INTRODUCTION TO FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR

TEXT GRAMMAR

What is Grammar ?
Grammar is the way spoken and written language is organised. It is concerned with the ordering of word groups, clauses and sentences and

Morphemes are the roots and affixes of words. There are two kinds of morphemes. Free morphemes are words or parts of words that can stand on their own.
For example, railway consists of two free morphemes rail and way

Bound morphemes include prefixes and suffixes (rebuild, kindness) inflection (beaches) possession (dads beer)

tense markers (joking, played)

Bound morphemes cannot stand on their own. They must combine with free morphemes. For example, the word unhealthy consists of the prefix un and the word healthy

TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR VS FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR

Traditional grammar tends to focus on the individual role of words.
Noun Verb (simple past) wanted Verb (infinitive) to play Possessive determiner her Adjective Noun Preposition Determiner Noun

Annie

new

clarinet

in

the

band

The Ideational Meta-language (Field) of functional grammar groups words to form basic units of meaning.
Participant
Annie

Process
wanted to play

Participant
her new clarinet

Circumstance
in the band.

Which scheme do you think is easier to understand or to envisage?

What if you are required by curriculum to teach traditional grammar?

It's actually quite easy to combine methods and introduce traditional grammar at a later stage. The functional grammar blocks are thus broken down into individual grammatical terms helping to preserve the overall meaning
PARTICIPANT PROCESS (NOMINAL (VERBAL GROUP) GROUP) Noun Verb (simple past) wanted Verb (inf.) to play PARTICIPANT (NOMINAL GROUP) Possessive Adjective determiner her new Noun CIRCUMSTANCE (ADJECTIVAL GROUP) Preposition Determiner Noun

Annie

clarinet

in

the

band

What is Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL)?

Systemic Functional Linguistics is an approach to language developed mainly by Michael Halliday in the UK and later in Australia.
While American-style linguistics evolved in the modelling of the worlds languages, SFL was developed to address the needs of language teaching/learning. Central: language use must be seen as taking place in social contexts. Language is not good or bad, it is appropriate or inappropriate to the context of use. Language function (what it is used for) is often more important than language structure (how it is composed).

SFL: focus on what things do

A structural approach is concerned with how things are composed (their internal structure)

A functional approach is more concerned with what the unit does.

Function of syntactic units:
John liked the way she smiled Subject Predicate Complement

Senser
Theme

Process

Phenomenon
Rheme

Functions of speech acts as a whole: (speech function): give/demand, action/information Functions of texts as a whole (genre): description, recount, narrative, explanation, exposition, etc.

What is Functional Grammar ?

Functional grammar describes the relationships between grammatical structures and meaning.

It focuses on language resources for analysing texts (what is going on) subject matter (field)
analysing interaction (who is communicating with whom) roles & relationships (tenor) analysing the ways messages are constructed mode and medium (mode)

Functional grammar emphasises the ways in which language functions to assist meaning, but also relies upon knowledge, understanding and the use of terms of traditional grammar.
Rod Campbell and Graham Ryles Grammar in its Place- 1996

Levels of Grammar
In traditional grammar, there are levels of language construction such as letters, words, sentences and paragraphs.

Functional grammar looks at such levels in a functional way. These levels are known as ranks.
At different ranks, we are concerned with different patterns and functions.

Functional Grammar has three ranks

Clause Group Word

My mothers friend hid thirty dollars under his bed.

At the clause rank hid is a process at the word rank, hid is a verb such an analysis underlines the differences between traditional and functional grammar

Join the Ranks !

The Clause
The basic unit of meaning is the clause which provides information about :
What is happening Who is taking part Surrounding circumstances (eg; where, when and how)

Joe windsurfs at Yeppoon.

Who ?

Where ?
(circumstance)

(Participant)

What ?
(Process)

The Language Ladder

Whole Text

Functional Grammar

Sentences

Clauses

Phrases

Words

Traditional Grammar

Units of Meaning
Sentence add the eggs to the mix and beat in well. Clause add the eggs to the mix - and beat in well. Group add - the eggs - to the mix - and beat in well. word add - the - eggs - to - the - mix - and - beat - in - well. morpheme add the eggs to the mix and beat in well.

Context/Text Model
Cultural Context
WHAT is being spoken or written about ?

Social Context
Text
Subject Matter Roles and Relationships Mode and Medium

WHO is involved in the interaction ?

HOW is the message being conveyed ? PURPOSE What is the purposeful cultural activity ?

Genre

Generic Structure (How is the text organised ?) Cohesive Ties (How are the ideas related ?) Vocabulary (Which words are used and why ?) Grammar (How are the words organised ? Intonation, Paragraphing & Punctuation (How are the important ideas indicated ?) Spelling (What are the sounds or letter patterns ?) Non Linguistic Features (What else conveys meaning ?)

Cultural Context

Telephone Conversation Purpose - to inform someone

Cultural Context
Telephone Conversation Purpose - to inform someone Subject Matter (What ?) Last weeks State of Origin Roles and Relationships (Who ?) Information Giver/Seeker Mate to Mate, close Mode and Medium (How ?) Telephone Conversation Spoken (Auditory)

Social Context

Cultural Context
Telephone Conversation Purpose - to inform someone
Subject Matter (What ?) Last weeks State of Origin Roles and Relationships (Who ?) Information Giver/Seeker Mate to Mate, close Mode and Medium (How ?) Telephone Conversation Spoken (Auditory)
Generic Structure Spelling and Vocabulary Grammar and Cohesion Intonation, Paragraphing & Punctuation Non Linguistic Features

Social Context

Textual Features

Cultural Context
Telephone Conversation Purpose - to inform someone
Subject Matter (What ?) Last weeks State of Origin Roles and Relationships (Who ?) Information Giver/Seeker Mate to Mate, close Mode and Medium (How ?) Telephone Conversation Spoken (Auditory) Generic Structure Spelling and Vocabulary Grammar and Cohesion Intonation, Paragraphing & Punctuation Non Linguistic Features

Grammar

Social Context

Textual Features