Preface xxv
Acknowledgements xxvi
List of symbols xxvii
1 A meaningful approach 1
1.1 How to use this book 1
1.2 Grammar and meaning 2
1.3 Meaning potential 3
1.4 System networks 5
1.5 Language in use 6
1.6 The study of texts 7
1.7 The notion of rank 9
1.8 Functions and metafunctions 12
Summary 15
Further study 15
Exercises 16
2 Labels 19
2.1 Music, mathematics, medicine and motor-vehicle maintenance 19
2.2 A political parable 19
2.3 Word classes 21
2.4 Subjects 30
2.5 Groups 32
2.6 Three ways of looking at a clause 35
Summary 37
Further study 37
Exercises 38
3 Clause structure 41
3.1 Subject revisited 41
3.2 Finites and Predicators 46
3.3 Complements 51
3.4 Adjuncts 53
3.5 Sample analysis 60
Summary 61
Further study 61
Exercises 62
4 Information structure and thematic structure 65
4.1 Organizing ideas 65
4.2 Information structure: Given and New information 66
4.3 Thematic structure: Theme and Rheme 72
4.4 The interaction of information structure and thematic structure 80
Summary 82
Further study 82
Exercises 83
5 Grammar and text 86
5.1 Text and texture 86
5.2 The textual component of the grammar 87
5.3 Thematic progression 90
5.4 Cohesive ties 95
Summary 103
Further study 103
Exercises 105
6 Process and participant 108
6.1 Transitivity: the clause as representation 108
6.2 Processes 110
6.3 Material process 112
6.4 Mental process 118
6.5 Relational process 122
6.6 Verbal process 125
6.7 Other processes 128
6.8 Grammatical metaphor 129
6.9 Circumstance 134
Summary 135
Further study 136
Exercises 137
7 Group structure 140
7.1 Groups revisited 140
7.2 Nominal Groups 140
7.3 Verbal groups 150
7.4 Other group complexes and phrase complexes 156
Summary 157
Further study 158
Exercises 159
8 Embedded clauses 162
8.1 Embedded clause as Postmodifier/Qualifier 162
8.2 Multiple embedding of clauses 170
8.3 Embedded clause as Subject or Complement 172
8.4 Postposed clauses 174
8.5 Other embedded clauses 176
Summary 177
Further study 178
Exercises 178
9 Clause complexes: expansion 181
9.1 Ways of combining clauses 181
9.2 Paratactic clause relations 181
9.3 Hypotactic clause relations 184
9.4 More complicated complexes 195
Summary 197
Further study 198
Exercises 198
10 Clause complexes: projection 202
10.1 Projection 202
10.2 Paratactic projection 202
10.3 Hypotactic projection 204
10.4 Non-finite projection 207
10.5 Grammatical metaphor: embedding versus dependency 208
10.6 Even more complicated complexes 211
10.7 Ambiguous structures 216
Summary 216
Further study 217
Exercises 218
11 Applications of functional analysis 222
11.1 Explanations and theories 222
11.2 Writing in science and technology 223
11.3 Language development and language teaching 228
11.4 Language and literature: valued texts 233
11.5 Language and power 235
11.6 On applications and SFL theory 238
Summary 239
Further study 240
12 Historical perspectives 242
12.1 Origins 242
12.2 Before the twentieth century 242
12.3 De Saussure 244
12.4 Linguistics in America 246
12.5 Whorf 249
12.6 The Prague School 252
12.7 Malinowski and Firth 252
12.8 Corpus linguistics 254
12.9 Some functional alternatives 256
12.10 Systemic functional ‘grammars’ 258
Summary 259
Further study 260
Answer key 262
Glossary 285
References 296
Index of authors 310
Subject index 314