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In:Expanding Horizons in Systemic Functional Linguistics: Interdisciplinary applications, multimodality, and theoretical advances
Edited by Claudia E. Stoian and Christian M.I.M. Matthiessen
[Studies in Functional and Structural Linguistics 80] 2027
► pp. 236–257

Chapter 11
Space, time, and manner

A systemic functional interpretation of the circumstantial elements in the Parable of the Good Samaritan

 | University of Hyderabad
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
This paper applies Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), to examine the circumstantial elements of Space, Time, and Manner in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37, King James Version). Through a qualitative clause-level analysis, the study identifies and classifies the circumstances before synthesizing their patterned deployment: spatial elements, such as ‘from Jerusalem to Jericho’ and ‘to an inn’, establish polarity between sacred safety and perilous danger; temporal elements, such as ‘as he journeyed,’ ‘on the morrow’, etc., mark immediacy and sustained commitment, contrasting fleeting indifference with extended compassion; and manner elements, such as ‘pouring in oil and wine,’ ‘by chance’, etc., foreground deliberate, sacrificial care against mechanical avoidance. These patterns realize the parable’s socio-semiotic force. They experientially encode compassion as boundary-transgressing praxis, interpersonally challenge the lawyer’s self-justification, and textually advance a register of ethical imperative (‘go, and do thou likewise’). The findings demonstrate SFL’s capacity to reveal how grammar itself enacts the parable’s moral and ideological messages, offering insights into biblical narrative beyond thematic description and contributing to functionalist approaches in theological linguistics.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background of the study
  • 3.Circumstantial elements
    • 1.Extent
    • 2.Location
    • 3.Manner
    • 4.Cause
    • 5.Contingency
    • 6.Accompaniment
    • 7.Role
    • 8.Matter
    • 9.Angle
  • 4.Methodology
  • 5.Analysis and discussion
    • 5.1Spatial circumstances
    • 5.2Temporal circumstances
    • 5.3Manner circumstances
  • 6.Conclusion
  • References
References (20)
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