1

MEETING 9
SUBJECT : FLA
ENGLISH STUDENTS
DRA.SITI SUNDARI,MA

IDEATIONAL METAFUNCTION
TRANSITIVITY : CLAUSE AS REPRESENTATION
Through the system of Transitivity, we shall be exploring the clause.
There are three semantic categories which explain in a general way how phenomena
of the real world are represented as linguistic structure, as follows :
1. Circumstances
2. Processes
3. Participants

CIRCUMSTANCES
Circumstances answer such questions as when, where, why, how, how many, and
what. They realize meanings about :
Time : tells when and is probed by when, how often, how long?
Example :
 He goes to church every Sunday.
Cir : time
Place : tells where and is probed by where and how far?
Example :
 He goes to church every Sunday.
Cir : place
Manner : tells how
Means : tells by what means and is probed by what with?
Example :
 He goes by taxi.
Cir: manner (means)
Quality : tells how and is probed by how?
Example :
 He loved her deeply and truly.
Cir:manner (quality)
Comparison : tells like what and is probed by what like?
Example :
 He was jumping around like a monkey on a roof.
 2

Cause : tells why

 Reason : tells what causes the process and is probed by why? Or how?
Example : The sheep died of thirst.
Cir: manner (cause)
 Purpose : tells the purpose and is probed by what for?
Example : He went to the shop for cigarettes.
Cir:manner (cause)
 Behalf : tells for whose shake and is probed by for whom?
Example : He went to the shop for his mother.
Cir:manner(cause)
Accompanyment : tells with who or what and is` probed by who? or what else?
Example : I left work without my briefcase.

Cir: Accomp.
Matter : tells about what or with reference to what and is probed by what about?
Example : This book is talking about functional grammar.
Cir: matter

Role : tells what as and is probed by as what?

Example : He lived a quiet life as a beek-keeper.
Cir: role

The Circumstances are illustrated in the text below (the underlined phrases)

PROCESSES
Processes are central to Transitivity. Participants and Circumstances are incumbent
upon the doings, happenings, feelings, and beings. This suggests that Participants in
varying Circumstances.
 3

According to Halliday, there are seven different Process types as follows :

1.Material doing badly, physically, materially
2.Behavioral behaving physiologically, psychologically
3.Mental sensing emotionally, intellectually, sensorily
4.Verbal saying lingually, signalling
5.Relational being equal to, some attribute of
6.Existential existing There exists
7.Meteorological weathering

Processes are realized by verbs. Traditionally, verbs are defined as doing words.
However, the list of verbs above, some verbs are not doing words at all, but express
states of being or having.

MATERIAL PROCESS
Material Processes are processes of material doing.They express the notion that
some entity physically does something which may be done to some other entity.
So, clauses with a Material Process obligatorily have a doing (Process) and a doer
(Participant).

Examples :
The fuel ignites
Participant Process

The youngster wiggled in his seat.

Participant Process Circumstance

The exhausted bush walker dropped his pack.

Participant : Actor Process : Material Goal

The youngster wiggled his loose tooth.

Paricipant : Actor Process : Material Goal
 4

Other examples of Material Processes :

Handel wrote the Messiah
Actor P : Material Goal

Kerr dismissed Whitlam

Actor P : Material Goal

The bush walker tripped

Actor P : Material

The gun discharged

Actor P : Material

Whitlam was dismissed by Kerr.

Goal P : Material Actor

The gun was discharged

Goal P : Material

The fuel ignites.

Actor P ;Material

The gun discharged.

Actor P : Material

Jack and Jill went up the hill.

Actor P : Material Cir :place

to fetch a pail of water.

P : Material Goal

Jack fell down

 5

Actor P : Material Cir :place

and broke his crown

P : Material Goal

and Jill came tumbling after.

Actor P : Material Cir : place

MENTAL PROCESSES
Mental Processes are ones of sensing : feeling, thinking, perceiving.
There are three types : affective or reactive (feeling), cognitive (thinking), and the
perceptive (perceiving through the five senses).
The Participant roles in Mental Processes are Senser and Phenomenon.
The Phenomenon is that which is sensed : felt, thought, or seen.
Examples :
That toaster does not like me
Senser Process : Mental Phenomenon

Mark likes new clothes

Senser Process : Mental Phenomenon

Mark understood.
Senser P : Mental : cognitive

Loneliness Hurts.
Phenomenon P : Mental : affect

Mark likes nice clothes

Senser P : Mental : Affect Phenomenon
 6

Nice clothes Please Mark.

Phenomenon P : Mental : Affect Senser

I don’t understand this stuff.

Senser P : Mental : Cognition Phenomenon

This stuff baffles me.

Phenomenon P : Mental : Cognition Senser

Nice clothes please Mark.

Phenomenon P : Mental : Affect Senser

Mark is pleased by nice cltothes

Senser P : Mental : Affect Phenomenon

This stuff baffles me.

Phenomenon P : Mental : Cognition Senser

I am baffled by this stuff

Senser P : Mental : Cognition Phenomenon

I realize the difficulties

Senser P : Mental : Cognition Phenomenon

I realize the fact that there are difficulties

Senser P : Mental : Cognition Phenomenon

The fact that they were cruel Incensed Mark

Phenomenon P : Mental : Affect Senser

I realize the difficulties

Senser P : Mental : Cognition Phenomenon
 7

I realize that there are Difficulties.

Senser P : Mental : Cognition P : Existential Existent

I know the man who called on you.

Senser P : Mental : Cognition Phenomenon

know that someone called on you.

Senser P : Mental : Cognition Actor Material Goal

BEHAVIORAL PROCESS
Behavioral Processes are processes of physiological and psychological behaviour
like breathing, dreaming, snoring, smiling, hiccuping, looking, watching, listening,
and pondering. There is one obligatory Participant : the Behaver. Like Senser, the
Behaver is a conscious being, but the Process is one of doing, not sensing.
Examples :

She lives in the fast lane.

Behaver P : Behavioral Cir : place

He snores loudly
Behaver P : Behavioral Cir : manner

He heaved a great sigh.

Behaver P : Behavioral Cir : Range

He threw a tantrum.
Behaver P : Behavioral Cir : Range

Range specifies the range or scope of the Process, defining its coordinates or
domain. In Behavioral Processes, Range names the behaviour enacted.
 8

Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish Behavioral Processes and Range from Material

Processes with Goal or Range.
He did the shopping
He took a nap
He threw a tantrum
He drew a ragged breath
He drove a hard bargain.
Behaver P : Behavioral Cir : Range

He shopped
He took two cases
He threw the spear
He drew a picture
He drove a Porsche
Actor P : Material Goal

In the first set, Processes are physiological or psychological and the Range element
names the actual process. In the second set, someone or something is actually acting,
sometimes upon someone or something else.

VERBAL PROCESSES
Verbal Processes are processes of saying or more accurately, of symbolically
signaling. Very often these are realized by two distinct clauses : the projecting clause
encodes a signal source (sayer) and signalling (Verbal Process) and the other
(projected clauses) realizes what was said. As with Mental Processes which project,
the projected and projecting clauses are each analyzed in their own right.
Examples :

She Said I don’t like brussel sprouts

Sayer P : Verbal Senser P : Mental :Affect Phenomenon

She explained that she didn’t like brussel sprouts

Sayer P : Verbal Senser P : Mental : Phenomenon
Affect
 9

The sign says No Smoking

Sayer P : Verbal P : Material

The alarm clock screamed “Get up”

Sayer P : Verbal P : Material

There are three other Participants that may be incumbent upon Verbal Processes.
They are :
 Receiver : the one to whom the verbalization is addressed.
 Target : one acted upon verbally (insulted, complimented, etc).
 Range / Verbiage : a name for the verbalization itself.

Examples :
John Told Jenny a rude joke.
Sayer P : Verbal Receiver Verbiage

Keating slurred Howard.

Sayer P : Verbal Target

The examples of Verbal Processes are listed below.

Reporting Quoting (and reporting)
insinuate, imply, remind, hypothesize, say, tell, remark, observe, continue, point
deny, make out, claim, pretend, out, report,announce, shout, cry,
maintain. ask,demand,inquire,query, interrupt,reply,
explain, protest, warn, insist.

Participant : Beneficiary
The Beneficiary is the one to whom or for whom the Process is said to take place.
In Material Processes, the Beneficiary is either Recipient or the Client.
Recipient is the one to whom goods are given. The Client is the one for whom
services are provided.
 10

I sold the car to John

Actor P : Material Goal Recipient

I sold to John the car

Actor P : Material Recipient Goal

They threw a farewell party for Jane.

Actor P : Material Goal Client

They threw for Jane A farewell party.

Actor P : Material Client Goal

You promised the doctor you would quit smoking.

Sayer P : Verbal Receiver Actor P : Material

RANGE
Range is the element that specifies the scope or domain of the Process.
The Range in the Material Processes typically occurs in middle clauses, those with
Actor only, no Goal.

She dropped a courtesy.

Actor P : Material Range

She dropped an egg.

Actor P : Material Goal

Summary :
Process Type Category Meaning Participants
Material doing, happening Actor, Goal
Behavioral behaving Behaver, Range
Mental sensing Senser, Phenomenon
Verbal saying, signalling Sayer, Target, Receiver
 11

EXERCISE : Please analyze these clauses based on Ideational Functions.

1. The students have understood the lesson.

Senser P:Mental Phenomenon

2. The teacher has explained the lesson clearly.

Sayer P:Verbal Verbiage Cir:manner

3. The cakes were made by mother yesterday.

Goal P:Mat Actor Cir:time

4. I heard someone singing an English song.

Senser P:Mental Sayer P:Verbal Verbiage

5. She does not like studying math.

6. My mother is cooking in the kitchen now.

7. I saw a car accident in the main road yesterday.

8. The teacher told a funny story to the children.

Sayer P:Verbal Verbiage Receiver

9. The doctor asked the man to stop smoking cigarettes.

Sayer P:V Receiver P:Mat Goal

10. The boy helps his father work in the garden every day.