functional
Sentence  Text

Word level  Word level but usually with

large chunks
Written language  Spoken, written, multimodal

 Correctness not  Correctness related to context

consider context
 Discrete grammar  Grammar within study of genre -
exercises how contributes to meaning
 KEY RESEARCHERS
Development of systemic linguistics:
Sydney systemists: Michael Halliday (from 1970s); Hasan; Martin;
Matthiesson
Links with other systemists: Gregory; Sinclair and Coulthard
Language Education: Christie; Macken and Rothery
Visual art: O’Toole; Kress and van Leeuwen; Unsworth
Psychotherapy: Eggins; MacKinnon
Artificial Intelligence: Bateman
Speech Pathology: Armstrong
References:

Eggins (1994) An Introduction to Systemic Functional Linguistics, Pinter

Love, Pigdon, Baker Built (Building Understandings in Literacy and
Teaching) CDROM 2nd Edition, University of Melbourne