Systemic Functional Grammar Flashcards
Exam Definitions
Experiential (Ideational) Metafunction
Looks into how a clause presents the actions, events and states that occur within the world. Assesses who/what was involved and the circumstances by means of verb processes, active and passive voice.
Interpersonal Metafunction
How a clause represents a speakers attitudes towards what they are saying, who they are saying it too. Essentially looks into how the language we are using helps us gain position
Textual Metafunction
How clauses combine together to create larger meaning across a full text. This can be looking at something as small as a conversation to an entire novel
Nominal Group Components
Head Noun (h)
Determiner (d)
Modifiers (m)
Qualifiers (q)
My (d) | very quiet (m) | squishy (m) | dolly(h) | on the stairs (q) | who is a bit cold (q)
Adjectival Group Components
Head (h)
Modifier (m)
Qualifier (q)
Readily (m) available (h) at the shops (q)
Prepositional Group Components
Preposition (p)
Completive (c)
Intensifier (i)
Right (i) on (p) the stairs (i)
Verb Group Components
Verb (v)
Extension (e) - Participles which are part of the verb group
Auxiliary (a) - Functional words which tell us about aspects
could (a) have (a) broken (v) down (e)
Adverbial Group
Head (h)
Modifier (m)
surprisingly (m) effectively (h)
Clausal Structure
Subject (S) - Who or what did something
Predicator (P) - Tells us about the action event or state. This is done by verb groups
Complement (C) - Who or what was caused/affected by the action. This is done by Ngps or Ajgps
Adjunct (A) -Tell us about hwere, when, how and why. This is done by Pgp or Avgp
You (S) are (P) the dancing queen (C) at the disco (A)
Transitivity
How a clause expresses the goings-on of reality (Halliday, 2004, p. 101)
Material Action Processes
Intentional - Deliberate Action (He BIT me)
Supervention - Not Deliberate (I LOST my balance)
Event - Action carried about by unconscious or inanimate entities (The sun was SHINING)
Roles in Material Processes
Actor - This is the subject
Process - This is the predicate
Goal - This is the compliment
Adjunct is the circumstance (slightly rarer)
Verbalisation Processes
Using language which claims something
Mental Processes
Perception - What someone has perceived
Reaction - Relation to emotion ‘ I HATE bread’
Cognition - Related to one’s thoughts
Roles in Verbalisation Processes
Sayer - This is the subject
Verbalisation - This is the predicate
Verbiage - This is the compliment
Roles in Mental Processes
Experiencer - This is the subject
Process - This is the predicate
Phenomenon - This is the compliment
Relational Processes
Intensive - Creating a mutually exclusive relationship often through copular verbs - Feminism IS dead
Possessive - Ownership of something - Harry HAD a car
Circumstantial - Information not about something in particular, but the things around it - The man WAS in the mountains
Roles in Relational Processes
Carrier - This is the subject
Process - This is the
predicate
Attribute - This is the circumstance
Existential Processes
States the existence of something.
The process is typically a copular verb (is) and the participant is the existent
Sentence Moods
The relationship between the speaker/writer and the person in which they are addressing.
Declarative, Imperative, Exclamatory. Polar Interrogative, WH Interrogative ect.
Modality
The relationship between the speaker/writer and the content of their message
Epistemic Modality
How likely is the language to be true. Demonstrates the extent of truthfulness
Deontic Modality
To what degree is someone ‘supposed’ to do something.
