Chapter 5 : How speakers take a position: Exploring interpersonal

meanings further
This chapter focuses on two main aspects: the speaker's resources for definiteness and adjustment.
The chapter begins by distinguishing between two main types of exchange: exchange of information
and exchange of goods and services. The chapter explores how speakers ensure precise and well-
defined meanings, and acknowledges that some meanings are not up for debate. Lastly, it examines
how speakers convey their attitudes and evaluations in their communication. Overall, the chapter
delves into the resources speakers have for effective communication and expressing their
perspectives.

Exchange of information

Taking a definite stand

Speakers present statements for agreement or disagreement, focusing on the subject, finite verb,
and positive/negative of the proposition. the Finite convey information about whether an Event has
occurred is presently occurring, or is yet to occur. If we disagree with a speaker's positive
proposition, we can add a negative such as not or n't into the Mood Block after the Finite. This gives
the clause NEGATIVE POLARITY. Otherwise, If the original proposition was negative, we show our
disagreement by changing the polarity of the message to positive:

Speaker 1: Tom was beaten. (positive polarity)

Speaker 2: (disagreeing) Tom was not beaten! (negative polarity)

Speaker 1: I haven't seen him. (positive polarity)

Speaker 2: (disagreeing) You have seen him! (negative polarity)

Usually we would not repeat an entire clause. We can just repeat the Subject and Finite.most of
cases, the speaker would also substitute an appropriate pronoun for the nominal group filling the
Subject slot, for example:

Speaker 1: Your car's blocking the driveway.

Speaker 2: No, it isn't.

Modality affects how propositions can be argued. It includes Modal Finites, Mood Adjuncts, and
interpersonal grammatical metaphors in the Mood Block. This section explores modality that falls
between a definite "yes" and "no." It involves uncertainty in probability ("possibly yes" or "possibly
no") and usuality ("sometimes yes" or "sometimes no"). Modalities of obligation and inclination will
be discussed later.

Modal Finites
Speakers and writers use the Finite to position themselves and can express either time or opinion in
their Finites, similar to choosing positive or negative polarity. In the following examples, Finites
expressing time are contrasted with Finites expressing modality.

Examples of clauses with Finite expressing time:

Mood adjunct
Not all adverbial groups and prepositional phrases are relevant for analyzing experiential meanings.
Box diagrams beneath them are left blank. The focus is now on investigating whether they
contribute to the interpersonal meaning by modifying the argument in the Mood Block. They may
express aspects like usuality, probability, typicality, or obviousness.
Exchange of goods and services

Demands realised in declaratives with modals of obligation

The imperative mood straightforwardly demands goods and services, with positive and negative
forms. Positive imperatives lack a subject and finite verb in the clause. However, the verb in
imperatives is still considered finite since the subject and finite verb can be recovered from a mood
tag. Interestingly, the finite verb in the mood tag always expresses modality, not time.

If addressees do not wish to comply with the demand, their response takes up the Mood tag,
arguing:
Similarly, in an imperative with negative polarity, while there is a Finite in die Mood block of the
clause itself, it is not the same as the Finite in any added Mood tag:

if addressees do not wish to comply with the demand, they can argue by using the Finite in the
Mood tag, not that in the original clause:

Offers realised in declaratives and interrogatives with modals of

inclination
In Chapter 4, we learned that offering a service doesn't require a special configuration of the Mood
Block. The focus is on whether the offer will be accepted or rejected. This could explain why there
isn't a distinct form for giving goods and services compared to demanding them or providing
information. However, two factors distinguish them as offers: how the offer is made and how it is
received. In this type of exchange, the finite verb is usually modal, and the responses are typically
"yes, please" if the offer is accepted or "no, thank you" if the offer is declined.

Appraisal
The resource of appraisal allows speakers to position their audience by selecting specific
lexicogrammatical patterns that influence their personal reaction to the meanings conveyed in a
text. This choice of language can create a positive or negative spin on the "same information," as
seen in opposing sides of a debate. When the text carries a strong color or flavor, the audience may
perceive it as highly emotional, judgmental, or critical. Therefore, understanding and utilizing
lexicogrammatical resources for creating and interpreting appraisal and attitude are crucial tools in
text analysis. In summary, Speakers use appraisal to shape the audience's perception by employing
specific linguistic patterns, emphasizing the importance of lexicogrammatical resources in exploring
text.

One resource for appraisal particular to the interpersonal metafunction is the COMMENT ADJUNCT,
which allows speakers to comment on experiential meanings. Because Comment Adjuncts represent
the intrusion of a speaker into a clause, they are important enough to be included in the Mood Block
even though they do not modify the argument in any way. The Comment Adjuncts in the first and
third of the following examples express Attitude while that in the second expresses Engagement:

Mapping experiential and interpersonal meanings on the same

clause
In previous chapters, we learned that different metafunctions assign different meanings to a clause.
Therefore, it's natural to use different metalanguage when analyzing and describing these
metafunctions. The metalanguage used for describing the experiential function focuses on the
possible combinations of Processes, Participants, and Circumstances. On the other hand, the
metalanguage for describing interpersonal meanings centers around the Subject/Finite relationship,
Mood, Comment Adjuncts in the Mood Block, and the Predicator, Complement, and ordinary
Adjuncts that constitute the Residue. Not every word in a clause is relevant to describing each
function.

In the following analysis we have also labelled the class of the basic clause constituents.