A Theory of Syntax for Systemic Functional Linguistics
Author
This book describes and evaluates alternative approaches within Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) to representing the structure of language at the level of form. It assumes no prior knowledge of SFL, and can therefore be read as an introduction to current issues within the theory. It will interest any linguist who takes a functional approach to understanding language.
Part 1 summarizes the major developments in the forty years of SFL’s history, including alternative approaches within Halliday’s own writings and the emergence of the “Cardiff Grammar” as an alternative to the “Sydney Grammar”. It questions the theoretical status of the ‘multiple structure’ representations in Halliday’s influential Introduction to Functional Grammar (1994), demonstrating that Halliday’s model additionally needs an integrating syntax such as that described in Part 2.
Part 2 specifies and discusses the set of ‘categories’ and ‘relationships’ that are needed in a theory of syntax for a modern, computer-implementable systemic functional grammar. The theoretical concepts are exemplified at every point, usually from English but occasionally from other languages.
The book is both a critique of Halliday’s current theory of syntax and the presentation of an alternative version of SFL that is equally systemic and equally functional.
Part 1 summarizes the major developments in the forty years of SFL’s history, including alternative approaches within Halliday’s own writings and the emergence of the “Cardiff Grammar” as an alternative to the “Sydney Grammar”. It questions the theoretical status of the ‘multiple structure’ representations in Halliday’s influential Introduction to Functional Grammar (1994), demonstrating that Halliday’s model additionally needs an integrating syntax such as that described in Part 2.
Part 2 specifies and discusses the set of ‘categories’ and ‘relationships’ that are needed in a theory of syntax for a modern, computer-implementable systemic functional grammar. The theoretical concepts are exemplified at every point, usually from English but occasionally from other languages.
The book is both a critique of Halliday’s current theory of syntax and the presentation of an alternative version of SFL that is equally systemic and equally functional.
[Current Issues in Linguistic Theory, 206] 2000. xxviii, 360 pp.
Publishing status: Available
© John Benjamins Publishing Company
Table of Contents
-
Acknowledgements | p. v
-
An invitation | p. vii
-
List of figures | p. xiv
-
Preface | p. xv
-
Preface to the 2010 paperback edition | pp. xxv–xxviii
-
1 Introduction
-
PART 1: PROLEGOMENON TO THE THEORY
-
2 SFLs original theory of syntax: Scale and Category Grammar | p. 15
-
3 The place of syntax in a modern Systemic Functional Grammar | p. 33
-
4 Hallidays later changes to the Scale and Category model | p. 45
-
5 Syntax in a generative systemic functional grammar | p. 77
-
6 The major concepts of An Introduction to Functional Grammar | p. 95
-
7 The problem of the representations in IFG (and an alternative approach) | p. 107
-
8 Some proposals for systemic syntax | p. 159
-
PART 2: THE NEW THEORY
-
9 A theory of syntax potential | p. 171
-
10 A new theory of instances of syntax: (1) the categories of syntax | p. 187
-
11 A new theory of instances of syntax: (2) the relationships between categories | p. 233
-
12 Summary, conclusions and prospects | p. 273
-
Appendix A: A fragment of a generative systemic functional grammar | p. 297
-
Appendix B: A summary of English syntax for the text analyst | p. 303
-
Appendix C: The rank scale debate | p. 309
-
-
Index | p. 353
“Publications from the 'Cardiff' grammar, [...] for which Fawcett is largely responsible, are fascinating and rewarding: a fruitful fusion of theorizing and pragmatism [and] a pointer to important developments in the linguistics of the next millennium.”
Michael Gregory, formerly of York University, Toronto
“Like most linguistic theories, Systemic Functional Linguistics comes in various flavours. Undoubtedly the two most influential varieties [...] are what we may call the Sydney and Cardiff approaches, the first [...] being associated with Halliday and his colleagues in Australia, and the second with the team headed by Robin Fawcett at Cardiff University. Fawcett's new book is especially welcome because [it] offers a [...] convincing critique of many fundamental concepts in Halliday's work and presents a set of proposals which avoid the problems which have been identified. His book, written in the spirit of constructive criticism, offers a considerable challenge to the Sydney grammarians: it remains to be seen whether this challenge will be taken up.”
Christopher S. Butler, 2002, University of Wales, Swansea.
“If SFG is to occupy the place which some linguists would say it deserves, its postulates should be subjected to fair public scrutiny. This is just what [this] book does.”
Christopher S. Butler, 2000, University of Wales, Swansea.
“[E]xactly what Systemic Functional Linguistics has been needing for a very long time — a reasoned account of its development and of the differences between its two major variants.”
Margaret Berry, 2000, formerly of the University of Nottingham
Cited by
Cited by 57 other publications
Aerts, Simon
2018. Tense, Aspect and Aktionsart in Classical Latin: Towards a New Approach. Symbolae Osloenses 92:1 ► pp. 107 ff. 
Andersen, Thomas Hestbæk & Alexandra Emilie Møller Holsting
2018. Clause complexing in systemic functional lingustics – towards an alternative description. Functional Linguistics 5:1
Arwansyah, Yanuar Bagas, Tomi Wahyu Septarianto & Goutam Majhi
2023. Bahasa Walikan Jogja: Analisis fungsi dan eksistensi . Caraka: Jurnal Ilmu Kebahasaan, Kesastraan, dan Pembelajarannya 9:2 ► pp. 123 ff.
Arús-Hita, Jorge
2022. Theme as point of departure in English and Spanish casual conversation. Language, Context and Text. The Social Semiotics Forum 4:2 ► pp. 197 ff.
Arús-Hita, Jorge
Bache, Carl
2010. Review of Fawcett (2008): Invitation to Systemic Functional Linguistics through the Cardiff Grammar. An extension and simplification of Halliday’s Systemic Functional Grammar. Functions of Language 17:2 ► pp. 243 ff.
Butler, Christopher S.
2019. Does functional linguistics have a ‘fundamental unity’?. Functions of Language 26:1 ► pp. 64 ff.
Butler, Christopher S.
2019. SFL in Context. In The Cambridge Handbook of Systemic Functional Linguistics, ► pp. 259 ff.
Butler, Christopher S.
2024. Approaches to Cross-Linguistic Studies in Functional and Cognitive/Constructional Theories of Language. In Constructional and Cognitive Explorations of Contrastive Linguistics, ► pp. 11 ff.
Catalano, Theresa & Linda R. Waugh
2020. Precursors to CDA and Important Foundational Concepts. In Critical Discourse Analysis, Critical Discourse Studies and Beyond [Perspectives in Pragmatics, Philosophy & Psychology, 26], ► pp. 13 ff.
Clarke, Ben
2016. Textual dynamism as a heuristic for a delicate semantic description of ellipsis patterns. English Text Construction 9:1 ► pp. 99 ff.
Dalamu, Taofeek O. & Ke Yang
2022. Advertising linguistic framework: An instrument for teaching grammar in EFL university classrooms. Crossroads. A Journal of English Studies :38(3) ► pp. 66 ff.
Davies, Eirian C
2014. A retrospective view of Systemic Functional Linguistics, with notes from a parallel perspective. Functional Linguistics 1:1
Egan, Thomas
2015. Complementation. In The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics, ► pp. 1 ff.
Fawcett, Robin P.
2000. In place of Halliday's ‘verbal group’. <i>WORD</i> 51:3 ► pp. 327 ff.
Fawcett, Robin P.
2014. The cultural classification of ‘things’. In Theory and Practice in Functional-Cognitive Space [Studies in Functional and Structural Linguistics, 68], ► pp. 53 ff.
Fontaine, Lise
2017. On prepositions and particles: a case for lexical representation in systemic functional linguistics. <i>WORD</i> 63:2 ► pp. 115 ff.
Fontaine, Lise
2017. Lexis as most local context: towards an SFL approach to lexicology. Functional Linguistics 4:1
Gagnon, Sylvie
2008. La construction discursive du concept de la souveraineté dans les médias canadiens lors du référendum de 1995*. Revue québécoise de linguistique 32:2 ► pp. 97 ff.
Geng, Fang
2022. A contrastive study of the Chinese and Japanese mood type systems. Journal of World Languages 8:1 ► pp. 83 ff.
Ghazvineh, Arash
2024. An inter-semiotic analysis of ideational meaning in text-prompted AI-generated images. Language and Semiotic Studies 10:1 ► pp. 17 ff.
Guerrero Medina, Pilar
2010. Review of Butler, Downing & Lavid (2007): Functional Perspectives on Grammar and Discourse. In honour of Angela Downing. Functions of Language 17:1 ► pp. 101 ff.
Gómez González, María de los Ángeles, Francisco José Ruiz de Mendoza Ibáñez, Francisco Gonzálvez-García & Angela Downing
2014. Introduction. Plotting functional-cognitive space. In Theory and Practice in Functional-Cognitive Space [Studies in Functional and Structural Linguistics, 68], ► pp. 1 ff.
Hasan, Ruqaiya
2014. Towards a paradigmatic description of context: systems, metafunctions, and semantics. Functional Linguistics 1:1
He, Qingshun & Bingjun Yang
2015. Approaching Absolute Clauses from the SFL Perspective. In Absolute Clauses in English from the Systemic Functional Perspective [The M.A.K. Halliday Library Functional Linguistics Series, ], ► pp. 31 ff.
He, Qingshun & Bingjun Yang
2015. Introduction. In Absolute Clauses in English from the Systemic Functional Perspective [The M.A.K. Halliday Library Functional Linguistics Series, ], ► pp. 1 ff.
He, Wei
2017. Subject in Chinese Existential Constructions: A Systemic Functional Approach*. Australian Journal of Linguistics 37:1 ► pp. 37 ff.
He, Wei
2022. Categorization of Experience of the World and Construction of Transitivity System of Chinese. <i>WORD</i> 68:3 ► pp. 317 ff.
He, Wei
2023. Ba in the Chinese Ba-Construction: A Cardiff Grammar Approach. WORD 69:3 ► pp. 211 ff.
Herriman, Jennifer
2012. Systemic Functional Linguistics. In The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics,
Huang, Guowen & Ruihua Zhao
2022. A systemic functional analysis of the “ngp1 + vgp + ngp2 + ngp3” construction in English. Journal of World Languages 7:2 ► pp. 223 ff.
Iimura, Ryuichi
2021. The system of modulation in Japanese. In Japanese Mood and Modality in Systemic Functional Linguistics,
KARA, Ayşe Simin
2021. “Gerçeğin” Peşinde: Dil, Kültür, Medya ve İnsan Üzerinden Gerçekliğin Sosyal İnşasına Dair Eleştirel Bir Değerlendirme.. İletişim Kuram ve Araştırma Dergisi 2021:53 ► pp. 157 ff.
Leong, Alvin Ping
2023. Discipline-Specific Writing and Embedded Clauses: The Case of Cell Biology and Classics. WORD 69:4 ► pp. 362 ff.
Leong, Alvin Ping
2023. Clause complexing in research-article abstracts: Comparing human- and AI-generated texts. ExELL 11:2 ► pp. 99 ff.
Li, Lu & Yinxia Wei
2021.
Approaches to systemic functional grammar: convergence and divergence
Approaches to systemic functional grammar: convergence and divergence
, edited by Gordon Tucker, Guowen Huang, Lise Fontaine & Edward McDonald, UK, Equinox Publishing, 2020, 356 pp., £80(hardback), ISBN 9781781796863
. Social Semiotics ► pp. 1 ff.
Li, Manliang
2015. A Systemic Functional Study of the Quantifying Selection in the English Nominal Group. Journal of Language Teaching and Research 6:2 ► pp. 443 ff.
Li, Manliang
2015. A Systemic Functional Study of the Head Identification of the English Nominal Group. Theory and Practice in Language Studies 5:1 ► pp. 79 ff.
Montarcé, Juliana
2014. Acerca de la transitividad de los procesos de comunicación en el discurso económico de divulgación argentino. Onomázein Revista de lingüística filología y traducción :1 ► pp. 21 ff.
Morley, G. David
2004. On group and phrase in functional grammar. <i>WORD</i> 55:2 ► pp. 217 ff.
Muntigl, Peter
2002. M.A.K. Halliday and Christian M.I.M. Matthiessen. Construing Experience through Meaning: A Language-Based Approach to Cognition. In the Open Linguistics Series. London: Continuum. 1999. Pp. xiii + 657. £65.00 (softcover).. Canadian Journal of Linguistics/Revue canadienne de linguistique 47:1-2 ► pp. 88 ff.
Porter, Stanley E. & Christopher D. Land
2022. The Ancient Greek Nominal Group, with Attention to the Greek New Testament. <i>WORD</i> 68:1 ► pp. 1 ff.
Salama, Amir H.Y.
2023. Unpacking the Semantics of Coronaviruses’ “Referent Things”: A Corpus-Driven Systemic Functional Linguistic Analysis. <i>WORD</i> 69:1 ► pp. 49 ff.
Schulz, Anke & Lise Fontaine
2019. The Cardiff Model of Functional Syntax. In The Cambridge Handbook of Systemic Functional Linguistics, ► pp. 230 ff.
Taverniers, Miriam
Tucker, Gordon H.
2011. Review of Bache (2008): English tense and aspect in Halliday’s Systemic Functional Grammar: A critical appraisal and an alternative. Functions of Language 18:2 ► pp. 237 ff.
Tucker, Gordon H.
2014. Giving it my best shot. In Theory and Practice in Functional-Cognitive Space [Studies in Functional and Structural Linguistics, 68], ► pp. 33 ff.
Wang, Wenfeng
2022. Gordon Tucker, Guowen Huang, Lise Fontaine & Edward McDonald: Approaches to Systemic Functional Grammar: Convergence and divergence. Folia Linguistica 56:1 ► pp. 215 ff.
Wang, Wenfeng & Jingyuan Zhang
2018. The Routledge Handbook of Systemic Functional Linguistics. Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 36:1 ► pp. 73 ff.
Wang, Yong & Yingfang Zhou
2018. Systemic-functional linguistics in China (2010–2016). <i>WORD</i> 64:1 ► pp. 9 ff.
Wegener, Rebekah & Lise Fontaine
2023. A Functional Approach to Context. In The Cambridge Handbook of Language in Context, ► pp. 116 ff.
Woods, Justin R.
2015. Cohesive Chains in the Transfiguration Narrative of Matthew 17:1-13. Open Journal of Modern Linguistics 05:03 ► pp. 302 ff.
Xiang, Dajun & Chengyu Liu
2018. The Semantics of MOOD and the Syntax of the Let’s-construction in English: A Corpus-based Cardiff Grammar Approach. Australian Journal of Linguistics 38:4 ► pp. 549 ff.
Yan, Yufei & Wei He
2022. The Chinese character you (有): A functional approach. Lingua 278 ► pp. 103398 ff.
[no author supplied]
[no author supplied]
[no author supplied]
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 16 april 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.
Subjects
Main BIC Subject
CF: Linguistics
Main BISAC Subject
LAN009000: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / General