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Halliday'S Functional Grammar

Halliday's functional grammar analyzes clauses based on three concepts: as a message, exchange, and representation of a process. As a message, a clause has two parts - the theme as the point of departure and the rheme as the remainder of the message. In English, the theme typically comes at the start of the clause. The selection of the theme impacts the meaning conveyed. A clause also functions as an interactive exchange through its mood structure and as a representation of experience through its ideational meaning.

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50 views15 pages

Halliday'S Functional Grammar

Halliday's functional grammar analyzes clauses based on three concepts: as a message, exchange, and representation of a process. As a message, a clause has two parts - the theme as the point of departure and the rheme as the remainder of the message. In English, the theme typically comes at the start of the clause. The selection of the theme impacts the meaning conveyed. A clause also functions as an interactive exchange through its mood structure and as a representation of experience through its ideational meaning.

Uploaded by

fatima khalid
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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HALLIDAY’S FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR

Three Functional Concepts of clause:


1. Clause as a MESSAGE
2. Clause as an EXCHANGE
3. Clause as a REPRESENTATION ( of a
process)
CLAUSE AS A MESSAGE
Clause as a message has two distinct parts as :
1. Theme
2. Rheme
In English language THEMES comes at start of
clause
Theme is point of departure of clause
THEME/ RHEME
Theme Rheme
Once Akram was a fast
bowler.
Very carefully nurse put the patient
back oh hid feet.
On Saturday night John goes to bed early.
All that glitters is not gold.
It is raining outside.
THEME/RHEME
 Theme may be:
 Nominal Group
Adverbial Group
Prepositional Phrase
 Rheme is always Verbal Group
MEANING OF CLAUSE
Part of meaning of any clause lies in selection of its theme
element. There is a difference in meaning of following two
clauses:
 A half penny is the smallest English coin.
 I will tell you about half penny. A half penny is the smallest
English coin.
 The smallest English coin is half penny.
 I will tell you about the smallest English coin. The
smallest English coin is half penny.
THEMATIC EQUATIVE
Theme Rheme
The one who gifted my friend a Toyota car was his mother.
How my friend came to know about reality was listening to Join
This watch was the only gift that Goerge
received on his birthday

 The process whereby a group of words


assumes a structural feature is called
NOMINALIZATION
THEME AND MOOD IN DECLARATIVE CLAUSES

Function Class Theme Example


Unmarked Theme Subject Nominal Group I had a little cat
(Pronoun)

Subject Nominal Group London bridge is an old structure .


(Common/Prope
r) Noun

Subject Nominalization What I want is a hot cup of tea.

Marked Theme Adjunct Adverbial group On Saturday night I missed my


train.

Complement Nominal Group What Join could not eat that night
( Nominalization Marry put it in refrigerator.
)
THEME IN INTERROGATIVE CLAUSES
The natural theme of a question is:
“What I want to know”
Two main types of question:
1. Speaker wants to know POLARITY ( yes/no)
In a yes/no( Polarity) question , thematic
element is that embodies expression of polarity
namely FINITE VERB. So, in yes/know
interrogative finite verb is put is put before
subject. Meaning is “ I want you to tell me
whether or not.”
THEME IN INTERROGATIVE CLAUSES
2. Speaker wants to know IDENTITY of
something such as “who”, “When”,
“where”, “what” , “how” etc. So ‘wh’
element is put first irrespective of its
function (Subject, Adjunct,
complement) in mood structure of
clause.
EXAMPLE THEMES
1. ‘Wh’ Interrogative clause

Theme Rheme
Who killed Caesar ?
How many days to Christmas ?
With what shall I repair it?
EXAMPLE THEMES
2. Yes/ No ( Polarity) Interrogative Clause
Theme 1 Theme 2 Rheme
Can you offer me a cup of
tea ?
Is anybody at home ?
Should Old friends Be forgot ?
MARKED THEMES IN INTERROGATIVE
CLAUSES
Theme Rheme
After tea will you tell me the
story ?
In your house who does the
cooking?
INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF THEME
CLAUSE IS A PRODUCT OF THREE
SIMULTANEOUS SEMANTIC PROCESSES . Clause
is at the same time:
1. A Representation of experience ( IDEATIONAL)
2. An interactive exchange ( INTERPERSONAL)
3. A message (TEXTUAL)
 Three Meta-Functions of language
IDEATIONAL FUNCTION(MEANING)
Ideational meaning is a representation of
experience: our experience of the world that lies
about us, and also inside us, the world of our
imagination. It is meaning in the sense of
content. The ideational function of clause is that
of representing what in the broadest sense we
can call processes: actions, events, processes of
consciousness, and relations.
INTERPERSONAL FUNCTION OF CLAUSE

Interpersonal meaning is a meaning as form of


action: the speaker or writer doing something to
the listener or reader by means of language. The
interpersonal function of the clause is that of
exchanging roles in rhetorical interaction:
statements, questions, offers, and commands,
together with accompanying modalities.
…..Textual meaning is relevance

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