Functional Grammar

J. Andres Ramirez

Functional Grammar
People who study and use a language are mainly interested in how the can do things with language- how they can make meanings, get attention to their problems and interests, influence their friends and colleagues. . .They are only interested in the grammatical structure of the language as a means to getting things done. A grammar which puts together the patterns of the language and the things you can do with them is called a functional grammar.
From the Collins Cobuild English Grammar (1990).

Focus on Functional Grammar

Ideology
Who is involved?
Subject Matter

Genre field
Lexical relations
experiential Transitivity

Purpose

The Channel

Register

tenor
Conversational

mode
Reference & conjunction

Context

DiscourseSemantics
LexicoGrammar

structure
interpersonal

textual Theme

TEXT

Mood

(from Eggins 1994, p.113)

The Grammar of Interpersonal Meaning: Mood

How is language structured to enable interaction? Who is doing the talking in a situation? What do speakers do when they get the speakers role? who gives? who demands? is it reciprocal? tenor
Conversational

structure
interpersonal

Mood

What meanings have been changed?

I live in family groups called pods I should live in family groups called pods Who lives in family groups called pods? Do I live in family groups called pods? I live in family groups called pods! I put the pieces together on piece A I must put the pieces together on piece A Who put the pieces together on piece A? Did I put the pieces together on piece A? What did I put together on piece A? Put the pieces together!

The grammar of Experiential meaning: Transitivity

How is language structured to represent? (the world, experiences perceptions). Who did what to whom Under what circumstances? What participants, processes And circumstances are illustrated? field
Lexical relations

experiential Transitivity

Also called process type

What meanings have been changed?

I live in family groups called pods I have no natural predators and also I can live about 50 80 years old. I have well develop acute senses.

I put the pieces together on piece A I add them I look on my land

The grammar of textual Meaning: Theme

What role is language playing in an interaction?

What is the means of communication? What kind of text is being made?

mode
Reference & conjunction

textual Theme

What meanings have been changed?

I live in family groups called pods It is me who lives in family groups called pods That who lives in family groups called pods is me Family groups called pods are where I live Pods are the family groups where I live I put the pieces together on piece A On piece A I put the pieces together Piece A is where I put the pieces together etc

Each kind of meaning is expressed by means of certain functions. Analyzing just the subject of a clause, for example, is not enough to capture variations in interpersonal meaning. Implications come out of this. . .

 The teaching of grammar in the traditional

way should be rethought. Grammar is often taught through sentence-based examples rather than through whole texts (Celce-Murcia and Olshtain 2000). A focus on grammar in a genre-based classroom aims at linking the teaching of language to learning purpose by focusing on language within the context of the genres students need to perform.

A Genre Based Grammar

Text Level
Visual layout -headings -diagrams Generic Structure Thematic Structure Paragraphing Cohesion Reference Conjunctions

Clause Complex Level

Clauses (subj, verb, Object). Verbs -finites/modals -participles, auxiliar Nouns Noun groups -pronouns -determiners -modifiers Prepositions Modality Theme

Word Level
Graphological: -spelling -punctuation Morphemes: -singular/Pl -tense -prefixes -suffixes -participants

Adapted from Knapp and Watkins 1994

An Example: Corpus Linguistics Grammars

It is important to provide learners with sufficient input of sentences with different word orders. The learner must be familiar with fronting as a powerful resource to highlight adverbials or objects. The learner must also be able to choose the themes of their sentences, as the organisation of information in the sentence depends on that.

Trujillo, Theme and Rheme

Expressing Opinions tentatively: Concordances for May

1 y cutlery. "I'm only sayin' as I may be able to help you. To go to Mordo 2here before it gets dark. They may be asses, but they are my cousins, 3 in Nurnen after this quest he may be missing the woods of the Shire. 4 agreed. And such a course may be more perilous than it sounds. 5 agency. His emissaries may be on their way to the Shire at thi 6 time to safety, wherever that may be, and may your life be long and 7 w-man' was it? Well, that's as may be, but Tom Bombadil must be going 8 rooked as a three-dollar bill it may be, but it has a hold o' your soul, 9 what happened. However that may be, the Hobbits woke suddenly and u 10 not scored yet, but your luck may change." And feeling magnanimous 11 e to find a new chain. But if I may counsel you in the use of your own 12 ose who know where to look may discover the signs." With that, th 13 , and no axe nor chainsaw may fell them for the spells laid on t 14 ambletop, where perhaps we may figure out what the hell we're doin 15 l it. The rest of the Company may follow him as long as chance allows 16 on the morrow." "Be that as it may," Frodo sharply hissed, "please, pl http://www.cl.aoyama.ac.jp/~dias/EsllinksConcord.html