2. Features of Functional Grammar Which Make It
Suitable for Studying Language Variations
1. It is based on the notion of choice – it models grammar as a set of
options ( a repertoire or resource).
2. It looks at the way in which grammar is used to construct texts in
their context of use.
3. It is concerned with the way in which grammar is organized to
make meaning.
Overall, it is concerned with the way that the diff. kinds of meaning
that contribute to grammatical structure are comprehensively
addressed. It is concerned with the resource for:
1. analyzing experience – what is going on
2. analyzing interaction – who is communicating with whom
3. analyzing with ways in which messages are constructed.
3. In order to Model Grammar As a Context Sensitive, Meaning-
making Resource, FG Looks Closely At the Different Contributions
Made by the ff:
1. At the clause level, FG deals with resource for analyzing experience
(Process type, Participants and Circumstances),participating in
communication (mood and modality), packaging information (theme
and cohesion). In addition, it is concerned for combining clauses into
clause complexes (sentences).
2. At the phrase and group level, FG deals with resources
constructing participants( noun groups), assessing events and setting
them in time (verb groups), modifying events (adverb groups),
qualifying processes(preposition phrases).
3. At the word class level, FG is concerned with resources for adapting
words to clause, phrase and group structures. With in words, FG is
concerned with resources for analyzing morphemes(inflection and
derivations).
4. Functional Theories of Grammar
Functional theories of grammar are those approaches to the study of
language, that see the functions of language and its elements to be the key to
understanding linguistic processes and structures. Functional theories of
language propose that since language is fundamentally a tool, it is reasonable
to assume that its structure are best analyzed and understood with reference to
the functions they carry out.
Functional theories of grammar differ from formal theories of grammar. In
the latter seeks to define the diff. elements of language and describe the way
they relate to each other as systems of formal rules or operations, whereas the
former defines the functions performed by language and then relates these
functions to the linguistic elements that carry them out.
This means that functional theories of grammar tend to pay
attention to the way language is actually used in communicative context,
and not jus the formal relations bet. linguistic elements.
5. Frameworks
There are several distinct grammatical theories that
employ a functional approach
1. The structuralist functionalism of the Prague school, was the earliest
functionalist framework in the 1920s.
2. Simon Dik’s functional discourse grammar, originally developed in
the 1970s and 80s. It has also been continuously developed by Linguist
such as Kees Hengeveld.
3. Michael Haliday’s systemic functional grammar. Haliday draws on
the work of Buhler and Malinowski.
4. Role and reference grammar, developed by Robert Van Valin.
5. Danish functional grammar combines Saussurean/Hielmslevian
structuralism with a focus on pragmatics and discourse.
6. Lexical functional grammar, developed by Joan Bresnan and
Ronald Kaplan in the 1970s.
6. Structuralist Functionalism of the Prague School
Structuralism is a theoretical paradigm that emphasizes that
elements of culture must be understood in terms of their relationships
to a larger oversearching system of structure. Alternately, as
summarized by philosophers Simon Blackburn; Structuralism is “the
belief that phenomena of human life are not intelligible except through
their interrelations. These relations constitue a structure and behind
local variations in the surface phenomena there are constant laws of
abstract culture.
Structuralism originated in the early 1900s in the structural
linguistics of Ferdinand de Sausure and the subsequent Prague,
Moscow and Copenhagen linguistics. In the late 1950s and early 60s,
when structural linguistics was facing serious challenges from the likes
of Noam Chomsky and thus fading in importance in linguistics, an
array of scholars in the humanities, borrowed Sausure’s concepts for
use in their respective field of study. French anthropologist Claude
Levi- Strauss was arguably the 1st scholar, sparking a widespread
interest in Structuralism
7. Functional Discourse Grammar by Simon C. Dik
FG and FDG are grammar models and theories motivated by functional theories of grammar.
These theories explain how linguistic utterances are shaped, based on the goals and knowledge of
natural language users. In doing so, it contrasts with Chomskyan transformational grammar. FDG has
been developed as a successor to FG attempting to be more psychologically and pragmatically
adequate functional grammar.
The top-level unit of analysis in FDG is the discourse move not the sentence or the clause. This is a
principle that sets FDG apart from many other linguistic theories, including its predecessor FG.
Principles of Functional Discourse Grammar
FDG explains the phonology, morphosyntax, pragmatics and semantics in one linguistic theory.
Accdg.to FDG, linguistics utterances are built top-down in this order by deciding upon:
1. The pragmatic aspects of the utterance
2. The semantic aspects of the utterance
3. The morphosyntactic aspects of the utterance
4. The phonological aspect of the utterance
Accdg. to FDG, four components are involved in building up an utterance:
1. The conceptual component, which is where the communicative intention that drives the utterance
construction arises.
2. The grammatical component, where the utterance is formulated and encoded accdg. To the
communicative intention
3. The contextual component, which contains all elements that can be referred to in the history of the
discourse or in the environment
4. The output component, which realizes the utterance as sound, writing or singing.
8. Systemic Functional Grammar
By Michael Halliday
SFG is part of social semiotic approach to language systemic functional
linguistics. The term systemic refers to the view of language as “a network of
systems, or interrelated sts of options for making meaning.” The term
functional refers to Halliday’s view that language is as it is because bec. of what
it has evolved to do. Grammar, for Halliday is described as system not as rules,
on the basis that every grammatical structure involves a choice from a
describable options.
Traditionally the “choices” are viewed in terms of either the content or the
structure of the language used. In SFG, language is analyzed in three ways
(strata): semantics, phonology and lexicogrammar.SFG presents a view of
language in terms of both structure(grammar) and words(lexis). The term
“lexicogrammar” describes, this combined approach.
Three general functions of language(metafunctions)
1. The ideational functions, resources for constructing experience
2. The interpersonal functions, resources for enacting humans’ diverse and
complex social relations.
3. The textual function, resources for enabling these two kinds of meaning to
come together
9. Lexical Functional Grammar
LFG is a grammar framework in theoretical linguistics, a
variety of generative grammar. It is a type of phrase
structure grammar, as opposed to a dependency grammar.
The development of the theory was initiated by Joan
Bresnan and Ronald Kaplan in the 1970s, in reaction to the
direction research in the area of transformational grammar
had began to take. It mainly focuses on syntax, including
its relation with morphology and semantics.
LFG views language as being made up of multiple
dimensions of structure. Each of these dimensions is
represented as a distinct structure with its own rules,
concepts and form.
10. Functional Grammar in Denmark ( Danish)
Danish functional school
The Danish school of functional linguistics was developed in an attempt to combine
modern functional grammar and cognitive linguisticswith the best ideas and concepts of the
earlier structuralist school. Like Hjelmslev and Saussure the school insist in the basic structural
division of communication in planes of content and expression.[1] Like Simon Dik and functionalist
grammarians Danish functionalists also insist that language is fundamentally a means of
communication between humans and is best understood and analysed through its communicative
function. When analysing linguistic utterances the content and expression planes are analysed
separately, with the expression plane being analysed through traditional structural methods and the
content plane being analysed mostly through methods from semantics and pragmatics. However it is
assumed that structures on the expression plane mirrors structures on the content plane. This can be
seen in the parallelism between the structure of Danish sentences as described by the structural
syntactic model of Paul Diderichsen dividing utterances into three basic fields a foundation field, a
nexus field and a content field, and the pragmatic structure of utterances that often use the
foundation field for discourse pragmatic functions, the nexus field for illocutionary functions and the
content field for the linguistic message. Danish functionalists assume that an utterance is not to be
analysed from the minimal units and up, but rather from the maximal units and down, because
speakers begin the construction of utterances by choosing what to say in a given situation, then by
choosing the words to use and finally by building the sentence by means of sounds.
11. Role and Reference Grammar
By William Foley and Robert Van Valin
Role and reference grammar (RRG) is a functional theory of language
which allows an input text to be represented in terms of its logical
structure.
Among the main features of RRG are the use of lexical decomposition
based upon semantics of David Dowdy (1979), an analysis of clause
structure, and the use of a set of thematic roles organized into a heirarchy
in which the highest-ranking roles are “Actor” (for the most active
participant) and “Undergoer.”
In RRG, the description of a sentence in a particular language is
formulated in terms of:
a. Its logical (semantic) structure and communicative functions.
b. The grammatical procedures that are available in the language for
the expressions of these meanings.
13. Gems for Thought
Harry Potter was rejected. So were Bella and Edward. If authors
J.K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyer hadn't kept trying with
publisher after publisher, we'd all have missed out on some great
adventures.
Thomas Edison: No list of success from failures would be
complete without the man who gave us many inventions
including the light bulb. He knew failure wouldn’t stop him.
Life is about going for things. And when we do, rejection is
always a possibility. Decide what is important to you and take
huge steps everyday even though it doesn’t seem like it’s working.
Success doesn’t happen without failures. It’s reality.
There is no success without failure
14. Describe the Functional Grammar in the
Philippines along:
a. The pragmatic aspects of the utterance;
b. The semantic aspects of the utterance;
c. The morphosyntactic aspects of the utterance;
and
d. The phonological aspect of the utterance.
