Language, Context and Text - Volume 4, Issue 2, 2022

Abstract

This paper uses a trinocular approach – i.e. from below, from above and from roundabout – to describe Theme as point of departure (POD) in English and Spanish casual conversation (thus avoiding the more controversial ‘what-the-clause-is-about’ aspect of Theme). This research is part of a long-term contrastive study which includes the description of POD in academic writing and a crosslinguistic comparison of POD in academic writing and casual conversation. Among the main findings in this paper, the following stand out: (a) the identification of a conversational texture characterised by the interplay of textual and interpersonal strands of meaning; and (b) different POD arrangements of English and Spanish clauses in casual conversation, motivated by different ways of enacting communicative exchange.

Abstract

The appraisal framework developed by Martin and White and others working within systemic functional linguistics has been applied in a wide variety of contexts. However, to our knowledge, it has been little used in the interpretation of ancient written documents. We believe that it may have value, amongst other things, in determining the genre of such literature and we see this as particularly relevant in the area of biography, where the author’s presentation of the subject is a key factor. So, in this study, we apply aspects of the appraisal framework to three Hellenistic Greek texts often categorised with the genre “Lives”. Selected passages from these texts were divided into short units for quantitative analysis that focused on the Judgement that the texts’ authors make of their central characters (their “heroes”), how this is amplified and how they engage with different “voices”. These passages were also compared with the rest of the texts in a more qualitative study. Our results show notable differences in the Judgement the authors make and presumably wish their readers to share in terms of the positive/negative portrayal of their “heroes”, the degree of amplification and the interaction with other “voices”. We consider the appropriateness of the “Lives” genre for one of these texts, the Gospel of John, and also a number of methodological issues arising from an area of application that has not previously received attention. These include the difficulty of making clear-cut evaluation choices where authors themselves may be ambivalent about those they are describing and the need to take account of the differing and complex value systems of ancient cultures. We suggest that our findings may have wider relevance for other applications of appraisal.

Abstract

This article studies projection and examines alternative modes of construing processes of saying/ speech events and the variation across three registers where projection is particularly important. It is one of many articles that describe and discuss projection as a semantic fractal manifested in a variety of lexicogrammatical environments. The first paper in this series, which was published in 2018 by Arús-Hita et al. in Word was an investigation of quoting and reporting strategies of speech and thought across six genetically unrelated languages (Arabic, Dagaare, English, Hindi, Japanese and Spanish). This paper, however, has a much narrower scope. It first looks at all participants in the verbal clause in Arabic, then it focuses on the main one – the Sayer. Since verbal projection is quite pervasive in different areas of the lexicogrammar, it only makes sense to look into these fractal motifs to have an idea about the different guises under which the Sayer appears. News reports, academic discourse and fictional narratives have been analysed to properly account for the registerial variety in construing the role of the Sayer in verbal clauses across metafunctions.

Abstract

Well-known cases of wrongful convictions (e.g. Central Park Five, Steven Avery, Amanda Knox), although merely the tip of the iceberg, serve to highlight flaws inherent in justice systems worldwide (cf. Garrett 2011). Many innocent people are having their freedom taken away without reason. One such lesser-known, though very significant, case is that of Kristine Bunch, who was wrongfully convicted of arson and murdering her son, resulting in her wrongful imprisonment for 17 years. To examine how Kristine represents her miscarriage of justice discursively, I examine transitivity patterns (Halliday & Matthiessen 2014) in a semi-structured interview with her and, in doing so, aim to create awareness of some probable key language processes in wrongful convictions more generally.

Abstract

This paper explores how emotion is conveyed in spoken language based on a sample of three stories for children read aloud by a trained storyteller. It draws on both Martin & White’s appraisal framework (2005) and a systematic account of vocal features. Interpreting and profiling emotion is a challenge both for researchers interested in spoken language and for English-as-an-additional-language teachers, when working to improve students’ spoken expression of emotion. Underpinning this challenge is the absence of a unified theoretical stance and a consequent lack of shared analytical tools for describing how speakers use semiotic resources to convey emotion in their speech. A systemic functional semiotic approach can make visible the co-patterning of wordings and vocalisations that express emotion.

This article reviews Women in social semiotics and SFL: Making a difference

This article reviews Verbal art and systemic functional linguistics