ANALYSIS OF TEXTS

When we model texts, either oral or written, we need to analyse their register (Field, Tenor and Mode). In
the following chart, you will find have a simple guide for starting your analysis and understanding of texts.

Look at the following table to have more specific details about MODE. You can use them when
analysing texts.
 ∙ Activity: analyse the following texts using the chart below them.

Text 1

RB: Mum, can we make a cake?

SH: OK, but it’ll have to be a packet mix. I think there’s one there.

RB: What do we do first?

SH: OK, well turn the oven on first… here I’ll do that. You put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them up, no
just on low.

RB: Can I put it in the cake tin now?

SH: No, mix it on medium speed for a few minutes first … that’s right, now you can pour it into the tin and put it
in the oven.

RB: How long does it take to cook for?

SH: We’ll give it half an hour and see how it goes eh?

Text 2

Dear Principal,

My daughter, Cal, who is in 8th grade mentioned to me that the dance tomorrow night has

a Hawaiian Luau theme and that there is a reduced entry fee incentive to wear a costume. Without knowing
more than that, I feel compelled to write to find out more and with some concerns that this raises for me.

I believe that, as a nation, we do a rather inadequate job learning about indigenous/native cultures, so when the
exposure to one of those cultures is less an opportunity for learning and more about adapting it for our
entertainment, I believe as educators we send a wrong message. The harm of one small dance organized by students
who may mean no harm on its own arguably is negligible -- but when it is part of a pattern of a society's cumulative
disregard for inclusion, I find it more problematic, and therein lie my concerns. Since [school name] has diversity as
one of its guiding principles (indeed one of the reasons we chose to have our daughter attend,) I hope that you will
share my concerns.

I am hoping that if the dance does indeed have the theme, that it might be followed with a school-wide initiative
to know more about native Hawaiian cultures that involves a more comprehensive look. I am happy to help in that
endeavour and offer these thoughts with a generous spirit.

Sincerely,

Cal’s Mom

Text 3

Trees uprooted, patios torn from homes in wild Perth winter’s day

Perth’s northern suburbs have taken a battering in Monday’s storm, with wild winds tearing down trees and
cutting power to a shopping complex. Balga was the worst affected suburb, according to the Department of Fire and
Emergency Services spokesperson, with eight properties damaged. A further six calls for help were received from
Duncraig and four in Warwick, including at the Warwick Grove shopping complex.
 Text 4

Once upon a time there was a clever girl called Maisie who wanted to go to university. However, her lazy
stepfather did not want her to go to university. He wanted her to look after her four little stepbrothers while he plays
cards with his friends. Masie tried and tried to persuade her mother to let her go but she was too busy at work to
notice what was going on.

Then Maisie discovered that the courses she wanted to do were available by distance learning form a famous
university. She enrolled secretly in some courses and studies very hard in the brief times she was free.

One day, her stepfather discovered the notes and began to read them. He became so interested in the course
that he enrolled as well. He didn’t need to fill in his days with cards anymore and started to pull his weight around the
house.

Through their studies, Maisie and her stepfather became good friends and lived happily ever after.

Text 5

Dear Cecilia,

I thought you'd never reply to my last letter! Anyway, back to your question. Well, if I were you, I'd choose the
museum job. Working in a restaurant would be very tiring. Trust me I've done such a job, and I quit within a month!
However, you talk to lots of people, listen to their discussions which can sometimes be very interesting but still you
get really tired.

Working in a museum though can be really interesting. You just have to explain to the visitors what is what. You
may think that you will have to talk all day, but that's not true. You see many people just like to browse through the
museum. You also have to remind the rules of the museum to some that disobey them, but these people are usually
very few; not something you should worry about. I heavily suggest you take the museum job. It's easier and less
tiring. Lots of love,

David

Text 6

Do volcanoes occur in the ocean?

Volcanic eruptions occur only in certain places and do not occur randomly. This is because the Earth’s crust is
broken into a series of slabs known as tectonic plates. These plates are rigid, but they “float” on a hotter, softer layer
in the Earth's interior. As the plates move, they spread apart, collide, or slide past each other.

Sixty percent of all active volcanoes occur at the boundaries between tectonic plates. Most volcanoes are found
along a belt, called the “Ring of Fire” that encircles the Pacific Ocean. Some volcanoes, like those that form the
Hawaiian Islands, occur in the interior of plates at areas called “hot spots.”

Although most of the active volcanoes we see on land occur where plates collide, the greatest number of the
Earth's volcanoes are hidden from view, occurring on the ocean floor along spreading ridges.
Deconstructing and analysing a text

Name of text:
Field Tenor Mode
What is the text about? Who’s involved in creating the text? How is the text constructed?
What is the relationship between the
speaker/writer and the
listener/reader?

What is the Is the Is it written-like

content? relationship or spoken-like?
personal or
impersonal?

Evidence from
Evidence Evidence from the text
from the the text
text

Is the Is the Is it planned or

content relationship spontaneous?
common formal or
sense or informal? Evidence from
specialised? the text
Evidence from
the text

Evidence
from the Is the What media
text speaker/writer does it use?
an expert and (Multimedia
the listener/ presentation,
reader a written report,
novice? Or are video, etc)
they both
equal?
Evidence from
the text
Evidence from
the text

Reference:

∙ Eggins, S (2004) Introduction To Systemic Functional Linguistics. Bloomsbury Academic ∙ Leung,

Alice. Field, tenor and mode – a literacy framework for all subjects accessed at
https://aliceleung.net/2016/06/17/field-tenor-and-mode-a-literacy-framework-for-all-subjects on 20th
August 2020
∙ Droga, L. & Humphrey, S (2002). Getting Started with Functional Grammar. Target Texts