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Language, Context and Text
Vol. 6:2 (2024) ► pp.263–303

The function of Theme in Spanish

Towards a systemic description

ORCID logo | Universidad Nacional Guillermo Brown, Argentina | Universidad de Flores, Argentina
The main objective of this paper is to outline the system of theme in Spanish starting from its realisation in texts (Martin 2013). In order to do this, Halliday’s definition of Theme is revised and the distinction he proposes between the definition of a function and its means of realisation is followed (Halliday 1985; 1994). Then, a brief corpus of text instantiating different genres is analysed, considering different options of mood in the clause. The perspective assumed is language typology in systemic functional linguistics (Martin 1983; Caffarel, Martin and Matthiessen 2004a; Quiroz 2013; Martin et al. 2023), which highlights the peculiar characteristics of the language at stake based on patterns found in actual discourse and observes the phenomenon under study from above, from around and from below (Matthiessen and Halliday 2009).
Keywords: theme, spanish, systemic functional linguistics, language typology
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1The textual metafunction
    • 1.2Meaning of Theme and New
    • 1.3Means of realisation of Theme and New
    • 1.4The extension of Theme
    • 1.5The discourse semantic system of periodicity
  • 2.Theme in Spanish
    • 2.1Methodology
    • 2.2The realisation of Theme in Spanish
      • 2.2.1Starting with declarative clauses
      • 2.2.2Interrogative clauses
      • 2.2.3Imperative clauses
  • 3.A system network for Spanish experiential Theme
  • 4.Final remarks
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Author queries
  • References
  • Primary data
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