A Brief Introduction of Systemic Functional Linguistic 系统功能语言学 简介 Michael Alexander Kirkwood Halliday has developed ideas stemming from Firths theories in the London School. He is probably the most important representative of the Systemic-Functional School. Systemic-Functional Grammar has two components: Systemic Grammar Functional GrammarrelationSystemic GrammarSystemic grammar aims to explain the internal relations in language as a SYSTEM NETWORK, or MEANING POTENTIAL. And this network consists of subsystems from which language users make choices. The notion of system is made a central explanatory principle, the whole of language being conceived as a “system of systems”. Halliday defines system as a system of potentials, a range of alternatives. Systemic GrammarpersonFirst personSecond personThird personnumbersingularpluraltensepastpresentfuture当从有关系统 中一一进行选 择之后（如人 称、数、及物 性、语气、时 态等），则可 生成句子结构 。Systemic GrammarThe axis of chainSurface aspects of grammar, such as sentence structures, linguistic units, and their ranks (sentence, clause, group, word, and morpheme)The axis of choiceMeaning aspects of grammarchoice (paradigmatic)Chain (syntagmatic)On a general level, there is the Chain System and the Choice SystemSystemic GrammarThe boy kicked the ball.Chain (syntagmatic)choice (paradigmatic)The relation between systemic grammar and functional grammarThe system network in Systemic Grammar chiefly describes three components of function, or three metafunctions (ideational, interpersonal, and textual). Each of them is a complex system consisting of other systems, and choices are simultaneously made from the three metafunctions. Functional GrammarHalliday defines a functional grammar as “essentially a natural grammar, in the sense that everything in it can be explained”. Halliday interprets language development from a functional point of view and formulates a functional theory of language.the ideationalthe interpersonalthe textual functionThree metafunctionsFunctional GrammarThe ideational function is to convey new information, to communicate a content that is unknown to the hearer. ideational functionexperiential functionlogical functiontransitivityvoiceinterdependencylogical-semantic relationFunctional GrammarThe interpersonal function embodies all uses of language to express social and personal relations.Speech roleCommodity exchangedA. goods & servicesB .information(1)givingoffer (Would you like this pen?)statement (hes giving her the pen)(2)demandingcommand (Give me that pen!)question (What is he giving her?)Functional GrammarThe textual function refers to the fact that language has mechanisms to make any stretch of spoken or written discourse into a coherent and unified text and make a living passage different from a random list of sentences.It is realized through three routes:(1)theme(2)information(3)cohesionTransitivityTransitivity is a grammatical system. It “specifies the different types of process that are recognized in the language, and the structures by which they are expressed”. The basic semantic framework for the representation of process consists of three components.(1)process itself(2)participants in the process(3)circumstances associated with the process.ProcessIn English, we make choices between different types of process, participants, circumstances, roles, and members. They are known collectively as the transitivity choices. We first divided the choices into six kinds:TransitivityMaterial process (John kicked the ball)Mental process (John likes Mary)Relational Process (John is on the sofa) Behavioural process (John laughed)Verbal process (John said it is cold in the room) Existential process (There is a cat on the sofa)voiceDifferent from traditional grammar:voicemiddle (The glass broke.)non-middleactive (The cat broke the glass.)passive (The glass was broken by the cat.)interdependency Halliday认为，任何两个不同的语言单位之 间都有某种依赖关系即“相互依存”。interdependencyParataxis (Tea or coffee?/ He is a teacher and I am a student.)Hypotaxis (a stone bridge/ John ran away because he was scared.)logical-semantic relationlogical-semantic relationexpansionprojectionelaboration (John ran away, which means he didnt wait.)extension (John ran away and Fred stayed behind.)enhancement (John was scared so he ran away.)John said: “Im running away. “John said that he was running away.John thought: “ Ill run away.“John thought he would run away.Systemic Functional LinguisticSystemic Functional LinguisticSystemic GrammarFunctional Grammarpersonnumbertensethe ideational functionthe interpersonal functionthe textual functionexperiential functionlogical functiontransitivityvoiceinterdependencylogical-semantic relationprocessparticipantscircumstancesmaterial process mental process relational process behavioral process verbal process existential processmiddlenon-middleactivepassiveparataxishypotaxisexpansionprojectionelaborationextensionenhancementthemein