Aim of the study and research questions
The main aim of the study is to investigate the realization of expansion relations between clauses in clause complexes in the story ―Runaway‖ by Alice Munro
In order to fulfill the above mentioned aim, two research questions are raised for exploration:
What is expansion in systemic functional grammar?
How are expansion relations between clauses in clause complexes realized in the short story ―Runaway‖ by Alice Munro?
Scope of the study
This minor MA thesis focuses exclusively on the expansion relationships between clauses within clause complexes, omitting other aspects of Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) such as projection, transitivity, mood, modality, theme, and rhyme Rather than emphasizing theoretical findings, the study aims to illuminate the analysis of a selected story, revealing how the author constructs the text through these expansion relationships.
Significance of the study
This study aims to provide a valuable reference for readers interested in Alice Munro's narrative, enhancing their understanding of its content and significance It focuses on text analysis through the Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) framework, particularly examining the expansion relations between clauses in clause complexes as realized in the text By offering a theoretical background and detailed text analysis, the study seeks to contribute to the research landscape of SFG in Vietnam.
This study employs the theory of expansion in Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) to explore the expansion relationships between clauses in Alice Munro's short story "Runaway." Utilizing both descriptive and analytical methods, the research focuses on defining concepts related to expansion relations and analyzing the text itself Additionally, statistical calculations are performed to quantify the frequency of various types of expansion present in the narrative.
The study is organized into three major parts
In the introduction, we explore the rationale behind selecting this topic, outlining the study's objectives and key research questions The scope of the research is defined, along with the methodologies employed to gather data Additionally, the significance of the study is highlighted, emphasizing its contribution to the field, and the organization of the study is presented to guide readers through the forthcoming sections.
Part B of the study, titled Development, is divided into three chapters Chapter 1 revisits the theoretical foundations of the research, focusing on essential concepts of Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) Chapter 2 explores the relationships between clauses within clause complexes, detailing various types of expansion to establish a framework for analysis Finally, Chapter 3 conducts an analysis of the narrative, examining how different types of expansion are manifested in the text.
Finally, Part C, Conclusion, summarizes the results of the study, points out limitations and makes some suggestions for further research
PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND FOR THE STUDY
This chapter presents some of fundamental concepts of SFG, namely the metafunctions, rank scales, clauses and clause complexes
1.1 An overview of systemic functional approach to grammar
Systemic functional grammar (SFG) is a comprehensive approach to understanding language in context, focusing on its role in communication Developed by M A K Halliday and influenced by J R Firth, SFG has evolved since the 1960s with significant contributions from scholars like Ruqaiya Hasan, Jim Martin, and Christian Matthiessen (Chapman, 2009: 225).
Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) is characterized by two key features: its systemic nature, where grammar is viewed as a series of choices for expressing ideas, and its functional aspect, which emphasizes the role of these systems in achieving specific meanings within the lexico-grammar of a language This model prioritizes meaning over form, focusing on how language is utilized to convey messages rather than the structure itself Consequently, language is understood not merely as a cognitive tool but as a social instrument shaped by cultural contexts.
SFG serves as an effective tool for text analysis, offering valuable insights into the language choices that influence both text production and comprehension Additionally, systemic linguistics offers a robust theoretical and analytical framework for understanding how texts convey meaning (Eggins, 1994: 307).
In Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG), grammatical phenomena are categorized into three main areas known as metafunctions: ideational, interpersonal, and textual Each metafunction addresses a distinct aspect of the world and represents different modes of meaning within clauses The ideational metafunction focuses on the natural world and our consciousness, viewing clauses as representations The interpersonal metafunction emphasizes the social dynamics between the speaker and listener, treating clauses as exchanges Lastly, the textual metafunction pertains to the organization of information within a text, considering clauses as messages.
The ideational metafunction is the ―content function of language‖ (Halliday, 2007:
The transitivity system categorizes our experiences into six main process types, helping us understand the world around us Material processes represent physical actions in the external world, reflecting our outer experiences Mental processes, on the other hand, pertain to our inner experiences, encompassing thoughts and consciousness Relational processes involve states of being and possession, while behavioral processes bridge the gap between physical and mental actions, showcasing human behavior Verbal processes, which convey messages through speech, lie between mental and relational processes Finally, existential processes address aspects of existence, situated between material and relational categories.
The man drove the car fast
Actor Process: Material Goal Circumstance
The interpersonal metafunction serves to establish social relationships between speakers and listeners while conveying the speaker's perspective on various actions and events Halliday (1994) emphasizes that communication is structured as an interactive event involving both the speaker and the audience In any exchange, the primary speech roles are centered around giving and demanding, which can pertain to either goods-and-services or information These functions are typically categorized as statements, questions, offers, and commands.
A clause as exchange comprises two key components: Mood and Residue The Mood carries the syntactic burden and is divided into two parts: the Subject, represented by a nominal group, and the Finite operator, which is part of a verbal group Conversely, the Residue includes functional elements categorized as Predicator, Complement, and Adjunct.
Mary is doing her homework at the moment
Subject Finite Predicator Complement Adjunct
According to Halliday (1994), clauses can be classified as positive or negative, a concept known as Polarity, which is indicated in the Finite element The spectrum between these positive and negative extremes is referred to as Modality The interpersonal meaning conveyed by a clause is shaped by the systems of Mood and Modality.
To fully grasp the meaning of a clause, it is essential to consider its context and surrounding language A clause is structured with a theme and a rheme; the theme serves as the initial experiential element that indicates its relationship to adjacent clauses, while the rheme elaborates on the theme There are two main types of themes: unmarked themes, where the theme and subject align, suggesting continuity in the topic, and marked themes, where elements other than the subject, such as adverbial adjuncts, take the role of the theme, often indicating a shift in the textual framework.
She went to the library yesterday
To sum up, each of these three kinds of meaning, according to Halliday (1994: 34)
The three functions within a clause do not operate independently; instead, they work simultaneously to convey meaning, forming a distinct functional configuration that contributes to the overall interpretation (Bloor, 1995: 9).
According to Martin et al (1997), metafunctions represent various models of meaning created by grammar, while rank pertains to the hierarchical "size" of grammatical units, structured in layers of constituency This ranking organizes units into a hierarchy based on their constituent relationships, where higher-ranking units are composed of units from the rank directly below them, continuing until reaching the lowest rank, which lacks internal structure Consequently, rank serves as a theory for the overall distribution of grammatical units.
The English grammatical rank scale is clause, group/ phrase, word and morpheme