DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

UNDERSTANDING PROCESS

COMPILED BY GROUP 2 :

IMELDA AISYAH NASUTION (0304171040)

UMMI KALSUM NASUTION (0304172118)

MIFTAHUL JANNAH (0304172085)

ZUHROTUNNISA SARAGIH (0304172141)

SAUT MARITO SIREGAR (0304172135)

INDAH MAULINA SIREGAR (0304172149)

LECTURER : EMELIYA SUKMA DARA DAMANIK, M.Hum

FACULTY OF TARBIYAH AND TEACHING TRAINING

ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY OF SUMATERA UTARA

2020
 PREFACE

Thanks to Allah the most merciful who gives us guidance to finish this
paper. We would like to express gratitute to all those who help us to finished this
paper, both morally and materially in the form of encouragement, because we
believe without helping and supporting from them it is hard to finish it.In
addition, allow us to gratitude for Mam Emeliya Sukma Dara Damanik, M.Hum
as lecturer of Discourse Analysis. Our beloved friends who always give us
motivation and make us spirit and also assited us in completing this paper. We do
realize that, this paper is not perfect, that’s why we need criticism and suggestion
to make the paper better later. We do hope this paper usefull for the readers.

Medan, November 2020

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE.....................................................................................................i

CONTENT....................................................................................................ii

CHAPTER I .................................................................................................1

1.1 Background...............................................................................................1

1.2 Research Problems....................................................................................1

1.3 Aims of research.......................................................................................1

CHAPTER II.................................................................................................3

2.1 Discussion.................................................................................................3

CHAPTER III CLOSING..........................................................................13

3.1 Conclution...............................................................................................13

References………………………………………………………………… 15

ii
 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

In general, discourse analysis learns about many customs and cultures.

with that since the 1970s the criticism of the article has grown to the present day,
in the 1950s had switched a discourse analysis into the form of language,
cognitivism analysis discourse research in an objective reality. It can be observed,
and can also be known., Speaking of the discourse analysis of reality versions,
there are some truths that are constructed and researched through the text, so some
of the analyzes are appropriate. In this case, language is seen as a social thing both
in performance and in action. That language can inspire uniqueness and oddities
that have been observed and predicted.

This new research method connects an interesting and critical language

perspective to better understand the language in the social world so as to add more
insight and can analyze the theory and research. There are some things that get not
only that, but discourse analysis provides and introduces the vocabulary new
word. Methodology and philosophy is one of the forms of discourse analysis
which will make the way in a language. There is a series of epistemological,
relativist to realist. The amount of competition that we know in every culture with
various characters and combinations can be observed analytically by researchers.
So that analysis can be asked with various questions according to epistemological.

The six cultural discourse analyzes have been identified in the literature,
namely conversational analysis, interactional sociolinguistics, discursive
psychology, critical discourse analysis, Bakhtin research, and Foucauldian
research. Before moving to a deeper stage on any discourse analysis model, it is
important to understand and analyze what is meant by discourse and discourse
analysis. General understanding of discourse and analysis varies greatly
depending on each theory. The understanding of discourse analysis has been

1
clarified and understood with the existing concept, with the content of each
meaning. As an example, Foucauldian analysis of conversation and research can
be seen as two opposing epistemological perceptions, therefore the definition will
be different. For example, the two models can be explained as follows, in the
tradition of "discourse" conversational analysis defined as communal exchanges,
cultures, social resources that can be exemplified to explain their routine
activities, so that the process will be easier.

In this paper we would like to discuss about understanding process

(transitivity). Transitivity system discriminates six different type of processes in
English: material, mental, verbal, rational, behavioural and existential.

1.2 Research Problems

a. The definition of Transitivity (understanding process in English).

b. The kind of transitivity (understanding process).

c. The process of transitivity (understanding process).

1.3 Aims of the research

a. To know about the definition of Transitivity (understanding process).

b. To know about the kind of transitivity (understanding process).

c. To know about the process of transitivity (understanding process).

2
 CHAPTER II

DISCUSSION

2.1 The Definition of Transitivity (Understanding Process )

Transitivity system is a system which deals with the content that is

expressed in language: all doing, sensing, being, saying activities that happen in
the world. Transitivity deals with the experiental metafunction. The experiential
metafunction organises our experience and understanding of the world. It is the
potential of the language to construe figures with elements (such as screen shots
of a moving picture or pictures of a comic novel) and its potential to differentiate
these elements into processes, the participants in these processes, and the
circumstances in which the processes occur. 1The terms transitivity is differently
far from the meaning of transitivity in traditional grammar. It refers to the system
for describing the whole clause, rather than just the verb and its object as focused
by transitivity in traditional grammar. 2Transitivity system discriminates six
different type of processes in English: material, mental, verbal, rational,
behavioural and existential. Each process consists of three components:
the process itself; the participant; and circumstances. In a simple way that
Transitivity is the study of what people doing by which mainly discussed who
does what to whom.3

Transitivity system is an efficacious tool to analyze the meaning conveyed

in clauses. It comprises of three major types and minor types of processes. The
major types are material process, mental process, and relational process and the
minor types are verbal process, existential process, and behavioural process. the
transitive model is based on the configuration of Actor + Process. The Actor is
construed as bringing about the unfolding of the Process through time; and this
unfolding is either confined in its outcome to the Actor or extended to another
participant, the Goal. The Goal is construed as being impacted by the Actor’s

1
https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Systemic_functional_grammar.html
2
Thompson, Geoff (1966). Introducing functional grammar. Arnold, London ; New York.
3
Mayr, Andrea & Machin, David Ph. D (2012). The language of crime and deviance : an
introduction to critical linguistic analysis in media and popular culture. Continuum, London ;
New York

3
performance of the Process. Transitivity traditionally is defined as the
grammatical feature, which indicates if the verb takes a direct object, then it is
described as transitive, and It is called intransitive if it does not. An extension of
this concept is the ditransitive verb, which takes both a direct and an indirect
object.4

2.2 The Kinds of Transitivity (Understanding Process)

2.2.1 Material Process

Material process is a process of doing or process which portrays an entity

does something materially to another entity. It involves the body movement thus
make a direct effect. It consists of two main participants which are actor and goal.
Actor is the one that makes the action and gives a direct effect to the others, while
goal is the one that is affected by the action. Besides, material process has two
other 12 participants which are recipient and client. Recipient is the one to whom
something is given and client is the one for whom an action is done.

2.2.2. Mental Process

Mental process is the process of perceiving, feeling and thinking and the
participants of this process are senser and phenomenon. Senser is the one who can
perceive, feel or think wittingly. Phenomenon is the one that is being perceived,
felt or thought. Mental process has three types of processes namely affective
(process of feeling and liking), cognitive (process of thinking, knowing and
understanding), and perceptive (process of seeing and hearing).

2.2.3. Verbal Process

Verbal process is the process done through the action of saying and
signaling. It consists of the verb like talk, tell, say, explain, shout, cry, scream, etc.
The main participant in this sort of process is called sayer. It is the one giving a
signal. The verbal process also has other participants which are receiver, verbiage,
and target. Receiver is the one that is given the signal. Verbiage is the content of

4
Halliday Matthiessen (2014), Halliday’s introduction to functional grammar. Rouledge; New
York

4
what is delivered by the sayer. Then, target is the one acted upon verbally
(insulted, complimented, etc).

2.2.4. Existential Process

Existential process refers to the presence of something or some events. It

is generally can be identified by the use of the verbs of existence, such as ‘be’
verb or ‘arise’. This type of process has only one participant which is existent. It
is an entity explained existentially by the process.

2.2.5. Behavioural Process

There is a process between material and mental process called behavioural

process. It deals with psychological and physiological activities which states of
human physical behaviour Several activities which are the examples of the
process are breathing, smiling, watching, looking, listening, and dreaming. This
type of process normally has only two participants namely behaver and range.
Behaver is like an actor in material process or senser in mental process, but
behavioural process is not sensing and done habitually. Whereas, range is the
scope of the process itself.

2.2.6. Relational Process

Relational process is a process of identifying or assigning. In this process,

there must be two kinds of participant. If there is only one participant in the
process than it is not relational process. The relational process can be either
attributive or identifying. If the process is attributive than it has carrier and
attribute as the participants. If the process is identifying, it has token and value as
the 14 participants. The identifying process is when an entity is the identity of
another. Whereas, the attributive process is when an entity is the attribute of
another. So that attributive process is followed by an attribute and identifying
process is followed by a value.

5
2.3 The Process of Transitivity (Understanding Process)

As stated by Halliday (1994) there are 6 process types, those are material, mental,
relational, verbal, existential and behavioural processes. The following table is the
detail of those processes stated by Halliday:

Table 1. Process Types Identified by Halliday

1 Material Doing Bodily, physically, materially

2 Mental Sensing Emotionally, intellectually,

sensorily
3 Verbal Saying Lingually, signaling

4 Existential Existing There exists

5 Behavioural Behaving Physiologically and

psychologically
6 Relational Being Equal to, or some attribute of

2.3.1 Material Process

The participants are:

 Actor -- the one performing the action

 Goal -- that which is affected by the action

 Scope -- that which remains unaffected by the action

 Attribute -- a quality ascribed or attributed to an entity

 Client -- for whom/which the action occurs

 Recipient -- the receiver of goods or services

A material process is a process of doing or happening, and the Actor is the key

participant. You can probe a material process with "what did the Actor do?" or
"what happened?"

  Alvin Played ping pong yesterday

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 Pt: Pr: Pt: Circ:
 
Actor Material Scope Time
  Alvin swallowed the ping pong ball by mistake
Pt: Pr: Pt: Circ:
 
Actor Material Goal Manner
  The doctor Gave Alvin some laxative
Pt: Pr: Pt: Pt:
 
Actor Material Recipient Goal
  He Also made Alvin a tablet
Pt:   Pr: Pt: Pt:
 
Actor Material Client Goal
  And painted It green
  Pr: Pt: Pt:
 
Material Goal Attribute
Because the material process involves dynamic verbs, the progressive is permitted
-- "Alvin was playing ping pong yesterday". This is a useful test to tell apart a
material process from another that is inherently stative. Please note that Goal is
that which is affected by something being done to it (that is, it either changes its
position or its status). If it remains unaffected (or unimpacted), it is not Goal, but
Scope. Another useful point to note is that whereas Recipient takes the preposition
"to", Client takes "for". Compare:

 The doctor gave some laxative to Alvin. (Recipient)

 He also made a bitter-tasting tablet for Alvin. (Client)

2.3.2 Mental Process

The participants are:

 Senser -- the one who feels (emotionally), thinks, and perceives

 Phenomenon -- that which is felt (emotionally), thought about, or

perceived

The mental process has to do with affection, cognition, perception, or desideration

(a fancy term for "desiring"):

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  I Hate curly underarm hair  
Pt: Pr: Pt: [Affection]
 
Senser Mental Phenomenon
  His curly underarm hair amazed me  
Pt: Pr: Pt: [Cognition]
 
Phenomenon Mental Senser
  I Saw her curly underarm hair  
Pt: Pr: Pt: [Perception]
 
Senser Mental Phenomenon
The mental process is usually in simple present/past tense, but not usually in the
progressive aspect.

Please note that the Senser need not always come first. In "His curly underarm
hair amazed me", the underlined portion is not Senser but Phenomenon.

2.3.3 Verbal process

The participants are:

 Sayer -- the addresser

 Receiver -- the addressee, or the entity targetted by the saying

 Verbiage -- the content of what is said or indicated

Verbal processes include all modes of expressing and indicating, even if they need
not be verbal, such as "showing". The content of what is said or indicated can be
realised as a full projected clause, a participant (verbiage), or a circumstance
(matter).

Examples:

  The x-ray shows a small lump in Alvin's throat

Pt: Pr: Pt: Circ:
 
Sayer Verbal Verbiage Location
  The doctor expressed some concern
  Pt: Pr: Pt:

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 Sayer Verbal Verbiage
  Alvin Complained about the discomfort
Pt: Pr: Circ:
 
Sayer Verbal Matter
  He mumbled that the ball ruined his appearance
Pt: Pr: [Separate ranking clause]
 
Sayer Verbal
2.3.4 Existential process

It involves existential constructions which are introduced by an

empty there in subject position (this is sometimes called an expletive there, but
don't ask me why). The typical verb that is used is the "be" verb. So everytime
you see an existential construction, you have an existential process.

Another simple diagnostic is that the progressive is forbidden in the existential

process. Whereas the mental and, as we shall see in a while, relational processes
resist the progressive, the existential process absolutely forbids it.

There is also only one participant in an existential process -- the Existent. The
Existent is simply that which is construed existentially.

Note, however, that in cases such as "On the wall is a handprint", we also have an
existential process, although there is no empty there anywhere. But you know that
this construction can be expanded to "On the wall there is a handprint", no?

  Once upon a time there was a weird grammarian

Circ:   Pr: Pt:
 
Time Existential Existent

2.3.5 Behavioural process

The main participant is Behaver, but may sometimes involve a Behaviour.

Behavioural processes are typically intransitive, involving only the Behaver as
participant. If there are two participants, the second participant is Behaviour.

9
The behavioural process is a hybrid process -- a material+mental process. Because
it is part mental, the behavioural process involves verbs that are clearly
psychological. And because it is part material, the behavioural process permits the
progressive, and the clause can be probed with "What did the Behaver do?"
(which a true mental process forbids).

  The sore losers Glared at the champion belcher

Pt: Pr: Pt:
 
Behaver Behavioural Behaviour
[What did the sore losers do?]

2.3.6 Relational process

Relational processes obligatorily require two participants. In a finite clause,

you cannot and do not have a relational process with only one participant.
Relational processes are concerned with being, possessing, or becoming.The
progressive is resisted in the relational process. The relational process is either
identifying or attributive. The difference is this:

Identifying: "a" is the identity of "X"

Attributive: "a" is an attribute of "X"

Examples:

  Today is World Belching Day

Pt: Pr: Pt:
 
Token Rel-Ident Value
["World Belching Day" serves to identify what today is. Also, we can have
  "Today represents World Belching Day", but not *"World Belching Day
represents today".]

  The champion belcher Is Alvin

Pt: Pr: Pt:
 
Value Rel-Ident Token
  [Alvin is identified by his status as a champion belcher. Also, we can have
"Alvin represents the champion belcher", but not *"The champion belcher

10
 represents Alvin".]

If the process is attributive, the participants are Carrier and Attribute. "a" is the
attribute, and "X" is the Carrier. Clauses with attributive processes are non-
passivisable. That means that the grammatical subject is always the Carrier. Here
are some examples:

  Alvin was fantastic during World Belching Day

Pt: Pr: Pt: Circ:
 
Carrier Rel-Attr Attribute Time
  Alvin has a shapely rib cage
Pt: Pr: Pt:
 
Carrier Rel-Attr Attribute
It is important to run through the various diagnostics listed here to separate
identifying from attributive processes. For instance, by the reversibility test, a
clause such as "The exam lasts the whole day" is attributive, but "The exam takes
up the whole day" is identifying. (This is either really cool or utterly confusing,
depending on your current state of mind.)

Relational processes usually involve the be verb, and are manifested in three ways
(use the reversibility test to find out whether each is attributive or identifying):

 "X is Y" (intensive)

 "X is at/in/under ... Y" (circumstantial)

 "X has Y" (possessive)

Especially for the "X is at/in/under ... Y" type, please take care to label the
circumstantial element as participant, rather than as circumstance. Why? That's
because relational processes must have two participants, remember? So, the
PP "in the drain" is functionally ambiguous, depending on the process type.
In "The best hiding place is in the drain", it is a participant (Attribute); in "Alvin
dropped his wallet in the drain", it is circumstance (Location).

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 CHAPTER III

CLOSING

3.1 Conclusion

a. Transitivity system is a system which deals with the content that is expressed in
language: all doing, sensing, being, saying activities that happen in the world.
Transitivity system is an efficacious tool to analyze the meaning conveyed in
clauses. It comprises of three major types and minor types of processes.

b. There are six process of transitivity :

 Material process is a process of doing or process which portrays an

entity does something materially to another entity.
 Mental process is the process of perceiving, feeling and thinking
and the participants of this process are senser and phenomenon.
 Verbal process is the process done through the action of saying and
signaling. It consists of the verb like talk, tell, say, explain, shout,
cry, scream, etc.
 Existential process refers to the presence of something or some
events. It is generally can be identified by the use of the verbs of
existence, such as ‘be’ verb or ‘arise’.
 behavioural process. It deals with psychological and physiological
activities which states of human physical behavior several
activities which are the examples of the process are breathing,
smiling, watching, looking, listening, and dreaming.
 Relational process is a process of identifying or assigning. In this
process, there must be two kinds of participant. If there is only one
participant in the process than it is not relational process.

c. The process of transitivity

 A material process is a process of doing or happening, and the Actor is the

key participant. You can probe a material process with "what did the Actor
do?" or "what happened?"

12
  The mental process has to do with affection, cognition, perception, or
desideration (a fancy term for "desiring").
 Verbal processes include all modes of expressing and indicating, even if
they need not be verbal, such as "showing". The content of what is said or
indicated can be realised as a full projected clause, a participant (verbiage),
or a circumstance (matter).
 It involves existential constructions which are introduced by an
empty there in subject position (this is sometimes called an expletive there,
but don't ask me why). The typical verb that is used is the "be" verb. So
everytime you see an existential construction, you have an existential
process.
 The main participant is Behaver, but may sometimes involve a Behaviour.
Behavioural processes are typically intransitive, involving only the
Behaver as participant. If there are two participants, the second participant
is Behaviour.

Relational processes obligatorily require two participants. In a finite clause, you

cannot and do not have a relational process with only one participant. Relational
processes are concerned with being, possessing, or becoming.The progressive is
resisted in the relational process. The relational process is either identifying or
attributive.

13
 REFERENCES

Alvinleong. (n.d.). SFG Page. Retrieved November 13, 2020, from alvinleong.info:
https://www.alvinleong.info/sfg/sfgtrans.html

https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Systemic_functional_gram
mar.html

Thompson, Geoff (1966). Introducing functional grammar. Arnold, London ; New

York.

Mayr, Andrea & Machin, David Ph. D (2012). The language of crime and deviance :
an introduction to critical linguistic analysis in media and popular culture.
Continuum, London ; New York

Halliday, M. A. (2014). An Introduction to Functional Grammar, 4th ed.. New York:

Rouledge.

https://penggembalarindu.wordpress.com/2014/05/08/transitivity-system/

http://eprints.undip.ac.id/77109/1/The_Transitivity_Process_in_the_Short_Story_
%E2%80%9CHe%E2%80%9D_by_Katherine_Anne_Porter_-_Sayyida_Amira_Halima_.pdf

14