business training english language london excellence international house london international...

business trainingEnglish languageLondon

excellenceInternational House London

international

Systemic Functional Grammar –Can SFG resolve those myths pedagogic grammar perpetuates?

Chia Suan Chong

[email protected]



international

Label the parts in this sentence:

I can’t possibly cover all of Systemic Functional Grammar in half an hour!



international

Did you say:I can‘t possibly cover all of SFG in half an

hour.

subject auxiliary modal

adverb verb object adverbial phrase



international

But if you used the part of speech ‘verb’, why not:

Parts of speech/ Class label: nouns, verbs, adverbs, determiners etc...do not show the part it plays in a structure.Only functions in pedagogic structures: subjects & objects.

I can‘t possibly

cover all of SFG in half an hour.

pronoun aux modal

adverb verb noun phrase adv phrase



international

What is SFG?• Grammar: the organisation of language;• Chomsky: grammar hard-wired into brain;

vsHalliday: Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny; language acquisition is an interplay between nature & nurture;

• Learning a language is learning how to mean (Halliday, 1975); a child learns structures that reflect the functions required to serve his/her life.



international

What, then, are the functions of language?

Halliday’s 3 metafunctions

• Interpersonal metafunction

• Textual metafunction

• Experiential metafunction



international

1. Interpersonal Metafunction: The Clause as Exchange

DeclarativesCoursebook grammar

can confuse students.

subject finite predicator complement

Mood Residue

Students could have been confused.

subject ‘past’ finite predicator complement

Mood Residue

Coursebooks do not use functional labels.

subject ‘negative’ finite

predicator complement

Mood Residue



international

Interrogatives

Question tags/Mood tags

Imperatives

Can we find a solution?

finite subject predicator complement

Mood Residue

SFG can inform our teaching can’t it?

subject finite predicate

complement finite subject

Mood Residue Mood Tag

Think about it!

No finite No subject predicator complement

Mood Residue



international

• The subject carries the responsibility for the validity of the clause.

• The finite carries the validity of the proposition.

• Together, the subject and the finite (the mood) represent the point of view of the speaker while the residue carries the actual content.

• Manipulating the mood enables us to indicate polarity (negative or positive), indicate time, indicate modality,make interrogatives and imperatives,make question tags



international

In fact, the finite is the core bandied about in exchanges.

Boss: You didn’t teach the students any real grammar!Chia: Yes, I did!Boss: No, you didn’t!Chia: Did!Boss: Didn’t!



international

Understanding the mood element,...

...explains the appearance of the dummy auxiliary ‘do/did’.

The audience looked (did look) at me strangely.

subject ‘past’ finite ‘look’ predicator complement

Mood Residue

Did the audience look at you strangely?

finite subject predicator complement

Mood Residue



international

It also explains the different meanings of...

...as in ‘you are not allowed to leave’;

...as in ‘you are allowed not to leave’.

You may not leave this room.

subject ‘negative’ finite predicator complement

Mood Residue

You may not leave this room.


Mood Residue



international

...which perhaps clarifies the difference between...

and...

You must not leave this room.


Mood Residue

You don ‘t have to leave this room.

subject ‘negative’ finite predicator complement

Mood Residue



international

Name these tenses and aspects:I am speaking at the IATEFL conference.I am going to be telling them about SFG.When I decided to submit the proposal, I had

already talked about this subject many times ...at the pub.

I will try not to get carried away with the theory.

I am going to have irritated a few people by the end of this talk because I will have shaken quite a few beliefs about language.



international

Using SFG,• We model ourselves into the past, present

or future according to the finite.• The predicate gives the point of event as

seen from that modelled self indicated by the finite.

Thus,I am speaking – present-in-presentI am going to be telling – present-in-futureI had already talked – past-in-pastI am going to have irritated – past-in-futureI will have shaken – past-in-future



international

Complete the following with –ing or to-inf.Deny + ______ Agree + ______Enjoy + ______ Hope + ______Imagine + ______ Want + ______and... Remember + ? ; Hate + ? ; Regret

+ ?

Can you find a ‘rule’ that’s useful for students?

Perfective (to-inf): unreal – future, appearance, goal, intentions, proposal;

Imperfective (-ing): real – present, reality, happening, action, proposition.



international

Why do we use the passive?

Raymond Murphy probably owns an island in the Caribbean.

The island in the Caribbean is probably owned by Raymond

Murphy.



international

2. Textual Metafunction: The Clause as Message

Raymond Murphy probably owns an island in the Caribbean.

Theme Rheme

Given-------------------------------------------------------------------------------New

The island in the Caribbean

is probably owned by Raymond Murphy

Theme Rheme

Given-------------------------------------------------------------------------------New



international

What, therefore, is the difference between...

I cancelled the meeting.

I called the meeting off.

And why can’t we say, ‘I called off it’?



international

Compare:

I cancelled the meeting

Theme Rheme

Given-----------------------------------------------------New

I cancelled the meeting

Theme Rheme

Given-----------------------------------------------------New

I called the meeting off.

Theme Rheme

Given-----------------------------------------------------New



international

‘Today, happen something really strange.’ X

Reformulation: ‘Today, something really strange happened.’

How can we leave ‘something really strange’ in the new position?

What happened today was something really strange.

The thing that happened today was really strange.

Something happened today. It was really strange.



international

3. Experiential Metafunction: The Clause as Representation

• Who does what to whom?• The clause represents the content of our

experiences• Grammatical system of transitivity• Different functional labels for

Participants (realised by nominal groups)Processes (realised by verbal groups)Circumstances (realised by prepositional

phrases or adverbials)



international

Material processes (doing & happening)e.g. build, chase, write, etc.

I gave the

audiencea bribe during my

talk.

Actor Process:material

Beneficiary Goal Circumstance

I gave a bribe to the audience

during my talk.

Actor Process:material

Goal Beneficiary Circumstance

The audience

was given a bribe during my talk.

Beneficiary Process:material Goal Circumstance

A bribe was given to the audience

during my talk.

Goal Process:material Beneficiary Circumstance



international

Mental processes (sensing) Emotion e.g. like, hate, etc. Cognition e.g. imagine, know, etc. Perception e.g. hear, feel, etc. Desideration e.g. want, desire, etc.

I love this audience!

Sensor Process: Mental: Emotion Phenomenon



international

Existential processes (introducing)

Relational processes (being & having)

Verbal Processes with projections

The lady in the back row

is gorgeous.

Carrier Process: Relational

Attribute

There is money in my bag for everyone.

Process: Existential

Existent Circumstantial Adjunct

She said, “Your talk is most intriguing!”

Sayer Process: Verbal

Quoting Quoted



international

Different process types have different basic unmarked forms. e.g. Unmarked present tense for

material processes is the present-in-presentrelational and mental process is present

simple.

Therefore,

‘I hate theoretical grammars but I’m loving this one.’



international

Thank you for listening!

[email protected]: chiasuan

business training english language london excellence international house london international...

Documents

functions of language

phylogeny language acquisition

question tags slide

grammar hardwired

real grammar

mood element

myths pedagogic grammar

youmustnot leavethis