Functions of Language - Volume 3, Issue 2, 1996

This study reconsiders the place and nature of the logical metafunction in systemic theory. Halliday considers logical and experiential as subparts of the ideational metafunction, which he differentiates from the interpersonal and the textual, and he relates specific parts of the lexicogrammar to each metafunction, and each metafunction to a parameter of the context of situation. Here the proposal is to consider the logical component as an added function available for combination with each of the other three, and related equally to each of these, as well as to the field, tenor and mode of the context of situation. Logical meaning is considered independently from the strict structural constraints of recursion, parataxis and hypotaxis. Both projection and expansion are seen as multifunctional and as occurring at all grammatical ranks and at text level. Logical meaning is also seen in relational and existential processes, and as an extra unifying element in systems perceived as overlapping (modality and modulation, comparison and intensification).

This paper offers a typology of English when-clauses (WCs) on the basis of their semantic, syntactic and functional characteristics. It distinguishes six major classes of dependent WCs: WCs used as indirect questions, relative clauses, free relative clauses in nominal function, adverbial WCs, narrative WCs and atemporal WCs. A further subciassification of these reveals many different categories and uses. All of these are illustrated lavishly, mostly with the help of attested examples. It is also shown that the various categories differ as regards the use of tense forms: some WCs can use the future tense auxiliary and/or combine with a head clause in the present tense or present perfect, whereas other WCs do not allow this.

This article compares the frequency with which ESL and non-ESL writers use because clauses for three different discourse-pragmatic functions: to enhance a sentence with information relevant only to that sentence, to make a cohesive link with prior discourse, or to introduce new information which becomes the discourse topic. The ESL writers in this study use significantly more because clauses than non-ESL writers, especially locally relevant because clauses. Non-ESL writers typically create cohesive ties with prior or subsequent discourse when they use because. The article suggests reasons for these differences and draws pedagogical implications. This research affirms the importance in language acquisition studies of examining the functional distribution of syntactic structures and their relevance to global dimensions of text. As this study shows, language learners employ because clauses where more proficient writers use other constructions, making the distribution of because clauses significantly different in ESL and non-ESL writing.