1. Introduction to SFL Experiential, Interpersonal and Textual meaning
Lise Fontaine
Cardiff University

2. Today’s outline: the Introductory Programme
General introduction to the 3 main metafunctions
Experiential
Interpersonal
Textual
Summary
Questions - discussion

3. Introductory Programme
Functional Grammar
Lexicogrammar
Functions of the clause and clause structure
Spoken Language
Phonology
Intonation
Text and Discourse
Theme
Information Structure

4. Grammatical Meaning Language as ‘system of meanings’
“When people use language, their language acts produce – construct meaning.” (Bloor and Bloor, 2004:2)
how meaning is built up through choices of words and grammatical resources
grammar (ibid.):
semantic (concerned with meaning)
functional (concerned with use)
lexicogrammar (words and grammar are inextricably linked)

5. Multi-functional view of grammar
each ‘bit’ of language (e.g. Clause) expresses more than one type of meaning/function/use
more than one way of looking at meaning
3 main ‘strands’ of meaning
sentence as representation of some phenomenon in the real world
sentence as social interaction
sentence as text

6. Grammatical choice Context
I was given the new Jamie book for my birthday
For my birthday, Kev gave me the new Jamie book
I got the new Jamie book for my birthday
Kev gave me the new Jamie book for my birthday
Kev gave me the Jamie book for my birthday didn’t he?
Did Kev give me the new Jamie book for my birthday?

7. a useful metaphor: multifunctional view of the clause
different strands of meaning
the ‘clause’
experiential
interpersonal
textual
logical

8. example of language in use
Tony Blair
“I wasn't born into this party. I chose it. I've never joined another political party. I believe in it. I'm proud to be the leader of it and it's the party I'll always live in and I'll die in.” 
Special conference, April

9. Nick Clegg
"Like most people of my generation, I wasn’t born into a political party. I am a liberal by choice, by temperament and by conviction. And when I talk to the people I represent, I become more convinced every day that only liberalism offers the answers to the problems they face."
October 19th, 2007

10. I chose the labour party
Language as a (complex) system….
Are they saying the same thing?
I chose the labour party
I am a liberal by choice
… of CHOICES among meanings

11. form and meaning system representation
forms
stop
traffic control go

12. language as semantic system
language - a resource for communicating meanings to our fellow human beings
sign system; potential
text – an output of the language system an instance of language in use
sign; instance

13. The sociosemantic nature of discourse (Halliday, 1978:128)
Basic assumptions
The semantic system is one of three strata (levels) of the linguistic system
Semantic (the meaning)
Lexicogrammatical (the wording: syntax, lexis, morphology)
Phonological (the sound)
The semantic system is made up of 3 main functional components
Experiential Component
Interpersonal Component
Textual Component

14. 3 (main) strands of Meaning
Language as a (complex) system of choices among meanings
I chose (the labour party)
I am a liberal by choice
3 (main) strands of Meaning
Experiential
(Representing experience)
Interpersonal
(Speaker – Addressee interaction)
clause
Textual
(Organisation (text/language))

15. The Clause represents experience speaker as Observer
Experiential meaning: expressing the CONTENT; expressing the processes and other phenomena of the external world including thoughts, feelings, etc. (Halliday, 1978:48)
The experiential component serves to "express our experience of the world that is around us and inside us" (Halliday, 1970)

16. The Clause – a representation
The clause is a configuration of a process, participants involved in it and any attendant circumstances (Halliday and Matthiessen, 2004:169)
experience as ‘events’ or ‘goings-on’
Three components:
A process unfolding through time
The participant(s) involved in the process
Circumstance(s) associated with the process

17. What’s going on? What’s being represented?
Someone is giving someone something
Event of ‘giving’  the Process
Kev gave me the new Jamie book for my birthday
Why?
 Circumstance
Participating ‘entities’  the Participants

18. Circumstance elements
optional elements of the clause
peripheral
not directly involved in the process
occur 'freely' in all types of processes (in theory)
for Halliday, they do not have the potential of becoming Subjects
participants are "inherent" in the process
process
circumstances
participants
participants
circumstances

19. 3 main types of Experiential meaning
« Outer » experiences
Something happens
There is a « doer » an ACTOR
Ex:
John drove the car.
« Inner » experiences
Something is sensed
Internal world of the mind
There is a SENSER
Ex:
John sees the car.
Representing
Experience
Material
Mental
Relational
Relating concepts
Relating two concepts that refer in some way to the same thing
Ex. John is the driver.

20. Material Process Type Process:material
What did someone do?
What happened?
Process:material
Proto-typical Action events
‘doing’, ‘happening’; physical actions
Most salient type of process
Participants: Actor, Goal, Beneficiary
Performer of the action – Actor
Impacted/affected by the action – Goal
Benefits/receives from the action - Beneficiary
Eat, kick, jump, hit, drive, walk, run, cook, etc.

21. Mental Process Type Process:mental Participants: Senser, Phenomenon
What did someone think or see or want?
Process:mental
Internal processes
States of mind; senses
Knowing, thinking, seeing, hearing, ...
Participants: Senser, Phenomenon
Undergoing/experiencing – Senser
Thing experienced – Phenomenon
think, know, see, hear, like, want, ...

22. Relational Process Types
What is it? Who is it?
What properties does something have?
Process:relational
Being; relating
Processes that describe or identify something; express a relation between two concepts/entities
Participants: Carrier, Attribute;
Identified, Identifier
The thing that carries the attribute – Carrier
The attribute being ascribed – Attribute
The identified entity – Identified
The identifying entity - Identifier Be

23. Transitivity system

24. Same experience process: material (giving)
I was given the new Jamie book for my birthday
For my birthday, Kev gave me the new Jamie book
I got the new Jamie book for my birthday
Kev gave me the new Jamie book for my birthday
Kev gave me the Jamie book for my birthday didn’t he?
Did Kev give me the new Jamie book for my birthday?
3 participants, 1 circumstance

25. I chose the labour party
Are they saying the same thing?
Material Process:
Tony Blair did something (Actor)
I chose the labour party
I am a liberal by choice
Relational Process:
Nik Clegg is described by something (Carrier); he is being something

26. The Clause expresses (inter)personal relations
Speaker as Intruder
Interpersonal meaning expressing relations among participants in the situation and the speaker’s own intrusion into it (Halliday, 1978:46)

27. Key elements for Interpersonal meaning and the Mood system
The Subject of the clause
the Finite element of the verb group
The main system concerned is the MOOD system
Transitivity
Experiential
interrogative
indicative
declarative
clause
Interpersonal
MOOD
imperative
Theme
Textual

28. Interpersonal meaning: Clause as exchange
2 key components: Mood and Residue
In English, MOOD is determined by Subject and Finite:
I have told you
have you told me?
no you haven't
(you) tell me!
SUBJECT and FINITE together form the main component of the clause at this level of analysis – Mood Block
Declarative
Interrogative
Declarative
Imperative

29. The FINITE in English is a VERBAL OPERATOR which expresses either :
The clause in English can be FINITE or NON-FINITE
Each « Finite » clause contains a VERBAL OPERATOR which expresses finiteness
In SFL, the finite element gives the (clause) a point of reference:
Tense
Person
Modality
Mood
The FINITE in English is a VERBAL OPERATOR which expresses either :
TENSE or MODALITY

30. Clause as exchange Halliday’s metaphor of symbolic exchange
Role in exchange
Goods and services
Information
Giving
Offer
Statement
Seeking
Command
Question
proposal
proposition
speech function

31. Clause as exchange – an example
Can anyone pick up the parcel at the post office?
Role in exchange
Goods and services
Information
Give
Offer
“I’ll pick it up”
Statement
“John said he would pick it up”
Seek
Command
“Pick it up yourself”
Question
“Can’t John pick it up tomorrow?”

32. Clause as exchange Direct (or congruent) exchanges Offer Declarative
Role in exchange
Goods and services
Information
Give
Offer
Declarative
“I’ll pick it up”
Statement
“John said he would pick it up”
Seek
Command
Imperative
“Pick it up yourself”
Question
Interrogative
“Can’t John pick it up tomorrow?”

33. Clause as exchange Indirect (or incongruent) exchanges Offer
Role in exchange
Goods and services
Information
Give
Offer
Interrogative
“Could I pick it up for you?”
Statement
“How should I know?”
Seek
Command
Declarative
“I’d like you to pick up the parcel”
Question
“I wonder who could pick up the parcel for me”

34. The speaker’s own intrusion into the situation
Kind of Modality
Modal Finite
Mood (Modal) Adjuncts
probability
may, might, can, could, will, would, should, must
probably, possibly, certainly, perhaps, maybe
usuality
usually, sometimes, always, never, ever, seldom, rarely
obligation
may, might, can, could, should, must
definitely, absolutely, possibly, at all costs, by all means
readiness
(inclination and ability)
may, might, can, could, will, would, must, shall, can, could
willingly, readily, gladly, certainly, easily

35. Working with interpersonal meaning
I was given the new Jamie book for my birthday
Kev definitely gave me the new Jamie book
Did Kev give me the new Jamie book?
Kev might have given me the Jamie book
Kev should give me the Jamie book
Kev, give me that book!

36. The Clause relates itself to text
Speaker as Organiser or Relevance-maker
According to Halliday (1978: 48):
The TEXTUAL Function is intrinsic to language.
« It is the function of creating text, or relating itself to the context – to the situation and to the preceding text »

37. Key elements for Textual meaning and the Theme system
The Theme of the clause
The main system concerned is the THEME system
material
relational
process
mental
Transitivity
Experiential
circumstance
interrogative
indicative
clause
declarative
Interpersonal
MOOD
imperative
marked
Theme
Textual
unmarked

38. What is Theme? Seeing the clause as message
The Textual function is the linguistic resource that lets Speakers create text.
The word Text comes from Latin textere, which means to weave. A text is something woven.
Theme is a key element, on which the message is hinged.
Theme is defined as « the point of departure of the message …  that which locates and orients the clause within its context ». (Halliday and Matthiessen, 2004:64)

39. Identifying Theme
Theme corresponds to the first element having a role in transitivity: a participant, a process, or a circumstance
Most commonly, the Theme will conflate with the Subject and will have a Participant role in the transitivity.
Theme is said to be marked when it is not the Subject of the clause (ie Circumstance)
Everything else in the clause is referred to as Rheme

40. Types of Theme But do you want to go?
first element with a role in Experiential meaning
Experiential Theme
Finite: concerns Interpersonal meaning
Interpersonal Theme
Textual Theme
tells us how this clause relates to others

41. Working with textual meaning
I was given the new Jamie book for my birthday
Kev gave me the new Jamie book for my birthday
For my birthday, Kev gave me the new Jamie book

42. Multifunctional view of the clause
I chose (the labour party) I
chose
the
Labour
party
Experiential
Meaning
Actor
Process: Material
Goal
Interpersonal
Meaning
Subject
Finite/Event
Complement
Mood: Declarative
Textual
Meaning
Theme
Rheme

43. Questions?

44. References
Bloor,T. & Bloor,M. (2004) The Functional Analysis of English. London: Arnold.
Halliday, MAK (1978) Language as social semiotic. Edward Arnold, London.