1. Introduction to functional grammar

2. Language as a resource for making meaning; language in actual use and focus on texts and their contexts

3. The Context – Text Connection
All meaning is situated:
In a context of situation
in a context of culture

4. Context of situation: through the use of the register variables :
Field : what’s going on
Activity focus
Object focus
Tenor : social relationship between those taking part
Status or power (agent roles, peer or hierarchic relations
Affect (degree of like, dislike or neutrality)
Contact (frequency, duration and intimacy of social contact
Mode : how language is being used
The channel of communication is spoken or written
Language is being used as a mode of action or reflection

5. Types of meaning/Functions :
participants
process
circumstances
Ideational : meanings about phenomena (things, what’s going on, circumstances)
mood
modality
Interpersonal : meanings which express a speaker’s attitudes and judgments
theme
cohesion
Textual : express the relation of language to its environment (verbal and non verbal (co-text) and situational (context)
Influenced by the
field of discourse
Influenced by tenor
of discourse
Influenced by the
mode of discourse

6. Context and text connection
Semantics (meanings)
Lexicogrammar (wordings)
Field (what’s going on)
Tenor (social relations)
Mode (contextual coherence
ideational
interpersonal
textual
transitivity
Mood and modality
Theme, cohesion

7. Stages: distinctive beginnings, middles and ends
Context of culture
GENRE
Genre: a culturally specific text-types which results from using language (written or spoken) to help accomplish something
purposes
Stages: distinctive beginnings, middles and ends
Linguistic feature

8. Types of genre genre Social function/purpose Generic structure/stages
Linguistic feature
1. narrative
To amuse, entertain and to deal with actual or vicarious experiences in different ways
Orientation
evaluation
Complication
Resolution
Re-orientation
Focus on specific participants
use of material process
Use relational process
Use temporal conjunction and temporal circumstances
Use of past tense

9. Social function/purpose Generic structure/stages
genre
Social function/purpose
Generic structure/stages
Linguistic feature
spoof
recount
To retell event with humorous twist
To retell events for the purpose of informing or entertaining
Orientation
events
twist
orientation
re-orientation
Focus on specific participants
use of material process
circumstances of time and place
Use of past tense
focus on specific participants
Use of material processes
Circumstances of time and place
Focus on temporal sequences

10. A representation of the model of language
Context of
SITUATION
CULTURE
Context of
A culture will determine the kinds of genres which are valued and a situation will determine the specific instance of that genre.
The language choices will reflect the specific situation.
LANGUAGE
tenor
field
REGISTER
GENRE

11. Why can we make meaning from them? Do they mean the same to everyone?
Door:
real door
Typical of a specific era – if you were an architect, the era might interest you
symbolic for future possibilities or closed possibilities
understood as a symbol by people in this culture as often used as a metaphor
may be understood by other cultures
Man on top of the world:
not real at all: only symbolic for feeling good, achieving success
Dragon
representative of a cultural group
recognised but not have a close affinity to other cultural groups
choice to use this symbol would be to align to this cultural group
Choice of symbol may not attract some
Generally
Visuals are a meaning making system dependent on culture
Reading visual texts are dynamic processes involving not only the text and its author but also the person reading the text
Reading visual texts involves engaging with the purpose of the text, the intention of the author and one’s own knowledge and experience
Thus all visual texts are influenced by the cultures, values, ideologies and world views in and through which they are created and consumed
Certain images are favoured and presented as normal and there may be preferred or dominant interpretations of an image, with which the viewer may not agree, or images which are excluded e.g. a visual of an exclusive high rise apartment may exclude the image of struggling poor who have no where to live
Some images may be so familiar to us that we may forget that they are in fact culturally specific
Implication
Language is also a meaning making system and it too may be influenced by culture
What do they mean?
Why can we make meaning from them?
Do they mean the same to everyone?

12. When I got home last night, I could not believe what ………….. had done.
Possible choices for the missing word would be dependant on the context, relationship, attitude to the “thing / person” , and mode of communication
What choices are possible?
What’s the implication of the choice?

13. What is implied about what a language system has to encapsulate?
Culture
Genre
Topic
Relationships
Mode
What is the broad and specific context?
How does that impact on the text?
What is the specific purpose of the text?
How is it organised to achieve this?
What is being discussed / written about?
Who is taking part? What is the nature of their relationship? What are their statuses and roles?
Is it spoken, written or multimodal?
Culture impacts on the types of genres which are generated
Genre can be any regularly occurring text
Topic, relationship, mode impact simultaneously on the text and is reflected in the language choices

14. What’s the context of the text? What accompanies the language?
What kind of a text is it? (genre)
What are the stages of the text?
What is it about? (field)
Who is involved? (tenor)
Mode of communication? (mode)
A: Yes Please
B: Can I have those two?
A: Yes. One’s forty five. One’s twenty five.
B: And have you got …………………..
A: Yes. How many would you like?
B: I’ll take two
A: Right. That’s four dollars twenty altogether.
B: Here you are.
A: Thankyou.
B: Thankyou.
Context? Shopping in a shop - western culture (no bartering), not in “furniture store” because prices are low and the customer is buying multiple amounts.
What kind of a text? (genre) transaction with a formulaic structure
What is it about? (field) we don’t know, but regardless we can still tell a lot about this text
Who is involved? (tenor) a shop keeper and customer – and expected relationship is embedded in speech functions and level of poilteness
Mode of communication? (mode) face to face – can be seen by shortness of utterances

15. What’s the context of the text? What accompanies the language?
Data reveals that the greatest consumer spending traditionally occurs during the pre Christmas period. A consequence of this spending is debt. The publicity and expectation of a gift laden Christmas has lead some families to incur debts beyond their means of immediate repayment, leading to the additional and spiralling cost of interest fees. A substantial education program is required to reverse this trend.
What’s the context of the text?
What accompanies the language?
What kind of a text is it? (genre)
What are the stages of the text?
What is it about? (field)
Who is involved? (tenor)
Mode of communication? (mode)
Mode of communication? (mode) distant audience – written communication
Who is involved? (tenor) a writer (probably not an official consumer watch dog authority – more likely to be a student researcher) to a distant audience which may not be aware of the debt issue
What is it about? (field) debt resulting from Christmas spending
What kind of a text? (genre) might become an argument for an education program
Context? Western context where Christmas is celebrated, and where speaking “for the oppressed” is also the norm