Systemic Functional Linguistics:
Analysis and interpretation of two related texts for interpersonal or textual meanings Due 13 April 2015 (35% of the course grade)
This individual assignment is intended to help you to apply Halliday’s systemic functional linguistics (textual metafunction or interpersonal metafunction; ONE metafunction only) to two related texts, identify patterns in linguistic choices across the texts, compare and contrast the texts, and relate these linguistic patterns to their social contexts.
1. You will select two related texts that are each about 200 words in length. Related texts refer to texts that are similar to each other in some ways but different from each other in ONE major aspect. Employing Halliday’s discussion of the contextual variables of field, tenor and mode, two texts can be about the same topic (e.g., ‘the ozone layer’), are both written, but are addressed to two different kinds of audience. This pair of texts will count as related texts; they share field and mode but differ in tenor. Another kind of related texts is that two texts share field and tenor but differ in mode, e.g. an event is described in a letter to a friend, or spoken about in a telephone conversation with the same friend. Yet another kind is the different reports produced by different news agencies around the world on similar event(s). You may decide to analyze the texts that you worked on for the 1st assignment.
2. After you have selected the texts, you should then try to break them up into ranking clauses.
You should mark embedded clauses with [[ ]].
3. Analyse each ranking clause for its textual meanings or interpersonal meanings. Analysis of the interpersonal meaning should include MOOD types, Mood structure and Modality (if any). You may also want to analyse the texts for Appraisal. Analysis of the textual meaning should include Theme-Rheme, Marked Theme and Unmarked Theme, and specific types of multiple Themes (if any). The clause-by-clause analysis of the texts should be included as an appendix.
4. Once you are done with the analysis, you should collate and make sense of the findings.
Comment on the significant patterns you notice, compare and contrast the texts, and relate these linguistic patterns to the contexts in which the texts were produced and received. Butt et
al (2012), Francis & Kramer-Dahl (2004, in Applying English grammar: Functional and corpus approaches, edited by C. Coffin, A. Hewings & K. O’Halloran, London: Arnold),
Thompson (2014), Goatly (1999), or Eggins (2004) can be consulted for some sample analyses.
The written submission should have the following sections:
1. Introduction. This outlines the focus and justification of your study.
2. Review. Here you briefly review the concepts that you will use, such as Theme, Rheme, Mood structure, etc.
3. Your texts. Briefly describe your texts: their types and why you selected them.
4. Analysis and interpretation. What patterns can you identify in the texts and how do the texts compare with each other? And how do the linguistic features relate to the contexts of situation and contexts of culture surrounding the texts? You may want to present the findings in tables.
5. Conclusion. Here you summarize your findings and suggest implications for teaching or research. You may also list the limitations of your study and suggest areas for further research.
6. References.