Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Systemic functional linguistics (SFL)'
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1
Adetomokun, Idowu Jacob. "A systemic functional linguistics (SFL) analysis of Yoruba students’ narratives of identity at three Western Cape universities." Thesis, University of Western Cape, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/3290.
Abstract:
Masters of ArtThere has been a great deal of research exploring Halliday’s (1978, 1994, 2004)Systemic Functional Linguistic (SFL) approach. However, there has been little work that specifically targets SFL to explore African discourse. Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) views language as “social semiotic”, that is, language is functional in terms of what it can do or what can be done with it; and semantic in that it is used to make meanings (Halliday’s, 1978). This study explores SFL to analyse narratives of identity as told by Yoruba students at three Western Cape Universities: University of the Western Cape (UWC), University of Cape Town (UCT) and University of Stellenbosch (SUN). This research is both quantitative and qualitative in outlook and results of the study are presented. I used the qualitative method to collect and analyse the data; but a certain amount of quantitative analysis was presented as well in order to determine the predominant identity options favoured by the students. A total of 14 Yoruba students were interviewed for data collection which was analysed with SFL interpersonal metafunction theoretical approach. Specifically, the study examines linguistic choices that the students utilize to maintain and reconstruct their identities in Cape Town. This concentrates on the aspects of Mood component combining Subject and Finite element, Residual component comprising Predicator, Complement and Adjunct as well as Modality in participants’ narratives. Besides, an important aspect of the study was the consideration given to ethical issues. Analyses are presented on tables showing the frequencies of the interpersonal elements as configuration for preference use of different Subjects, Finites, Predicators, Complement and Adjuncts to either strengthen or weaken positions. Equally, the metaphorically expressions of objectivity to highlight the continuities and contradictions in the students’ narratives of identity in the diaspora was considered. These serve as interpersonal elements used by participants for stylizing and personalizing different identities options. Also, the study presents how the students organize their message for cohesion/coherence in their narratives. Thus, SFL establishes how the linguistic choices of the students reflect identity options in their new environment. The study shows the strengths of systemic-functional approach in its integration of what the students said, with what they might mean within the situation in which they said them. Finally, I conclude that these elements of interpersonal metafunction framework make participants’ narratives coherent while revealing the different identities they appropriated in the diaspora.
2
Abuhasan, Wlla. "Developing Language Learners’ Use of Appraisal for Argumentative Writing: A Systemic Functional Linguistics Approach." Thesis, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/41941.
Abstract:
This study explores the impact of a pedagogic intervention grounded in Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) (Halliday & Matthiessen, 2014) designed to support language learners’ development of their English argumentative writing skills. The predominance of argumentative writing in school curricula and language assessment reflects the importance of helping language learners master this text-type in order for them to succeed in academic settings. This pedagogic intervention drew specifically on the Appraisal system of SFL to make explicit to students the interpersonal and evaluative language resources they can use to establish authoritative and intersubjective positioning as key means of achieving the overall purpose of argumentative texts. The study documents the impact of explicating to students appraisal resources during class instruction and helping them make more informed language choices as they engage with the information presented in their texts, and shape the interaction with their readers.
The study drew on quantitative data stemming from students’ writing tasks and qualitative data in the form of reflection tasks and a research journal to explore the extent to which students’ understanding and use of different appraisal resources could be positively affected by the pedagogic intervention at the heart of this study. The analysis of the findings suggests that the intervention was successful in helping students familiarize themselves with and incorporate appraisal language to effectively convey their intended meaning in the composition of their argumentative texts. The findings also suggest that the teaching intervention contributed to students’ increased awareness of the range of lexicogrammatical choices available to them when they write as reflected in students’ skillful use of these resources in genre-specific ways. This included using appraisal resources to develop well-supported claims, in addition to establishing a critical authoritative position.
Discussion of these findings focuses on the value of this type research on the pedagogic applications of the SFL framework as a way of advancing our understanding of how to better scaffold language learners and help them gain greater explicit control of the language resources necessary to successfully construct academic texts. As such, this study argues for the potential affordances of teaching pedagogies grounded in SFL theory in supporting language learners’ academic writing development. This study presents a case for the ability of SFL-informed pedagogies to empower students as writers by offering them new ways of looking at the writing process and using language to engage in advanced acts of meaning-making.
3
Hodgson-Drysdale, Tracy. "Teaching Writing Informed by Systemic Functional Linguistics: "I never would have thought of doing that..."." Thesis, Boston College, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/3677.
Abstract:
Thesis advisor: Maria E. BriskWriting is an essential tool for creating meaningful communication and as such it must be taught beginning in elementary school. Although in the past 100 years writing has become more common in our everyday lives, methods of teaching writing and teacher education have not kept pace with changes (National Commission on Writing, 2003). As a result, teachers are underprepared to teach writing and do not teach it enough (Gilbert and Graham, 2010). The goal of this study is to understand how teacher-researcher relationships can facilitate the development of a teacher's knowledge of the theoretical foundations of teaching writing through systemic functional linguistics (SFL) and the teaching and learning cycle (TLC), and how that understanding affects the implementation of meaningful writing instruction that supports bilingual students as they learn to write. Using a modified action research methodology (Herr and Anderson, 2005; Reason and Bradbury, 2001; Zeichner, 2001) the data were collected over the course of one school year and analyzed utilizing the action research spiral by examining interactions between a teacher and a researcher through seven vignettes, including planning lessons, teaching, and reviewing lessons. These vignettes reflected particular instances of support, the evolution of the teacher's understanding of teaching writing informed by SFL, and changes in instruction relating to the TLC. Student writing was also analyzed using rubrics informed by SFL theory. The findings suggest that a complex relationship exists between teachers and researchers and that multiple factors are involved in successful change initiatives. The factors include the process of change through individualized support over time, negotiation, and two types of tension: disequilibrium and resistance. In the current study, these factors helped develop the teacher-researcher relationship in ways that promoted changes in the teacher's practices and, to some extent, her beliefs about writing instruction which resulted in the creation of a hybrid pedagogy. While this pedagogy did not demonstrate a full implementation of instruction informed by SFL theory, it did improve the quality of writing instruction and the resulting student writing
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2013
Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education
Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction
4
Stiefvater, Andrea L. "Language Socialization in ESL Writing Classes: A Systemic Functional Analysis." Cincinnati, Ohio : University of Cincinnati, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view.cgi?acc_num=ucin1226983324.
Abstract:
Thesis (Dr. of Education)--University of Cincinnati, 2008.Advisor: Gulbahar Beckett. Title from electronic thesis title page (viewed Feb.16, 2009). Includes abstract. Keywords: 2nd Language Writing; TESL; EAP; SFL. Includes bibliographical references.
5
Daniello, Frank. "Systemic functional linguistics theory in practice: A longitudinal study of a school-university partnership reforming writing instruction in an urban elementary school." Thesis, Boston College, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/2591.
Abstract:
Thesis advisor: Dennis ShirleyThe ability to express meaning in prose is a foundational skill in our society. Given the importance of being a competent writer, concern with the quality of writing instruction is a recurring theme among American educators (Cutler & Graham, 2008; Gilbert & Graham, 2010; National Commission on Writing, 2003, 2004, 2006). Research shows that teachers are unprepared to teach writing (Gilbert & Graham, 2010) and devote limited amounts of time to it (Cutler & Graham, 2008; Gilbert & Graham, 2010). In addition, national assessment data indicates that most students are not proficient writers (Salahu-Din, Persky & Miller, 2008). An embedded case study design (Yin, 2009), using mixed methodology (Greene & Caracelli, 2003a, 2003b; Hesse-Biber, 2010), was employed to determine whether a school-university partnership enacted systemic functional linguistics theory guided writing intervention changed fourth and fifth grade teachers' writing instruction over the course of three years in an urban elementary school. The study further investigated changes to 41 fourth and 27 fifth graders' writing performance during the third year of the invention. Examination of the relationship between students' performance in writing and the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test in English language arts was conducted. The study also explored how teachers articulated their experiences with the partnership. Findings showed the content of teachers' instruction changed involving the use of metalanguage and the teaching of genre, language, and tenor. Similarly, instructional strategies evolved regarding negotiating field and deconstruction of text. Findings also indicated a significant improvement in writing performance for all students, and bilingual students had more growth over time than monolingual peers. Also, a moderate positive relationship existed between writing performance and MCAS performance, which suggests understanding of genre may support reading comprehension. Overall, teachers positively experienced the partnership and found value in the professional development. Implications of these study findings will benefit teacher education, administrators and policymakers, and allow for improved school-university partnerships
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2012
Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education
Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction
6
Almufayrij, Haifa S. "Teaching English poetry to Saudi students : an exploratory study for applying a Systemic Functional Linguistic based pedagogy for improving the reading, analysis and interpretation of poems in the English language." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2016. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/23086.
Abstract:
This study formulated and applied a Systemic Functional Linguistic (SFL) based pedagogy which is culturally appropriate for Saudi students in King Saud University for improving the reading, analysis and interpretation of poetry in English. Ian Haneur affirms the necessity of the implementation of cultural knowledge for the reading of poetry; he states that cultural knowledge is “important in that it provides a basis through which understanding is achieved.”(2001: 4).This approach is concerned with linguistic applications which aim to improve analytical powers, in particular, the Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) (Halliday, 2004; Thompson, 2004). This pedagogy gives Saudi students a tool for reading poetic texts in English and critically analyzes them independently. An attempt which has not been approached much due to concerns of Arab educators about the values of English and American literature and its effects upon readers and a concern over the confrontation of the various moral, social, religious, national, political, historical, and even geographical contexts in the foreign texts (G.Rababah, 1983;M. Obeidat, 1996; Zughoul, 1987; and Asfour andDahiyat, 1983). Furthermore, in this dissertation, I also attempted to address the impact that social, cultural, religious and linguistic differences have on the students' reading and interpretation of poems in English by exploring the perceptions of Saudi students regarding these issues. In my case study, a preliminary questionnaire with closed and open ended questions, class practice answers, post teaching interviews and observation notes were examined using selective coding to interpret the collected data. Analysis of student perceptions in relation to the social, cultural, religious and linguistic differences and the influence they had on their reading of poetry in English revealed meaningful high percentages of agreement which prove that Saudi students were facing problems in all these areas. The analysis of the application of SFL based pedagogy for the Saudi students provided significant evidence that SFL was a useful theory of language which played a purposeful role in showing the architecture of the English language and provided the students with a decoding tool for interpretation.
7
Bader, Britt-Marie. "Från tolk till att prata själv : En studie av SFI-studerandes erfarenheter av att delta i sina barns utvecklingssamtal." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Institutionen för språkdidaktik, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-195944.
Abstract:
Syftet med studien var att studera vårdnadshavare som samtidigt deltar i SFI-undervisning och deras erfarenheter av att delta i sina barns utvecklingssamtal i grundskolan. Studien utgick från följande frågeställningar om hur vårdnadshavares erfarenheter av utvecklingssamtal i grundskolan visar sig, beskrivna av dem själva, vilka möjligheter och hinder som vårdnadshavarna beskriver att de har erfarenheter av och vad har SFI-undervisningen betytt för vårdnadshavarna för att delta i sina barns utvecklingssamtal, enligt deras beskrivningar? Studiens teoretiska utgångspunkter är ett interkulturellt perspektiv och Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) och metodologiska utgångspunkter är semistrukturerade intervjuer och analyser av narrativer. Resultatet visar att gemensamt i berättelserna var att vårdnadshavarna först använde tolk i sina barns utvecklingssamtal men att när de började förstå svenska bättre så ville de hellre klara sig utan och fann strategier för det. Gemensamt var att fråga läraren eller ta hjälp av sina barn och en variation var att använda engelska eller att läraren hade samma modersmål som vårdnadshavaren. Möjligheter och hinder för att delta i utvecklingssamtalen varierade. Vårdnadshavarnas strategier möjliggjorde deltagandet. Hinder som visade sig var när läraren pratade fort och använde svåra ord, vilket samtidigt blev en möjlighet om läraren omvänt pratade långsamt, tydligt och med enkla ord. Resultatet gör synligt interkulturella förhållningssätt där deltagarna visar förståelse för varandras olika etniska bakgrund och kulturella skillnader, vilket kan ses som förutsättningar för tillitsfulla relationer och att våga fråga läraren. Vårdnadshavarnas vilja att klara sig själva är möjlig att förstå ur ett SFL-perspektiv där språket ska fungerar för att tolka upplevelser, skapa mening och kommunicera, vilket är drivkrafter för att lära sig språket. Resultatet visar inte att vårdnadshavarna gav SFI-undervisningen någon särskild betydelse för att delta i sina barns utvecklingssamtal. Däremot visade begränsat antal timmar i undervisningen och flertalet studieavbrott att det ledde till att andraspråksinlärningen drar ut på tiden, vilket går att förstå som svårigheter för att nå ett funktionellt språk.
8
Hattingh, Nathalie. "A systemic functional analysis of two Truth and Reconciliation Commission testimonies: transitivity and genre." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2011. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&action=viewtitle&id=gen8Srv25Nme4_2541_1361370387.
Abstract:
This thesis examines how two narrators construe their experiences of the same events differently through the linguistic choices that they make, through a systemic functional analysis, as well as a genre analysis of two testimonies. The Human Rights Violations (HRV) hearings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) allowed testifiers to tell stories of their experiences during apartheid. The selected testimonies refer to the events that led up to the arrest and eventual torture of Faried Muhammad Ferhelst, as told by himself and his mother, Minnie Louisa Ferhelst. Theframeworks used to analyse the testimonies are drawn from the transitivity and genre theories of Systemic Functional Linguistics. A clausal analysis of the transitivity patterns is used to compare the ways in which the testifiers construct their identities and roles when recounting their stories. The transitivity analysis of both testimonies shows that both Mrs Ferhelst and Faried Ferhelst construe themselves as the Affected participant through Material, Mental and Verbal clauses, and construe the police as the Causers, mostly through Material clauses. A genre analysis revealed that both testimonies took the form of narratives, in particular the Recount, a typical genre for relating narratives of personal experience. This research project also explores how the original Afrikaans versions of the testimonies differ from the translated English versions, available online on the TRC website. The Afrikaans versions were transcribed by the researcher from
audio-visual records. A transitivity analysis reveals that the interpretation of the Afrikaans testimonies is fairly accurate, with a minimum loss of meaning. Thus in the case of these testimonies, the
actual online record in English is an accurate reflection of their stories.
9
Anyona, Ondigi Evans. "Face-work and identities in a discussion about xenophobia." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/3994.
Abstract:
Magister Artium - MAInternational students arriving at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) from other African countries find themselves in a position of having to negotiate their identities and positions with their South African counterparts. The local students too are faced with the prospect of doing the same since they have to coexist with the former. This study aims to investigate how, in a discussion about xenophobia, a selection of UWC students perform face-work and negotiate or construct their identities as well as those of their coparticipants and position themselves in relation to each other. I was interested in exploring how the participants, who were representative of the two groups that clashed in the xenophobic attacks of 2008, would engage with each other while discussing this sensitive topic.The data was gathered during an open-ended discussion among four UWC postgraduate students in a casual, relaxed setting (my room on campus). The transcribed data was then analyzed using a combination of theoretical frameworks from Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) and Discourse Analysis. In particular, the SFL theory of modality(Halliday 1994) and Engagement (Martin and White 2005) and Goffman’s (1999[1967]) notion of face were used as tools of analysis.The analysis reveals that participants use a variety of linguistic choices and discourse strategies to maintain face during the discussion of this sensitive topic of xenophobia. The participants make an effort to take care of each other’s face (desires to be appreciated and left free of any imposition) and keep conflicts to a minimum even when they at times disagree and give incriminatory information about each other. It also reveals that the participants, in addition to maintaining face, also construct and negotiate identities which in turn help build in-group solidarity and provide a sense of belonging to them.
10
Mohammed, Tawffeek Abdou Saeed. "A taxonomy of problems in arabic-english Translation: a systemic functional Linguistics approach Tawffeek abdou." University of the Western Cape, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/4103.
Abstract:
Philosophiae Doctor - PhDWorking with Arab students pursuing a degree in English Language and Translation at the Taiz University, Republic of Yemen, has brought to the researcher‟s attention a number of errors or problems encountered in Arabic to English translation. This study aims to investigate the problems encountered by student translators (STs), novice translators (NTs) as well as more experienced translators (Ts) while translating from Arabic into English. The study starts with the assumption that Arabic and English belong to different families of languages and thus there is rarely a word-for-word equivalence in both languages. The present study is cross-sectional in nature. It is based on empirical data collected from several categories of translators. In other words, the data was collected from fourth-year students in the department of English and Translation in the Faculty of Arts, Taiz University, as well as five NTs who have previously graduated from this department and are currently working in a number of accredited translation offices in Taiz. The study also investigates the challenges faced by Ts. For this purpose, a novel, a tourist brochure, an editorial, and three academic abstracts all translated by established publishing houses and translation centres in and outside Yemen are examined. These texts are analyzed to determine to what extent the problems faced by STs and NTs reoccur in published translations produced by Ts. For its conceptual framework, the study adopts an eclectic approach that does not stick rigidly to a particular paradigm but rather draws upon multiple linguistic and translation theories. However, it is mainly based on Halliday‟s Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) and the problems have been classified along his taxonomy of meaning metafunctions into ideational, interpersonal and textual. Extra-textual problems are also analyzed. Several SFG-based translation models such as Hatim and Mason‟s (1990) sociometic model, House‟s (1977, 1997) translation quality assessment model, Hervey et al. (1992) register analysis model and Baker‟s (1990) equivalence model are also employed in the study to help the researcher examine the problems encountered in Arabic-English translation within those four categories. In addition, Nord‟s functional model to translation which is based on Skopos theory is also taken into consideration although to a minimum extent. In addition to the analysis of translations produced by various categories of translators, the study uses several triangulation research tools such as questionnaire, Thinking Aloud Protocols (TAPs), retrospective interviews, and classroom observation. These tools are employed to assist the researcher to identify the possible causes for the problems the STs, NTs, and Ts experience from the perspective of the participants themselves. The current translation programme at Taiz University is also analyzed to determine to what extent it contributes to the poor performance of the student translators and would-be translators. The study concludes that STs, NTs and even Ts encounter several problems at the ideational, interpersonal and textual levels. They also encounter problems at the extra-textual stratum. The study attributes these problems to structural and cultural differences between the two languages, the reliance on the dictionary rather than the meaning in use of lexical items, the differences in the cohesion and coherence systems of Arabic and English, the negligence of the role of context in translation as well as unfamiliarity with text-typologies and genre conventions. In other words, participants follow a bottom-up approach in translation and come close to the source text translating it literally. This approach is very damaging because it ignores the fact that the three metafunctions might be realized differently in the two languages. Furthermore, the study concludes that the manner in which translation is taught at Taiz University as well as the syllabus contribute mainly to the lack of translation competence of the student translators and would-be translators. The programme is inadequate and it needs urgent review and improvements. The present syllabus does not keep abreast with the latest theoretical and practical developments in the discipline of translation as well as neighbouring disciplines such as contrastive linguistics, text-analysis, discourse analysis, corpus linguistics and the like. As for methodology, the study concludes that it is the transmissionist (teacher-centred) teaching approach rather than the transformational (learner-centred) which is commonly used in teaching translation. As a result, the read-and-translate approach dominates the scene and no tasks, activities, or projects are given to the STs. The study provides some recommendations, which if implemented, can be useful in enabling Yemeni and Arab universities to improve the competence among student translators in order to improve translation teaching at academic level. A major contribution of this study is the description and classification of translation problems in Arabic-English translation on the basis of meaning systems. Unlike traditional descriptive error analysis, which is widely used to analyze the translation product, SFG-based text analysis provides a systematic description of translation problems which allows a precise articulation of the nature of problems that would otherwise be explained simply as translations which “sound unnatural or awkward” (Kim 2008; Yallop 1999). As far as the researcher knows, no study in the Arab world has yet tackled translation problems from this perspective. Other studies have tackled deviated forms produced by students or translators using an error analysis technique rather than a holistic approach based on solid theoretical knowledge. In other words, while most other studies focused on specific „errors‟ and error analysis and ended at that, the present study does not only looks at „errors‟ as „difference‟ (from contrastive analysis) but rather from several perspectives. It is also more comprehensive by triangulating several sources of data and pooling them together for a more informed understanding.
11
Bock, Zannie. "A Discourse Analysis of Selected Truth and Reconciliation Commission Testimonies. : Appraisal and Genre. /." Thesis, University of Western Cape, 2007. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/usrfiles/modules/etd/docs/etd_gen8Srv25Nme4_2685_1260525552.pdf.
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Björk, Oscar. "En trädgård, en boksamling och det väl valda ordet : genrepedagogik för skriftspråksutveckling hos framgångsrika respektive mindre framgångsrika skriftspråkare i gymnasiet." Thesis, Södertörns högskola, Institutionen för kultur och lärande, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-24066.
Abstract:
This is a qualitative analysis that, based on systemic functional linguistics, or SFL, and genre theory, has aimed to study the genre pedagogical implications on written language as they occur in narrative stories and expositions whilst the model is introduced. Systemic functional linguistics is a linguistic theory that views the organisation of language as functional options for meaning; language is a set of resources to channel meaning through realisation. Genre theory elucidates the pragmatic and educational uses of SFL in the categorizing of language in configurations of meanings as they are set and understood in different cultures. The purpose of the survey is to do so with focus on successful and less successful writers by attempting to answer two primal issues: How is development of written language in reference to the introduction of the genre pedagogical model visible in the studied texts? How does genre pedagogical teaching influence successful and less successful writers as visible in their writing with a certain purpose? To answer these issues the survey is based on narratives and expositions written by high school students who have been divided into two groups according to the purpose of the survey. One text in each genre has been written by the students before and after lessons based on the genre pedagogical learning wheel explaining the relevant genres. Thereafter the texts have been analysed, both in accordance to the staging of the relevant genres, but also with an inductive focus on the variations of the texts. The results show that significant development of the texts, after the genre pedagogical lessons, is visible in both student groups in different ways. This demonstrates how the genre pedagogical approach to teaching language is a method that is able to lift students regardless of their prior merits.
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Asima, Curkic. "Hur samspelar multimodala resurser i läromedel för svenska som andraspråk? : En kvalitativ studie med utgångspunkt i SFL:s metafunktioner." Thesis, Växjö universitet, Institutionen för humaniora, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-100533.
Abstract:
SammandragSyftet med studien var att undersöka förkomsten av olika typer av semiotiska resurser som har betydelse för förståelsen av texten i läromedel, med fokus på hur bild och text samspelar som stödstrukturer. Två läromedel i svenska som andraspråk för kurs 1, 2 och 3 framställda efter den aktuella läroplanen (Gy 11) undersöktes (Sätt full fart och Språkporten). En kvalitativ studie genomfördes där bild, text och faktarutor analyserades utifrån en analysmodell (Björkvall 2009) som är baserad på metafunktionerna i Systemic functional linguistics (SFL). Studiens resultat visade att bildernas placering gav reellt (specifikt) informationsvärde samt att deras interaktion med läsaren var av erbjudande karaktär. Studien visade på att det finns stora likheter mellan läromedlen gällande på vilket sätt bild/faktarutor/verbaltext används, men att Språkporten använder layout i högre utsträckning. Läromedlens variation av semiotiska resurser, i synnerhet i Sätt full fart, kan antas fungera som stöttning för helhetsförståelsen, vilket i tidigare studier har visat sig vara ett stöd för elever generellt men för andraspråkselever i synnerhet.nej
14
Yang, Dai Fei. "Improving Networked Learning in Higher Education: Language Functions and Design Patterns." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/2465.
Abstract:
The thesis of this study is that two seemingly disparate research disciplines can be coalesced to develop an effective pedagogical framework for educational design in the context of networked learning. That contention is grounded in, and inspired by, the rapid developments in educational technologies which have greatly changed the landscape in teaching and learning in higher education over the last decade. The study attempts to add to the corpus of contemporary learning theory which sees students not merely as passive recipients of knowledge, but as active participants in the learning process, having much greater control over their selection of technological learning tools, learning resources and learning methodologies. This is very much in line with the shift from the traditional focus on content design and knowledge transmission towards a more student-centred design for knowledge co-construction, a development which demands the type of new thinking about the design of learning tasks and learning resources contained in this study. Also set out are new lines of action for the fashioning of a collaborative learning environment, for community interaction and the sharing of knowledge, and for promoting good teaching and learning practice. The central argument of the study is that such pedagogical goals may be attained by juxtaposing the theories of Systemic Functional Linguistics (hereafter SFL) and pattern languages. These have not, thus far, been used in combination. SFL is a well established theory in the study of language, and is used in this thesis to help analyse and classify discourses produced and shared by teachers and students in networked learning. Pattern languages have their origin in architecture. Design patterns can be used as a means of representing and sharing important and specific empirical research results and design experiences. This new knowledge can be used to support and improve the quality of educational design. The study has two central components. The first uses the SFL theoretical framework to demonstrate how text is used as a key medium in networked learning. In other words, it is argued in this section that the quality of texts has a direct impact on the quality of learning and learning outcomes. The quality of text is assessed by means of a detailed discourse analysis of selected texts. This process involves deconstructing, identifying and capturing the linguistic resources and language strategies used in the texts. The detailed discourse analysis also illustrates and reveals how language is used in the construction of knowledge and the promotion of collaboration in teaching and learning. The second component centres on the argument that SFL provides valuable language knowledge which can be represented by using Alexander’s design patterns. New knowledge encoded in these design patterns can be used by teachers and designers as reusable and shared resources to help them improve their design work. The empirical research was carried out in three phases. The first involved a) the identification of text patterns of discourses used in networked learning based on detailed discourse analysis; b) Interviewing experienced academic staff to identify their perspectives on good online teaching practices and success factors. The second phase involved using the data which emerged from these interviews and discourse analysis to model illustrative patterns. (Here, illustrative means that due to the scope of the study, it is only possible to develop a limited number of patterns to illustrate the methods used for pattern development. It is not the intention to develop a full repository of design patterns in this study). In the third (validation) phase the patterns were reviewed by two groups of academic staff, with the aim of improving these patterns. Improved patterns were then tested on a group of educational design students for their usefulness and application. It is concluded from this research that it is possible to develop design patterns which ensure the best use of linguistic resources in both the teaching and learning process. Finally, it is argued that the combination of SFL and pattern languages provides a promising theoretical framework for the complex and demanding task of educational design. Future research could make use of such a framework to explore a fuller application of the pattern- based approach for the representation of new knowledge for educational design. Suggested additional research directions include finding new ways of capturing a new pedagogical approach to mobile learning and blended learning. Also, a promising direction could be the use of SFL Appraisal theory (Martin, 2000) for the investigation on how students construct interpersonal relationships (appraise peer work) in online joint projects. In the conclusion, it is contended that through its exploration of new ground in the use of SFL and pattern language theory in the construction of education design patterns, the study makes a significant contribution to knowledge in the field of networked learning.
15
Yang, Dai Fei. "Improving Networked Learning in Higher Education: Language Functions and Design Patterns." University of Sydney, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/2465.
Abstract:
Doctor of PhilosophyThe thesis of this study is that two seemingly disparate research disciplines can be coalesced to develop an effective pedagogical framework for educational design in the context of networked learning. That contention is grounded in, and inspired by, the rapid developments in educational technologies which have greatly changed the landscape in teaching and learning in higher education over the last decade. The study attempts to add to the corpus of contemporary learning theory which sees students not merely as passive recipients of knowledge, but as active participants in the learning process, having much greater control over their selection of technological learning tools, learning resources and learning methodologies. This is very much in line with the shift from the traditional focus on content design and knowledge transmission towards a more student-centred design for knowledge co-construction, a development which demands the type of new thinking about the design of learning tasks and learning resources contained in this study. Also set out are new lines of action for the fashioning of a collaborative learning environment, for community interaction and the sharing of knowledge, and for promoting good teaching and learning practice. The central argument of the study is that such pedagogical goals may be attained by juxtaposing the theories of Systemic Functional Linguistics (hereafter SFL) and pattern languages. These have not, thus far, been used in combination. SFL is a well established theory in the study of language, and is used in this thesis to help analyse and classify discourses produced and shared by teachers and students in networked learning. Pattern languages have their origin in architecture. Design patterns can be used as a means of representing and sharing important and specific empirical research results and design experiences. This new knowledge can be used to support and improve the quality of educational design. The study has two central components. The first uses the SFL theoretical framework to demonstrate how text is used as a key medium in networked learning. In other words, it is argued in this section that the quality of texts has a direct impact on the quality of learning and learning outcomes. The quality of text is assessed by means of a detailed discourse analysis of selected texts. This process involves deconstructing, identifying and capturing the linguistic resources and language strategies used in the texts. The detailed discourse analysis also illustrates and reveals how language is used in the construction of knowledge and the promotion of collaboration in teaching and learning. The second component centres on the argument that SFL provides valuable language knowledge which can be represented by using Alexander’s design patterns. New knowledge encoded in these design patterns can be used by teachers and designers as reusable and shared resources to help them improve their design work. The empirical research was carried out in three phases. The first involved a) the identification of text patterns of discourses used in networked learning based on detailed discourse analysis; b) Interviewing experienced academic staff to identify their perspectives on good online teaching practices and success factors. The second phase involved using the data which emerged from these interviews and discourse analysis to model illustrative patterns. (Here, illustrative means that due to the scope of the study, it is only possible to develop a limited number of patterns to illustrate the methods used for pattern development. It is not the intention to develop a full repository of design patterns in this study). In the third (validation) phase the patterns were reviewed by two groups of academic staff, with the aim of improving these patterns. Improved patterns were then tested on a group of educational design students for their usefulness and application. It is concluded from this research that it is possible to develop design patterns which ensure the best use of linguistic resources in both the teaching and learning process. Finally, it is argued that the combination of SFL and pattern languages provides a promising theoretical framework for the complex and demanding task of educational design. Future research could make use of such a framework to explore a fuller application of the pattern- based approach for the representation of new knowledge for educational design. Suggested additional research directions include finding new ways of capturing a new pedagogical approach to mobile learning and blended learning. Also, a promising direction could be the use of SFL Appraisal theory (Martin, 2000) for the investigation on how students construct interpersonal relationships (appraise peer work) in online joint projects. In the conclusion, it is contended that through its exploration of new ground in the use of SFL and pattern language theory in the construction of education design patterns, the study makes a significant contribution to knowledge in the field of networked learning.
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Oscarsson, Amanda. "Hur fungerar bilder i läromedel? : En kvalitativ studie av hur bild och text fungerar som stödstrukturer i läromedel för svenska och svenska som andraspråk." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för svenska språket (SV), 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-79390.
Abstract:
Studiens syfte var att undersöka hur bilder förhöll sig till verbaltexten samt hur bild och text fungerade som stödstrukturer i läromedel för svenska och svenska som andraspråk kurs 1, 2 och 3. I studien, som utgick ifrån det sociokulturella perspektivet, utfördes en kvalitativ analys där en analysmodell sammanställdes utifrån två tidigare modeller för kategorisering av bild-textfunktioner. Läromedlen valdes ut efter aktuell läroplan (Lgy 11). Analysen utgick från att de multimodala resurserna kan betraktas som stödstrukturer och resultatet visade att det förekom olika förhållanden mellan bild och verbaltext i läromedlen Sätt full fart (SVA) och Guldspår i språket (SV). Merparten av bild-text-förhållandena var kompletterande och symmetriska, alltså typer av förhållanden som kan fungera som stödstrukturer vilket underlättar förståelsen. Men det förekom även motstridiga förhållanden vilka kan försvåra förståelsen. Detta belyser vikten av att bilder i läromedel används genomtänkt och att det kan finnas ett behov av metasamtal om stödstrukturerna.
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Lohrer, Magda Branco. "A coesão e a coerência em função da persuasão em texto dissertativo-argumentativo: uma abordagem sistêmico-funcional." Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, 2009. https://tede2.pucsp.br/handle/handle/14125.
Abstract:
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Previous issue date: 2009-11-26The aim of this research is to study the compositions written by students trying to get into the Administration course of a private university in Curitiba, Paraná. Some of these students will eventually take my courses Personal Development, which is taught in the first semester, and Interpersonal Development, which is taught in the second. Choosing these compositions instead of the ones written by first year undergraduates of the Administration course has to do with my desire to investigate the quality of the texts produced by students who had finished high school in 2007. By doing so we would be able to answer the following question: what kind of text producer has my college been receiving? The answers provided by this research will generate other questions: how can these students be helped? Hasn t the university mistakenly taken for granted that undergraduate students are proficient text writers? Do these students make spelling mistakes? Does their writing lack coherence? What kind of problems are there in these texts in relation to textual cohesion and discourse coherence in terms of the pragmatic context of argumentative/persuasive interaction between writer and reader? This research is grounded on qualitative methodology, for it aims at investigating the argumentative texts written by the students above mentioned. The theoretical approach we will draw upon is the Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), by Halliday (1985, 1994, 2004) and his coworkers. SFL sees language as a social process and it develops a methodology which allows a detailed and systematic description of linguistic patterns. The corpus used in this research is made up of 16 compositions whose quality was seen to be good enough for students to be accepted at the Administration course of the private university where I work
O presente estudo tem como objetivo examinar redações de vestibular produzidas por vestibulandos que aspiram ao curso de Administração de uma Faculdade particular sediada na cidade de Curitiba (PR), que futuramente serão meus alunos, na disciplina de Desenvolvimento Pessoal, no primeiro semestre do curso, e Desenvolvimento Interpessoal, no segundo semestre. A escolha das redações de vestibular e não de textos produzidos por alunos do Curso de Administração deveu-se a nossa curiosidade inicial em verificar a qualidade dos textos produzidos por alunos que terminaram o curso médio (2007). Propomos o seguinte questionamento: que tipo de produtor de texto recebe essa faculdade? Diante da realidade que esta pesquisa apontar, o que se deve proporcionar a esses alunos? Não haveria, da parte da faculdade, a tendência a julgar que o aluno universitário já tenha completa proficiência na escrita? Este aluno comente erros ortográficos? Incorre em incoerência, propondo um tema e desenvolvendo outro? Que tipo de falhas esses textos apresentam em termos de coesão textual e coerência discursiva, tendo em vista o contexto pragmático de interação argumentativa/persuasiva entre escritor e leitor? Metodologicamente, esta pesquisa está pautada na metodologia qualitativa, por se tratar de um estudo de textos argumentativos produzidos por alunos. O estudo fundamentou-se basicamente na Linguística Sistêmico-Funcional (LSF), de Halliday (1985, 1994, 2004) e seus colaboradores. A LSF procura desenvolver uma teoria sobre a língua como um processo social e uma metodologia que permita uma descrição detalhada e sistemática dos padrões linguísticos. O corpus desta pesquisa é composto de 16 redações, avaliadas como satisfatórias para fins de permitir o ingresso dos referidos alunos ao curso de Administração de Empresas na faculdade mencionada
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Fins, Moa. ""SATS-medlemmar är lyckligare, mindre oroliga och mindre deprimerade..." : En studie av hur modelläsaren konstrueras i SATS Magazine." Thesis, Södertörns högskola, Institutionen för kultur och lärande, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-39967.
Abstract:
I denna uppsats analyseras fyra olika artiklar från gymkedjan SATS egen tidning, SATS Magazine. Syftet är att undersöka vilken modelläsare som konstrueras. Modelläsaren är den ideala läsaren som skribenten tillägnar texten till, det är den identitet som läsaren blir erbjuden i en text och som skribenten föreställer sig. Med hjälp av den systemisk-funktionella grammatiken samt kritisk diskursanalys är syftet att med en kvalitativ metod undersöka vilka krav gällande träning som ställs på modelläsaren, och hur detta bidrar till hur modelläsaren konstrueras. Den interpersonella betydelsen kommer att beröra språkhandlingar, modalitet, tilltal och värdeladdade ord. Den ideationella analysen är något avgränsad och kommer endast att fokusera på vilka ideationella processer som förekommer i texterna. Den interpersonella analysen visar att kravställandet på modelläsaren är högt men att det realiseras genom råd. Läsaren görs delaktig i texten vilket skapar närhet mellan avsändaren och läsaren. Den ideationella analysen visar att det främst förekommer materiella och relationella processer där de materiella visar att modelläsaren är aktiv och positivt inställd till att träna, medan de relationella processerna i flera fall används för att realisera uppmaningar. Diskursanalysen visar att artiklarna förutom hälso- och träningsdiskurser även innehåller en medicinsk samt en kommersiell diskurs.
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Williams, James. "The mind, the brain, and systemic functional linguistics." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2016. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/32889/.
Abstract:
Modern cognitive science is characterized by a number of different proposals that aim to provide a means of conceptualizing cognitive systems, and stating the kinds of information that are needed to study the phenomenon from a number of different perspectives. Recently, there has been a growing trend to think about cognitive systems in terms of embodiment and embeddedness. These two factors emphasize, respectively, the role the body and the environment in shaping the nature of cognitive processes. However, what these theses currently lack is a well-articulated conceptual framework for guiding their work. Specifically, it lacks an explicit account of the types of levels of analysis that are needed to study cognition from these perspectives. This explicitness is a feature of alternative conceptions of the mind, the classical approaches and connectionist approaches that despite their differences, both draw upon the notions of computation and representation in explaining cognitive life. Where these proposals fall short is their lack of focus of the kinds of factors that motivate the embedded and embodied view. This thesis aims to fill this gap in the literature by beginning to develop an explicit conceptual framework for embodied and embedded cognition. It is proposed that such a framework can be based upon the principles of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), a theory of language that considers communication in its eco-social context. Specifically, it proposes a number of levels of analysis that are useful for such a framework. Motivation for such a proposal is that: (1) both language and general cognition are semiotic systems, (2) they can both be described as dynamic, open systems, and (3) all the types of levels of analysis previously identified in cognitive science are also found in the SFL literature. This thesis, therefore, investigates whether such a cross-disciplinary application has the potential to be successful. In order to achieve the above goals, this thesis examines the following possible applications of notions from SFL to conceptual frameworks in cognitive science. Firstly, this thesis examines the theoretical notions of stratification, instantiation, delicacy and rank in SFL and then continues to outline their application to this neighbouring field. These are the levels of analysis indicated above. Stratification allows cognitive systems to be considered simultaneously at a number of different levels of interpretation. Specifically, it considers cognitive systems to consist of a neurophysiological system and a psychological system, i.e. a system of possible neurological states, and a system of possible cognitive acts. Delicacy describes these systems in more or less specific terms. Rank identifies the structural unit at which meaningful behaviour is taking place, and instantiation describes the interplay between observed instances and the underlying system. This last factor enables a dynamic view of cognition to be proposed. Furthermore, this thesis examines whether ideas from SFL concerning text-context interactions can prove useful for considering organism-environment interactions. The main proposal here is that the environment need not be considered as a vast, heterogeneous entity, but instead is itself a system involved in the creation of meaning. In this way, it can also be described along the dimensions discussed above, although at this stage only the notions of stratification and instantiation can be discussed in any depth. Also, it proposes that the environment can be described according to three environmental parameters: (1) the objective, that describes the objects and relations between them, (2) the relational, which describes relations between the individual and said objects, and (3) the goal, which provides the situation the individual is attempting to bring about. In this way structure can be brought to studies of cognitive embeddedness. Finally, this work considers the notion of abstraction in SFL as it relates to the dimensions of stratification, delicacy and rank. All of these have been described as operating over this relation, but this thesis argues that its meaning is different in each case. It argues this by considering the links between abstraction and the related notions of omission, generalization and decontextualization. In line with the overall goal of this work, it is proposed that a more explicit understanding of these terms can help the process of beginning to build the framework under discussion, by linking data to the overall framework. In sum, this thesis begins to develop a novel framework for cognitive science that is based upon the principles of Systemic Functional Linguistics. It is hoped that this work can bring some extra clarity to the notions of embeddedness and embodiment in cognitive science and show how cognitive systems may be studied from this perspective.
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Åström, Ida. "Drömkandidaten : En kritisk diskursanalys om hur den ideale sökande konstrueras i platsannonser inom bygg- och fastighetssektorn." Thesis, Södertörns högskola, Svenska, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-37396.
Abstract:
The purpose of this bachelor thesis is to investigate how an ideal job applicant is described when searching real estate janitors and real estate managers in job advertising using a Swedish linguistic perspective. This is achieved by looking at how the model reader is constructed i.e. if the ways to describe the two occupational groups differ, if the descriptions tend to include or exclude groups of applicants, and if and how a relationship is created between the employer and the recipient and if so what kind of relationship. The material consists of ten job advertisements where the employer is looking for real estate janitors and ten job advertisements where the employer is looking for real estate managers. The choice of method for the study is systemic functional grammar, critical discourse analysis and gender coding. Theoretically I also start from the systemic functional grammar and the critical discourse analysis, though with an emancipatory approach. The descriptions of the dream candidates that is created in the ads differ between the two occupations. Real estate janitor is a job which requires more practical skills, while the job as a manager requires more theoretical skills. The ideal real estate janitor has equal numbers of masculine and feminine qualities. The dream candidate is self-propelled, service-oriented and is able to plan the working day in an efficient way. Since the employer seems to have a dominant attitude towards the janitor their relationship tends to not be very close. The ideal dream candidate created for real estate managers is also very self-sufficient, but he or she also has a strong internal drive and likes to run projects in combination with a strong sense of responsibility. The ideal real estate manager has a little more feminine than masculine qualities. The relationship between the employer and the ideal real estate manager is more symmetrical than the relationship that is constructed with the ideal real estate manager.
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Bowers, Susan. "Application of systemic functional linguistics to teaching L2 academic writing." Thesis, Open University, 2011. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.576653.
Abstract:
Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) is a functional approach to grammar, originating with Michael Halliday (1985, An Introduction to Functional Grammar). This study looks at the effect of incorporating SFL ideas into a more traditional Communicative course, working with a teacher and students at the University of Barcelona. Classroom material was designed, based around texts from an exhibition on Darwin's 'The Origin of Species'. Two experimental groups and two control groups, from intermediate and advanced levels, taught by the same teacher, participated in the research. The experimental groups used the materials (representing about 10 hours of class time) in combination with their normal English course, while the control groups followed the traditional course only. The pre-test-post-test methodology involved the students in all 4 groups writing an essay before and after the course, and these texts formed the basis of the data analysis. The data analysis stage explored the use of the SFL concepts of Theme and Thematic progression (the way that the Themes are linked) within the organisation of the student texts, and the contribution of these features to the development of cohesion. The methodology was therefore quantitative, with some qualitative material in the form of questionnaires for the students and written feedback from the teacher. Quantitative results showed that the use of the materials, which were designed around a text-based approach to language learning, affected choices of both Theme type and Thematic progression. Within Theme type, interpersonal Theme changes were more apparent and more systematic (across all groups) than changes elsewhere, and may be linked to Thematic progression. Results for Thematic progression showed an increase in the number of post-test cross-referential Themes for both experimental and control groups, and a decline in the use of constant Theme for all groups except the intermediate control. An awareness and effective management of Thematic choice and progression, together with related cohesive devices within a text, are therefore interpreted as important features of academic writing, and explicit teaching of them appears to contribute to the production of more successful texts in this context. Overall, teacher and student responses were positive, especially in the case of the intermediate group: the materials were seen as challenging, but interesting and useful.
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Rudge, L. A. "Analysing British sign language through the lens of systemic functional linguistics." Thesis, University of the West of England, Bristol, 2018. http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/32634/.
Abstract:
Approaches to understanding language via Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) have resulted in a compendium of literature focussing on language as a ‘social semiotic.’ One such area of this literature comprises systemic functional grammars: descriptions of various languages and the way in which they create meaning. Despite the application of SFL to numerous languages and the creation of systemic functional grammars, a common thread is that of modality: SFL has been applied to numerous languages in the spoken and written modalities, but not in any detail to languages in the visual-spatial modality. My thesis presents an initial attempt at analysing British Sign Language (BSL) through the systemic functional lens. Calling on various theories and methods found in sign linguistics and SFL, I perform an analysis on a sample of BSL clauses (N = 1,375) from three perspectives: how BSL manages exchanges of communication (the interpersonal metafunction); how BSL encodes aspects of experience and reality (the experiential metafunction); and how BSL may be organised to produce a coherent text with variance in information prominence (the textual metafunction). As a result, I present three sets of system networks based on these three metafunctions, complete with realisation statements and examples. This thesis provides considerable impact. From an academic perspective, this is the first in-depth systemic functional description of a language in the visual-spatial modality, providing insight both into how such languages function, and how analyses of these languages may feed back into those of spoken and written languages. From a social perspective, the BSL system networks can assist language learners of any level as a point of reference in clause construction. Furthermore, intermediate and higher BSL qualifications stipulate knowledge of sign linguistics as a required component, yet these assessments are based on resources that have not been updated in nearly twenty years. As such, the products of this thesis may go towards informing future BSL assessments.
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Gosden, Hugh Robert Martin. "A genre-base investigation of theme : product and process in scientific research articles written by NNS novice researchers." Thesis, University of Liverpool, 1994. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.385233.
Abstract:
This multi-method study presents an exercise in applied discourse analysis conducted within the broad framework of systemic-functional linguistics. The theoretical part of the work explores the relationship between one functional component of language, Halliday's notion of Theme, and the characterisation of a particular genre, the scientific research article (RA). Relevant literature on a variety of views of genre and Theme in the traditions of English for Academic Purposes (FAP) and systemic-functional linguistics is reviewed. The integration of these two levels of functional description is used as a basis for exploring the way in which Theme and generic structure relate to 'successful' processes and products of scientific research communication. The particular educational setting for the applied part of this work is the writing of first scientific RAs in English by NNS (non-native speaker) novice researchers. The primary method of study adopted here is corpus-based and initial discourse-functional analysis and description of marked and unmarked thematic choices are based on a corpus of 36 published RAs in the physical and life sciences written by 'experienced' NSs. This corpus represents a base 'norm' of thematic usage against which other corpora are compared, namely, published RAs written by 'experienced' NNS scientists and unpublished first and final RA drafts written by NNS novices. Major findings indicated that 'appropriate' thematic selections in the RA genre are constrained by the changing rhetorical purposes, signalled by means of moves, which operate throughout the different stages of scientific RA discourse; thus, the textual metafunction of Theme plays a significant role in the characterisation and dynamic wi thin-text structuring of the scientific RA genre. Furthermore, background surveys by means of questionnaires and interviews of the participants in the process of international research communication, in particular, of 'expert' NS journal editors, confirmed that 'appropriate' thematic control was clearly associated with the judgement of the merits of NNSs' RAs, and thereby, their 'successful' publication. With the pedagogical application of such theoretical insights in mind, the use of the teaching/research tool of Propositional Clusters (PCs) was explored in the EAP classroom as a heuristic for raising NNS novices' awareness about the manipulation of Theme in drafting and redrafting RA sections. Data collected from PCs exercises indicated their potential to raise awareness about the role of 'appropriate' thematic control in helping to create 'successful' texts. This study contributes to our understanding of aspects of the functional relationship between elements of discourse structure and lexica-grammatical components such as Theme/Subject. In addition, reflecting the social-semiotic perspective of a systemic-functional framework, this work strongly emphasises the social-constructionist nature of the processes involved in international research communication through the medium of the scientific research article.
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Fontaine, Lise. "A systemic functional approach to referring expressions : reconsidering postmodification in the nominal group." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2008. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/45765/.
Abstract:
This thesis explores the relevant systems which model the choices speakers make when referring to objects. Referring expressions have received relatively little attention in Systemic Functional Linguistics, although from a purely structural perspective some work has attempted to account for postmodification in the nominal group. The main goal of this thesis is to produce a theoretical and analytical approach to referring expressions including complex referring expressions in particular. This requires a shift in perspective from structural (‘nominal group’) to functional (‘referring expression’).
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CASTRO, LIVIA MARIA AIRES DE. "WRITING, SCHOOL AND LITERACY: STUDENT TEXTS THROUGH APPRAISAL THEORY AND SYSTEMIC-FUNCTIONAL LINGUISTICS." PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO, 2014. http://www.maxwell.vrac.puc-rio.br/Busca_etds.php?strSecao=resultado&nrSeq=24428@1.
Abstract:
PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIROCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DO PESSOAL DE ENSINO SUPERIOR
PROGRAMA DE SUPORTE À PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO DE INSTS. DE ENSINO
O presente trabalho tem como objetivo investigar a produção escrita de alunos de ensino médio de uma escola pública da rede estadual do Rio de Janeiro, buscando observar as dificuldades em lidar com a modalidade escrita da língua, considerando que, muitas vezes, isso pode trazer consequências para a vida do indivíduo, dentro e fora do ambiente escolar. Na escola, a dificuldade com a escrita pode acarretar falta de interesse ou motivação, ao passo que, uma vez fora da escola, o indivíduo que tenha dificuldades em se envolver em práticas sociais de leitura e escrita pode ter menos chances de mobilidade social, além de ficar à margem da sociedade de um modo geral (Rojo, 2010, Soares, 1998). Observando a funcionalidade da linguagem e questões sociais e contextuais relativas ao seu uso (Halliday, 1994; Martin, 2001), esta pesquisa propõe as seguintes questões: 1) Que avaliações os alunos concluintes do ensino médio fazem acerca da escola, incluindo os sujeitos que ali agem, reagem e interagem? 2) De que maneira essa escola desempenha o seu papel como agência de letramento escolar? 3) Que relações podem ser levantadas entre escola e inclusão e exclusão social? O conjunto de dados gerados para este estudo consiste em redações escritas em sala de aula (N=30) por alunos do terceiro ano do Ensino Médio, de uma escola na zona oeste do Rio de Janeiro e respostas a um questionário online (N=11), enviado aos alunos após sua saída da escola, via rede social. Dados estatísticos acerca do desempenho de alunos brasileiros em avaliações de percurso, tais como PISA, SAEB e, sobretudo, matrizes de avaliação do ENEM, foram utilizados para examinar e classificar os dados. O sistema da avaliatividade e pressupostos sistêmico-funcionais possibilitaram a análise das avaliações que os alunos fazem da escola como comunidade, incluindo eles mesmos, e a investigação do grau de letramento escolar que apresentam em sua produção escrita. As respostas ao questionário forneceram informações acerca das atividades educacionais e/ou profissionais dos alunos depois de concluído o ensino médio, possibilitando a discussão de eventuais relações entre letramento escolar e a inclusão social. Os resultados da análise indicam que os alunos fazem uma avaliação da escola que oscila, muitas vezes, entre o positivo e o negativo, sobretudo quando se trata de Afeto, e que a instituição é personificada e valorizada pelo seu papel social sobre o educacional. Os demais membros da comunidade escolar, como professores e colegas, também são avaliados afetivamente. Quando as marcas linguísticas nos mostram Julgamento ou Apreciação, no entanto, a avaliação aponta para um posicionamento mais negativo do aluno em relação à escola. Os textos escritos dos alunos mostram ainda que estes apresentam um grau bastante incipiente de letramento escolar, mesmo após onze anos, em média, dedicados à conclusão da educação básica. Esses resultados levam à discussão sobre as interferências que as deficiências de letramento podem ter na vida dos indivíduos, que, como os alunos observados, podem enfrentar dificuldades para ingressar em instituições públicas de ensino superior e para obter colocações mais satisfatórias no mercado de trabalho.
The present study aims at investigating the written production of students at a public state school in Rio de Janeiro, in order to observe the difficulties in dealing with the written language modality, considering that these difficulties can frequently bring consequences to their lives, inside and outside the school context. At school, these difficulties can cause lack of interest or motivation, whereas out of school someone who has difficulty at engaging in social practices of reading and writing (Rojo, 2010; Soares, 1998) can have fewer chances of social mobility and be led into living on the edge of society. Considering the functionality of language as well as social and contextual issues related to its use (Halliday, 1994; Martin, 2001), this research proposes the following questions: 1) What evaluation do the graduating secondary school students make upon the school, including the individuals who act, react and interact there? 2) How does this school play its role as agency of school literacy? 3) What connections can be raised between school and social inclusion and exclusion? The set of data analyzed in this study consists of essays written by secondary students in their classroom (N = 30),and answers to an online questionnaire (N=11) sent to students after they have left school, via a social media. Statistical data about the performance of Brazilian students in national and international examinations, such as PISA, SAEB and especially ENEM, were used to examine and classify data. The Appraisal system and systemic-functional perspectives supported both the analysis of the evaluation that students make of the school as a community, including themselves, and the investigation of the degree of literacy that they present in their written production. Answers to the questionnaire provided information about the educational and/or professional activities of the students after their conclusion of secondary school, adding material for the discussion of possible relations between school literacy and social inclusion. Results of the analysis indicate that students make an evaluation of the school that often varies between positive and negative, especially when related to Affection, and that the institution is personalized and valued by its social role over the educational one. Other members of the school community, such as teachers and peers, are also affectively evaluated. However, when linguistic evidences show Judgement or Appreciation, the evaluation points to a more negative positioning of students in relation to school, especially as an agency of literacy. Students texts also show that they present a very incipient degree of literacy, even after having spent nearly eleven years at school. These results lead into a discussion about the interference that literacy deficiencies can have on people s lives, such as the students who participate in this research, who can face difficulties to enter public universities and to have better jobs or careers.
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Wong, Lai-wing, and 王麗榮. "The application of systemic functional linguistics to theteaching of evaluative writing at matriculation level =." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2006. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B37609531.
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Mokhathi-Mbhele, Masechaba Mahloli M. L. "Independent clause Sesotho personal names as texts in context: a systemic functional linguistics approach." Thesis, University of Western Cape, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/3348.
Abstract:
Philosophiae Doctor - PhDThis study sought to examine independent clause Sesotho personal names as authentic social discourse using the Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) theory. It sought to analyze their structure and map them to social functions to demonstrate that they are enacted messages in socio-cultural context of Basotho. It used a form-meaning approach to interpret Sesotho names in socio-cultural contexts of use (cf. Halliday 1994, 2001, Eggins, 1996, 2004 and Martin & Rose 2007) as an alternative to the current formalist approach to onomastica interpretation. The SFL analysis was compared and contrasted mainly with the formalist syntactic specific and semantic specific analyses currently in use by Guma, Sesotho Academy and subsequent authors of Sesotho grammar and other linguists. The purpose of displaying these names as texts in social context enfolded the intent to reflect a systemic interface of lexico-grammar and social activity. The study used the clause-text-culture paradigm to explore Sesotho names as texts or semantic units. The idea was to access their ‘meanings beyond the clause’ (Martin & Rose 2007). Data was collected from national examinations pass lists, admission and employment roll lists from Public, Private, Tertiary, Orphanage institutions. Other data was identified in Telephone directories and Media. The purely linguistic lexico-grammatic analysis of the structure of names was supplemented by interview data from real interpretations from families, owners and senior citizens who have social and cultural knowledge of the meanings of some names. The study has established that Sesotho personal names can present as an independent clause feature. Sesotho personal names can also be described as lexico-grammatical properties and are meaningful in social contexts. They are used to exchange information as statements, demands and commands, and as questions and as exclamations. This means that these names can be categorized according to Halliday’s Mood types which make them function as declaratives, imperatives, interrogatives and exclamatives depending on the awarder’s evaluation. The study also finds that in negotiating attitudes, modality is highly incorporated. The study concludes that Sesotho names conform to the logical structures of the nominal group and the verbal group and these groups reciprocate in use. The verbal group is the core constituent in these names and it serves as a foundation for the nominal and verbal groups particularly because they function as reciprocating propositions. This includes the names with the sub-modification features. This extends the formalist description of Sesotho independent clause in that the identified sub-modifications which are opague and taken for granted by formalist analysts of Sesotho, are explicated as essential elements embedded in the formmeaning relation in SFL. The main contribution is that this is the only study on SFL and onomastica. There is no study that has been conducted using SFL to describe African names. It presents that Sesotho personal names are texts that have been negotiated in socio-cultural contexts. It provides a major departure from most studies that have used the Chomskian formulations or other sociolinguistic theories to describe the naming systems. It displays the art and importance of language use based on experience and culture in the naming system. The study also contributes to fields such as education, history, and others. Lastly, the study has established a new relation of onomastica and SFL theory and onomastica can now be added to the areas “being recognized as providing a very useful descriptive and interpretive framework for viewing language as a strategic, meaning-making resource.” (Eggins 1996:1).
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Kawabata, Desiree M. "Clarifying the Notion of Coherence in Standardised Oral Proficiency Tests using Systemic-Functional Linguistics." Thesis, Griffith University, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/396151.
Abstract:
Coherence is a construct used in assessing the speaking proficiency of test-takers whose first language is not English in many high-stakes oral proficiency (OP) tests. The speaking section of many OP tests are conducted in the form of a language proficiency interview and often include a monologue section with some given planning time. Coherence is commonly assessed in these tests in combination with other constructs such as fluency. Descriptors tend to be vague in how coherence is defined; this, combined with overlaps with other constructs when rating, raises issues with rating scale validity. Since coherence lacks a universal definition, it is vital to define what contributes to coherence in the unique context of monologues in language proficiency interviews in order to develop a valid and reliable rating scale.
Systemic-functional linguistics (SFL) describes how language is used to make meaning in different contexts, and how the producers of a text – in this case, speakers - make language choices to express themselves in these contexts. SFL is an appropriate framework for analysing test-taker responses in oral proficiency monologues as the focus on choice in different contexts implies test-takers have considered how their lexico-grammatical and thematic choices allow them to clearly communicate their experiences with, and knowledge of, a given subject. This study analysed 13 samples of part two of the IELTS speaking test - the short monologue - using the SFL tools of clause complex analysis, Theme and thematic progression, and lexical cohesion analysis. These aspects were considered the most likely to contribute to a coherent response and topic development, which are two concepts valued in the current IELTS rating scale. Results that indicated higher coherence were integrated into an alternate rating scale for coherence and subsequently tested on raters.
Many of the results of the above analyses were in clear contrast to currently used scale descriptors and clearly show the need for these scales to be revised in order to ensure validity in these tests. In some cases, the findings uncovered unexpected implications for other commonly used scale constructs, and these should be investigated in future studies. The main findings relating to coherence as an independent rating scale category were included in a new scale for coherence in short monologues as part of an OP test. The rating scale was developed according to Galaczi et al.’s (2011) multiple methods approach which includes a combination of performance data (IELTS samples), expert consultation, and quantitative and qualitative analysis. Subsequent scale versions were discussed with a focus group to provide expert evaluation, and revisions were made to develop the fourth version of the scale, which was trialled. 10 raters were chosen from various language testing, specialist, and general English as an Additional Language (EAL) teaching backgrounds to trial the new scale. A brief training session was conducted, and any unclear wording was explained. The rater interviews consisted of discussing the raters’ current views on coherence, listening to the 13 samples provided and assigning a score, and providing immediate feedback on the usability of the scale in a testing situation. After the interviews were completed, Cronbach’s alpha was used to measure the inter-rater reliability of the scores given and the results showed very high internal reliability at a = 0.95. The qualitative feedback regarding the usability of the scale was excellent with raters considering the scale very easy to apply. Certain elements such as the deliberate use of repetition and the use of implicit conjunction by speakers were especially highly regarded; many of the raters had not considered these aspects before, and through the application of the scale to the samples, could see how these resources contributed to coherence. Despite the small scale of this study, the results show that SFL has potential for clarifying the notion of coherence in OP tests, mitigating issues with band descriptor overlaps, and understanding the role of cohesion in these contexts. This understanding may lead to more valid assessment in language proficiency interviews and have wider implications for test developers, decisions made based on proficiency test results, and the promotion of SFL as a useful tool for language assessment in various contexts.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Hum, Lang & Soc Sc
Arts, Education and Law
Full Text
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McAndrew, Paula. "Investigating casual conversation: a systemic functional linguistic and social network model of analysing social reality." Australia : Macquarie University, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/44619.
Abstract:
"November 2001".Thesis (PhD)--Macquarie University, Division of Linguistics and Psychology, Dept. of Linguistics, 2002.
Bibliography: p. 285-291.
Introduction -- Language from a systemic functional perspective -- Social networks: a review of literature relevant to the Scotland Island study -- Methodology -- Analysing relational ties: a social network perspective -- A systemic functional approach to analysing social reality -- Discussion and conclusion.
This research is concerned with the study of language and the social order. Working within the systemic functional theory of language, and utilising the concept of a social network to model the social order, the primary aim is to put on display the relationship between the linguistic system and social order, between language and culture. Systemic functional grammar (Halliday, 1995; Halliday and Hasasn, 1985/9; Halliday and Matthiesen, 1997; Eggins and Slade 1997), with its emphasis on language as a social semiotic, is used to analyse the language used by a group of four women engaged in casual conversation in a small Australian island community. Here the analysis reveals how the women negotiate their social reality when speaking to each other. It shows how their social relations are shaped within a text (Hasan, 1996), and explores the notion that, despite the seemingly trivial, unconscious nature of casual interactions, power and solidarity are continually being negotiated by the participants (Halliday, 1994; Eggins and Slade, 1997). More specifically, this research examines the notion that through lexico-grammatical and semantic selections participants are able to negotiate dominant positions in interaction. Social Network analysis has been used to examine the relationship between the individual and the group. It offers a quantifiable analytical tool for describing the character of an individual's everyday social relationships (Milroy, 1987). A social network analysis is used in the present study to map the social relationships in the tight-knit network, or speech fellowship, of these women (creating a map of the context of situation in SFL terminology). Change in the social relationships and language choices is modeled by revisiting the participants 15 months later in a contextually similar environment and re-analysing the network and linguistic options. Systemic functional linguistics is then used to highlight the interdependency of language and social order. Through systematic accounts of language and the context in which it is embedded this reciprocal nature is displayed and language and social order can be seen, not as two distinct entities, but rather as one phenomena seen from two different perspectives (Halliday, 1978; Mathiessen, 1993).
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
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Sano, Motoki. "A linguistic exploration of persuasion in written Japanese discourse a systemic functional interpretation /." Access electronically, 2006. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/21.
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Ho, Miu-chun Michelle, and 賀妙珍. "The application of systemic functional linguistics to teaching individual brief narrative speaking to junior secondarystudents =." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2006. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B37520350.
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Crosby, Aubrey M. A. "News Media Representation of The Dakota Access Pipeline Protest (A Study Using Systemic Functional Linguistics)." Kent State University / OhioLINK, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1594292005011941.
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Leung, Ho Sze Louisa. "A functional analysis of the language of film reviews." HKBU Institutional Repository, 1998. http://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_ra/107.
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Clarke, Benjamin Peter. "Do patterns of ellipsis in text support systemic functional linguistics' 'context-metafunction hook-up' hypothesis? : a corpus based approach." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2012. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/36518/.
Abstract:
In this thesis, systemic functional linguistics’ long-assumed ‘context-metafunction hook-up’ hypothesis is subjected to its first large-scale, data-driven exploration. The claims embodied in the ‘context-metafunction hook-up’ hypothesis (henceforth CMHH) concern the relationship between language and context. Viewed as a set of relationships modelled with systemic primacy, linguistic phenomena group into three metafunctional sorts according to systemic functional linguists. The CMHH claims that these three metafunctional groupings correspond to three parameters of semiotic context such that they share a realisational relationship. The CMHH is one of the assumed strengths of the theory of systemic functional linguistics (henceforth SFL). Yet, despite its centrality to wider SFL research, ventures to test it on large-scale with naturally occurring language data are notable by their absence in SFL work. This project takes a step in the direction of filling the aforementioned void. Adopting Martin’s model of the contextual mode parameter as a starting point, the project proceeds on the assumption that if SFL’s CMHH is predictively sound, variation in ‘mode of discourse’ should correlate with variation in the occurrence of ellipsis in text. Assembling four different sub-corpora of natural language data varied in their contextual mode values following Martin – but otherwise in contextual identity – cases of ellipsis are coded along several variables. Statistical calculations are conducted on the results of this analysis. These calculations allow for detailed cross corpora comparisons which in turn allow for conclusions relative to the central research question to be drawn. The results suggest support for the CMHH at a broad level of generality. The most significant results in this regard are: (i) ellipsis is found to be more frequent the more ancillary a text’s context is; and (ii) the more ancillary a text’s context, the greater proportion of its instances of ellipsis are of the situational, rather than textual, type.
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SOARES, DORIS DE ALMEIDA. "SOCIAL PRESENCE IN A VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT: AN ANALYSIS PROPOSAL IN LIGHT OF SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL LINGUISTICS." PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO, 2011. http://www.maxwell.vrac.puc-rio.br/Busca_etds.php?strSecao=resultado&nrSeq=20608@1.
Abstract:
PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIROA presença social em um ambiente virtual de aprendizagem: uma proposta de análise à luz da Linguística Sistêmico-Funcional é um estudo de caso interpretativista dos elementos que contribuem para a co-presença (Goffman, 1963) e para a representação do eu (Goffman, 1959/2009) em um contexto pedagógico on-line. Adotando uma visão Sistêmico-Funcional da linguagem (Halliday, 1994), a tese analisa, pelo viés das variáveis Campo, Modo e Relação (Halliday e Hasan, 1989) e da Teoria da Valoração (Martin, 2000), 510 textos escritos por treze professores de idiomas em um curso de dez semanas no TelEduc sobre a produção de material digital. O corpus contém amostras coletadas em três ferramentas: perfil, fórum de discussão, e portfólio. A tese propõe um modelo teórico-metodológico que engloba o estudo das funções discursivas, dos recursos para aproximar a escrita da fala, das escolhas lexicogramaticais referentes a Participantes e Processos, além de manifestações de Afeto, Julgamento e Apreciação. Contempla, também, uma categorização dos tipos de mensagens e como estas se relacionam para formar conversas, ou cadeias, entre os participantes. O estudo aponta que o perfil é o único espaço em que há apenas uma ação social (se apresentar ao grupo). Nos fóruns e portfólios, nos quais há seis outras ações, os pedidos de ajuda e os oferecimentos de soluções ou de apoio moral são as ações mais frequentes, seguidas pelo provimento de feedback sobre as atividades dos colegas nos portfólios. Esse resultado sugere que a natureza prática do curso faz com que as reflexões sobre as leituras e as atividades-modelo, apesar de obrigatórias, fiquem em segundo plano. Há também mensagens que visam somente à socialização (pedidos de desculpa, por exemplo), à autoavaliações, e à descrição das atividades nos portfólios. Dependendo do Campo e da ferramenta, essas ações são mais comumente realizadas de modo independente, gerando textos orientados para um único propósito comunicativo (amostras de Campo simples), ou são combinadas (amostras de Campo combinado), gerando textos com propósitos múltiplos, principalmente visando a salvar a face do autor. Para construir um senso de comunidade, muito contribuem a função discursiva identificar-se com o outro e os recursos que tendem a emular a fala, o que torna a escrita mais pessoal e interativa. A visão dos sujeitos se faz presente na tese por meio das opiniões coletadas em dois questionários on-line e em uma entrevista via email. O cruzamento dos comportamentos linguísticos e das opiniões dos participantes revela que há alguns desencontros entre o que se espera e o que acontece no espaço de interação, especialmente no que tange o provimento de respostas nos fóruns, verificável pela análise das funções perguntar e questionar, e o conteúdo apresentado nos perfis, verificável pela análise das funções discursivas que estruturam os mesmos. Essas evidências apontam para possíveis implicações pedagógicas, as quais podem requerer revisões de práticas docentes e discentes nos cursos on-line.
Social presence in a virtual learning environment: an analysis proposal in light of Systemic Functional Linguistics is an interpretive case study of the elements which contribute to co-presence (Goffman, 1963) and to the presentation of the self (Goffman, 1959/2009) in an online pedagogical context. Adopting a Systemic Functional view of language (Halliday, 1994) and drawing on the study of the variables Field, Tenor and Mode (Halliday and Hasan, 1989) and Appraisal Theory (Martin, 2000), this thesis examines 510 texts written by thirteen language teachers in a ten-week-course held in TelEduc, whose aim was to enable participants to produce digital teaching materials. The corpus contains samples that are representative of the linguistic exchanges in the students’ profiles, forum messages and portfolio messages. The theoretical and methodological framework of the study encompasses the discursive functions which make writing more interactive, specifically, the resources that simulate speech in the written mode and the students’ lexicogramatical choices as regards Participants and Processes as well as expressions of Affect, Judgment and Appreciation. The study also categorizes the types of messages posted and analyzes how they relate to one another to form conversations (chains) between participants. The study shows that the profile is the only tool in which there is a single social action. In the eleven forums and in the 13 portfolios, where six other actions take place, requests and offers for help or moral support are the most frequent, followed by feedback on the activities designed by colleagues. This suggests that the practical nature of the course makes the reflections on the readings and model activities less frequent, despite being compulsory. There are also messages whose objective is just socialization (apologies for example), selfassessment, and description of the activities posted on the portfolios. Depending on the Field and the tool, these actions are most commonly performed independently, generating single communicative purpose texts (Simple Field samples) or they may be combined, for example, an apology, a reflection and evaluation in one text (a Combined Field sample). Authors use this kind of combination mainly so that they can save face. The discourse function identifying with peers and the resources used for simulating speech, which make writing more personal and interactive, greatly contribute to build a sense of community. The participants’ perceptions, collected in two online questionnaires and in an email interview, provide further information that complements the linguistic study of the participants’ realization of social action. The triangulation of the linguistic behavior observed and the participants’ opinions shows that there are some mismatches between what can be expected from the survey of the literature and what happens in the online space of interaction. In particular, the triangulation highlights the expectation of answers in the forums, detected through the analysis of the discursive functions asking question and questioning, and the content of the profiles. Such evidence points to possible pedagogical implications, which could involve a review of practices in online courses.
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Zappavigna, Michele. "Eliciting Tacit Knowledge with a Grammar-targeted Interview Method." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/1909.
Abstract:
Tacit knowledge represents a challenge to knowledge elicitation due to the assumption that this type of knowledge cannot be articulated. We argue that Polanyi's (1966:4) widely cited notion that “we know more than we can tell” represents a weak model of language that does not acknowledge the grammatical patterns in spoken discourse that we, as speakers, apply tacitly. We investigate the hypothesis that individuals articulate what they know through grammatical patterns, referred to as under-representation, without direct awareness. This thesis develops and pilots a grammar-targeted interview method aimed at unpacking specific grammatical features that occur in spoken discourse. The model of language from which these features are derived is Systemic Functional Linguistics. We report findings from three empirical studies of tacit knowledge in corporate organisations where we used the grammar-targeted interview technique to elicit tacit knowledge in the areas of knowledge management, requirements analysis and performance reviews. We compare this interview method with a content-targeted approach. The results show that the grammar-targeted technique produces less under-represented discourse thus allowing tacit knowledge held by the interviewees to be made visible. Based on the linguistic analyses undertaken in these field studies we propose that Polanyi’s expression “we know more than we tell” be reformulated to “we tell more than we realise we know”.
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Bangga, Lungguh Ariang. "Sundanese TRANSITIVITY: a first step into the description." Thesis, Department of Linguistics, 2021. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/25578.
Abstract:
This is a dissertation submitted as partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Applied Linguistics from the Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, The University of Sydney. It focuses on the initial description of TRANSITIVITY system in Sundanese from the perspective of Systemic Functional Linguistics.
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Harris, Elizabeth Anne. "Portraits of Writing Instruction: Using Systemic Functional Linguistics to Inform Teaching of Bilingual and Monolingual Elementary Students." Thesis, Boston College, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/2173.
Abstract:
Thesis advisor: Maria E. BriskThis descriptive case study examines the role that Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) theory of language can play in making academic language more transparent and accessible to linguistically diverse students. In an urban fourth grade classroom composed of both bilingual and monolingual students, I incorporated key concepts of SFL into writing instruction on personal narrative and scientific explanation texts. Specifically, instruction explored the context, purpose, and tenor of each genre and scaffolded students' development of appropriate structure and useful language tools. Classroom instruction and student writing were examined using selective coding, constant comparison, and triangulation to make meaning from the data. Analysis of student writing in relation to SFL-influenced instruction revealed significant growth in areas of structure and language. In this case, SFL provided the researcher and classroom teacher with a useful theory of language and purposeful meta-language to identify and describe the functional elements of two genres to students from diverse literacy backgrounds
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011
Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education
Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction
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Poynton, Cate. "Address and the semiotics of social relations a systemic-functional account of address forms and practices in Australian English /." Connect to full text, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/2297.
Abstract:
Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 1991.Title from title screen (viewed 23 April 2008). Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Dept. of Linguistics, Faculty of Arts. Degree awarded 1991; thesis submitted 1990. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print form.
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Patpong, Pattama. "A systemic functional interpretation of Thai grammar an exploration of Thai narrative discourse /." Phd thesis, Australia : Macquarie University, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/23285.
Abstract:
Thesis (PhD)--Macquarie University, Division of Linguistics & Psychology, Department of Linguistics, 2006.Bibliography: p. 742-762.
Systemic functional linguistics as a framework for description -- An overview of the grammar of Thai -- Textual clause grammar: the system of THEME -- Interpersonal clause grammar: the system of MOOD -- Experiential grammar at clause rank: the system of TRANSITIVITY -- Thai narrative register: context, semantics and lexicogrammatical profiles -- Conclusions.
This research is a text-based study of the grammar of standard Thai, based on systemic functional linguistics. It is the first attempt to explore Thai in systemic functional terms, that is with the account of the grammar of Thai being interpreted as resource for making meaning that is part of language as a higher-order semiotic system. This account utilizes a corpus-based methodology and explores extensive evidence from natural narrative texts, specifically fourteen Thai folk tales. This systemic functional interpretation of Thai is also supported by an investigation of other text types (See Chapter 2). The research has both intermediate and long term implications. The description itself will be a resource for the Thai community and it will also contribute to the growing area of linguistic typology based on systemic descriptions. The long term implication of the research is that the description will be used as a model for text-based research into minority languages in Thailand. -- There are two introductory chapters to the study. The first chapter discusses some general issues concerned with systemic functional theory and data used in the development of the description of the grammar of Thai. The second chapter is a preview chapter which provides an overview of the grammar of Thai in terms of three strands of meaning: textual, interpersonal, and the experiential mode of ideational meanings. The systemic functional interpretation is based on an exploration of a number of texts with a wide generic spread (e.g. news reports, topographic texts, encyclopedia, and television interview). -- Chapter 3 to Chapter 7 constitute the main body of the thesis. Chapter 3 deals with the textual metafunction: it explores the THEME system as the enabling resource for the clause grammar for presenting interpersonal and experiential meanings as a flow of information in context. Chapter 4 is concerned with the interpersonal metafunction. It is focused on exploring the MOOD system, that is, the resource of clause grammar for enacting social roles and relationships in an exchange. Chapter 5 is concerned with the experiential mode of the ideational metafunction: it investigates the TRANSITIVITY system, which is the resource of the clause grammar for construing our experience of the world around and inside us. As this thesis is based mainly on narrative discourse, Chapter 6 profiles Thai narratives in terms of context, semantics, and lexicogrammar. Firstly, at the context stratum, the chapter describes the generic structure potential of Thai folk tales. Secondly, the chapter describes the realization of this generic structure by semantic properties. Finally, the chapter is concerned with quantitatively exploring the narratives on the basis of clause-rank systems, at the stratum of lexicogrammar, across the metafunctional spectrum midway up the cline of instantiation. In the final chapter, the study concludes by summarizing the preceding chapters, pointing out research implications and limitations, and suggesting some areas for further studies.
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
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Lee, Amanda Savio. "Communication Behaviour in Adults with Stuttering." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Department of Communication Disorders, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/9466.
Abstract:
Purpose: Adults with stuttering (AWS) commonly demonstrate verbal avoidance behaviours as a result of speech-related anxiety. This can result in an experience of ‘communication restriction’. By nature, verbal avoidance and communication restriction are difficult to evaluate objectively, and existing evidence consists primarily of self-report data from qualitative interviews. However, recent preliminary evidence indicates the potential utility of systemic functional linguistics (SFL; Halliday, 1985) to this area of research. The SFL framework provides quantitative analyses for the objective examination of language use in sociolinguistic contexts. Recent data also suggest that the confrontation naming paradigm may be a second possible means for quantitatively evaluating aspects of functional linguistic behaviour in AWS. The purpose of the present study was to identify specific patterns of conversational language and confrontation naming behaviour in AWS using an objective methodology, and to explore these behaviours within the context of stuttering intervention and with reference to the experience of communication restriction.
Method: Twenty AWS (14 males, 6 females) and 20 matched controls (AWNS), aged between 16 and 56 years, were recruited for this study. All participants were native speakers of English with no cognitive, language, motor speech, or hearing impairment (with the exception of stuttering in AWS). All participants completed: (a) self-rating scales of general and communication-related attitudes and anxiety; (b) the UC Picture ID (O’Beirne, 2011) picture naming task, designed to objectively evaluate verbal avoidance behaviour; and (c) 10 minutes of spontaneous conversation with an examiner, loosely structured around a range of set topics. For the AWS participants, these procedures were completed pre- and post-attendance at either the Naturalness Intensive Programme in Christchurch, New Zealand (NZ), or the Intensive Stuttering Clinic (Blomgren, 2009) in Salt Lake City, USA (US). All conversational samples were analysed using both conventional and SFL-based analyses. Specifically, the quantity and complexity of verbal output, as well as the frequency of use of transitivity, modality, appraisal, and thematic resources, were examined.
To identify group differences on all measures between AWNS and AWS at both pre- and post-treatment, two-tailed independent samples t-tests and Mann-Whitney U-tests were conducted. To compare the performance of AWS between pre- and post-treatment, two-tailed paired t-tests and Wilcoxon matched pairs signed ranks tests were used. Group comparisons were conducted for the full participant group, as well as separately for the NZ and US subgroups. Pearson correlation matrices were also constructed, to identify linear relationships between measures. Correlations between conventional and SFL analyses of linguistic behaviour were of particular interest.
Results: Group differences for each subgroup were generally consistent with those for the full participant group. (a) AWS demonstrated higher social anxiety than AWNS at pre-treatment, but self-reported anxiety levels and stuttering impact decreased following treatment. (b) No differences were found across comparisons for confrontation naming performance on the UC Picture ID task. (c) In conversation, AWS produced consistently less language than AWNS, and produced less complex language than AWNS at pre-treatment, as shown by conventional and SFL indices. Specific SFL measures revealed fewer politeness-marking modal operators, more frequent comment adjuncts, and reduced expression of appraisal in the spontaneous language of AWS. Improvements in most of these areas were seen following treatment.
The results of the correlational analyses showed that self-report scale outcomes were not linearly correlated to actual performance on any linguistic measures. However, positive correlations were observed between basic linguistic indices (i.e., language productivity and complexity) from the conventional and SFL approaches. An interesting negative correlation between language productivity and frequency of use of comment adjuncts was also seen.
Conclusions: The current study extends available preliminary evidence on language use in AWS. Linguistic patterns identified in the conversational language of AWS suggest a reduced openness to interpersonal engagement within communication exchanges, which may restrict the experience of such exchanges. The data indicate that conventional and SFL analyses are interchangeable at a basic level, but also exemplify the unique utility of the SFL framework for examining specific aspects of language functionality within social context. Although AWS and AWNS were not found to differ in performance on the UC Picture ID task, the observations provide insight into the conditions under which verbal avoidance behaviours may be prone to occurring. Finally, the lack of straightforward correlations between self-reported anxiety and avoidance on the one hand, and various linguistic-behavioural indicators on the other, highlights the importance of a multidimensional, holistic approach to clinical stuttering evaluation.
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Holmgren, Katherine Hayes. "Impact of writing interventions informed by Systemic Functional Linguistics, with a focus on tenor, on sixth, seventh and eighth grade English language learners." Thesis, Boston College, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/2595.
Abstract:
Thesis advisor: Maria E. BriskThis action research study examines the impact instruction informed by Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) with a particular focus on tenor and socio-cultural theory has on sixth, seventh and eighth grade English language learners in an urban school. Over the course of seven and ½ months I used Systemic Functional Linguistics with a focus on tenor to teach both the fictional narrative and persuasive genres. In each genre, students wrote a piece for three different audiences where the expected tenor ranged from personal to impersonal to semi personal. My instruction focused on the context, purpose and tenor and the particular structural elements and language features of each genre. Student writing and pedagogical strategies were examined using selective coding and triangulation. Evidence from this study suggests that writing instruction informed by SFL in combination with a socio-cultural model helps English language learners' writing. When students wrote for a distant audience the quality of the students' writing improved. Students increased the amount of text, adjectivals, and made some improvements in terms of structure. Students also included formal language, descriptions and in some cases altered the mood and modality. Students also improved the quality of their pieces as they looked more like writing and less like oral language. After students worked hard to make their pieces more formal they resisted making changes for the less sophisticated audiences indicating that while students were developing awareness of tenor, more work and instruction was needed
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2012
Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education
Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction
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Hao, Jing. "Construing biology: An Ideational Perspective." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/13955.
Abstract:
This thesis reports on a linguistic study that is concerned with building a discourse semantic framework for exploring knowledge building through language in undergraduate biology. The linguistic theory that underpins this study is systemic functional linguistics (SFL). One particular dimension of SFL, stratification, conceptualises register (field, tenor and mode) as being realised by patterns of discourse semantics, which are in turn realised by patterns of lexicogrammar. Of particular relevance to knowledge building, particularly to what social realism refers to as ‘knowledge structure’ (Bernstein, 1999), is the register variable field, which is construed through the patterns of ideational discourse semantics. The current modelling of ideational semantics, including the ‘ideation base’ proposed in Halliday & Matthiessen (1999) and the ideational discourse semantics established in Martin (1992), are currently insufficient for exploring the construal of field. On the one hand, Halliday & Matthiessen’s description of ideation base is not clearly dissociated from grammatical functions; on the other hand, Martin’s description of ideational discourse semantics is not independent from the description of field. Accordingly, in order to pursue systematically the construal of field, this study aims to develop discourse semantic systems that can take responsibility for both field and lexicogrammar and clarify the stratification relations among register, discourse semantics and lexicogrammar. The exploration of ideational discourse semantics is approached with respect to its construal of two aspects in field – taxonomy and activity sequencing (Martin, 1992). In order to illustrate the exploration of discourse semantic systems as well as demonstrate the analysis of texts through the framework, this study analyses texts that instantiate knowledge building in biology at the undergraduate level. This study makes two significant contributions. Firstly it contributes to the development of ideational discourse semantics in an SFL framework. In doing so it clarifies the interstratal relationships across field, discourse semantics and lexicogrammar, and it specifies distinctive terminologies at all strata. Secondly, this work provides a significant ground for exploring knowledge building of all kinds. By focusing on texts produced in undergraduate biology, it contributes to a linguistic understanding of scientific discourse, and points out key characteristics of knowledge building in biology at the undergraduate level.
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Jansson, Pernilla. "Hard Muscle, Slim Body : A Systemic Functional Analysis of the Covers of Men’s and Women’s Fitness Magazines." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Engelska institutionen, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-113170.
Abstract:
Magazine covers are multimodal texts designed to draw the attention of potential readers. Health and fitness magazines, in particular, make up a large portion of the publishing industry, and previous research has pointed to their influence on readers’ perceptions of health and fitness. In order to interpret the multimodality of magazine covers, a different approach other than the purely linguistic one needs to be employed. Following the theoretical frameworks of Systemic Functional Linguistics and Social Semiotics, this study set out to investigate the verbal and visual construction of health on eight covers of Men’s Health and Women’s Health. The findings indicate that there are significant differences in how health is constructed on the men’s and women’s edition of the magazines. These differences mainly concern the way in which health is achieved, and the relationship between the viewers and the magazine. This not only indicates that different strategies were used to attract viewers, but also reveals something about the relationship the viewer is supposed to have with their bodies as well as their perceptions of health.
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Wong, Lai-wing. "The application of systemic functional linguistics to the teaching of evaluative writing at matriculation level Xi tong gong neng yu yan xue zai yu ke ping lun xie zuo jiao xue de ying yong /." Click to view the E-thesis via HKUTO, 2006. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/B37609531.
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Ho, Miu-chun Michelle. "The application of systemic functional linguistics to teaching individual brief narrative speaking to junior secondary students Xi tong gong neng yu yan xue zai chu zhong ji shi duan jiang jiao xue de ying yong /." Click to view the E-thesis via HKUTO, 2006. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/B37520350.
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Lopez, Jaramillo Maria Gabriela. "Mathematical literacy: A case study of pre-service teachers." OpenSIUC, 2020. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/dissertations/1798.
Abstract:
This study addresses the question of whether or not pre-service teachers are ready and prepared to use and teach the highly-specialized language of each discipline. The disciplinary languages present teaching and learning challenges due to their lack of parallels in the daily language (Shanahan & Shanahan, 2008). Additionally, the languages of the disciplines are rarely taught and are commonly acquired through an isolated representation of words without a situated meaning within the theory (Gee, 2002). The knowledge of the particular ways of reading, writing, listening to, and talking in the content areas provides opportunities for students’ apprenticeship within the disciplines required for success in higher education contexts (Dobbs, Ippolito, and Charner, 2017). Moreover, this study addresses the question of how future teachers develop disciplinary knowledge and skills. The purpose of this case study was to investigate how mathematical literacy is shaped and defined by the experiences, language, and disciplinary practices of pre-service teachers and experts in mathematics. This overall aim was unfolded by three guiding research questions: 1) What do the Experiences of Pre-Service Teachers and Experts in Mathematics Reveal about their Understanding of Mathematical Literacy? 2) RQ 2. How do pre-service teachers and experts in mathematics use language when solving mathematical problems? and 3) What literacy practices do pre-service teachers and experts in mathematics utilize when presented with modules that require mathematics problem-solving? To structure the elements of analysis for the participants’ responses, I adopted the theoretical support from the emerging disciplinary literacy framework, the novice-expert paradigm, and the tenets of M. K. Halliday’s functional linguistic theory (i.e., Systemic Functional Linguistics; [SFL]). Four faculty in the Department of Mathematics and four pre-service teachers in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at a large Midwest university agreed to participate in this case study. For the data collection, I asked the participants to participate in two sessions. In the first sessions, the participants responded to a semi-structured interview. Afterward, in a second session, the participants solved modules of mathematical problems following three protocols: a think-aloud, a silent-solving, and an oral-explanatory. The results of the participants’ responses to the semi-structured interview and the three protocols indicated that their experiences as learners and teachers of mathematics are tied to their definitions of literacy and disciplinary literacy. The SFL analysis showed that for the experts of mathematics, mathematical problem-solving is a more abstract and cognitive practice. The pre-service teachers’ registers indicated that mathematical problem-solving is experienced as more concrete and real practice. The unique literacy practices that these participants displayed showed the strong connection between language, literacy, and mathematical thought.The implications of this study are discussed in terms of the importance of language and disciplinary literacy in preparation for future teachers as they progress in their course of study within their teaching education programs.
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Kamanga, Mervis. "An optimality theoretic account and systemic functional linguistics analysis of the acquisition of cicewa idiom interpretation by cicewa speaking children in Malawi." University of the Western Cape, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/4122.
Abstract:
Philosophiae Doctor - PhDThis research is in the area of child language acquisition, especially, acquisition of figurative language. It investigates how native Cicewa speaking children learn to interpret Cicewa idioms. This is done through examination of sociocultural contexts in which idioms are produced and consumed. It involves the identification of factors influencing children’s acquisition of idioms and strategies employed by children to interpret idioms. The study also investigates how children rerank language constraints in the process of acquiring Cicewa idiomatic meanings. The study is informed by two theories: Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) and Optimality Theory (OT). SFL is used to explore the sociocultural contexts within which Cicewa idioms are acquired, produced and consumed. It also helps to explain the social cultural factors influencing children’s choices of meaning options and idiom acquisition strategies. OT is used to establish how children rerank language constraints in the process of acquiring idioms in Cicewa with an aim to identify the developmental stages in idiomatic meaning acquisition. The study adopted cross-sectional and experimental designs. Experiments were conducted on 20 typically developing native Cicewa speaking children with ages 4, 6, 9, 12 and 14 drawn from Mpalume Village, in Chinamawali Township, Zomba Malawi. Deliberately developed stories, sentences containing idioms and idiom lists were used to collect data in five experiments. The data were analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Qualitative analysis involved identification of types of responses given by children, strategies employed by children to interpret idioms and factors that influence children’s interpretation and acquisition of idioms. Quantitative analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to determine how often a response was given, differences in the responses given by children of different age groups and to establish if there was a relationship between idiom interpretation and the tested factors. The research finds that children produce more idiomatic interpretations when the idioms are presented in stories than when the idioms are presented in sentences and out of context. It also finds that idiom acquisition starts with idiom recognition at around 4 years and interpretation starts at around 6 years with a child interpreting idiomatic expressions involving daily activities of human experience. It also finds that 14 years is the age at which the child’s idiomatic knowledge starts to resemble adult’s knowledge although at this age acquisition of idiomatic meaning is still taking place. In addition, it identifies a number of strategies that children employ to interpret and acquire idiomatic expressions. Among the identified strategies ‘inferring from sociocultural context’ is the only successful strategy. Additionally, the thesis establishes that children learn first idioms that involve daily activities of human experience then idioms with clear cultural frames reference and finally idioms with obsolete cultural frames of reference. It also establishes that knowledge of the sociocultural context in which idioms are consumed is critical in idiomatic meaning acquisition. A child can have skills to use the contextual cues and have knowledge of the grammar but if s/he lacks the sociocultural knowledge cannot correctly interpret an idiom nor acquire it. It also establishes that the language constraints Full Interpretation and CONSISTENT are highly ranked dominating Relevance Principle at the initial stage in idiomatic meaning acquisition and that the two constraints are demoted as the child acquires idiomatic meaning. The thesis also identifies five developmental stages that children go through in idiom acquisition. These are Stage 1: 4 – 5 years, an initial stage in which a child is able to recognize an idiomatic expression as an instance of use; Stage 2: 6 – 8 years, a stage in which a child is able to interpret idioms of daily activities involving human experience when presented in supportive context; Stage 3: 9 – 11 years, a transitional stage in the development of idiomatic meaning in which a child is able to interpret idioms involving daily activities of human experience when presented without supportive context; Stage 4: 12 – 13 years, a stage in which a child is able to interpret idioms with clear cultural frames of reference when presented without supportive context and Stage 5: 14 years and above, a stage in which the child’s idiomatic knowledge is close to adults’ knowledge and a child is able to interpret idioms with absolete cultural frames of reference when presented without supportive context. The study makes a contribution to the idiom acquisition debate by pointing out that sociocultural knowledge is crucial in the acquisition of idioms thereby clarifying what goes on in the process of idiom acquisition. It has also identified and described developmental stages in idiom acquisition. The study is the first not only to use SFL, but more so in conjunction with OT to account for idiomatic meaning acquisition and interpretation. This eclectic mix of theoretical frameworks is novel and thus offers a new perspective of theorizing never done before. Thus, the thesis contributes to the development of linguistic theory, from both SFL and OT perspectives. Overall, the thesis concludes that children come to know an idiomatic expression as a text before they even understand the sociocultural context in which it is consumed. It argues that idioms are acquired as texts and they are acquired together with the sociocultural context in which they are acquired, consumed and produced, and therefore the sociocultural context forms part of the idioms.
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Zhang, Dongbing. "Negotiating Interpersonal Meaning in Khorchin Mongolian: Discourse and Grammar." Thesis, University of Sydney, 2020. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/22835.
Abstract:
This thesis describes the interpersonal discourse semantic and lexicogrammatical systems in Khorchin Mongolian based on conversational data within the framework of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL). The systems described in this thesis are resources for enacting social relations. They are modelled at the strata of discourse semantics and lexicogrammar. The point of departure of this thesis is interpersonal discourse semantics. Extant descriptions of resources at exchange and move rank (the systems of NEGOTIATION and SPEECH FUNCTION (Martin, 1992)) are expanded to account for the discourse patterns in the Khorchin Mongolian conversational data. The thesis first explores interpersonal resources at the ranks of exchange and move. At exchange rank, it describes the NEGOTIATION system based on patterns of exchange structure. At move rank, it proposes the systems of INTERLOCUTOR POSITIONING and DIALOGIC POSITIONING. INTERLOCUTOR POSITIONING deals with the positioning of interlocutors with respect to their knowledge of the information under negotiation or their responsibility for performing an action. DIALOGIC POSITIONING deals with the positioning of dialogic alternatives in the process of interaction. These discourse semantic systems are then taken as the point of departure for the description of interpersonal systems in lexicogrammar – specifically the major systems of MOOD, PREDICATION, and STANCE. MOOD is concerned with indicative and imperative clauses, PREDICATION with resources realised through the Predicator, and STANCE with the interaction between interpersonal particles and TENSE. This thesis makes two significant contributions. First, it closely examines the relationship between discourse semantic systems at exchange and move rank. The systems developed could potentially be relevant to the description of other languages. Second, it provides a unified account of what has been described under various headings in the traditional descriptions of Khorchin Mongolian, such as clausal syntax, modality, evidentiality, negation and tense. It thus affords an integrated systemic functional description of Khorchin Mongolian interpersonal discourse and grammatical patterns.
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Maxwell-Reid, Corinne Rhona. "Effect of bilingual education on students' first language written discourse : a contrastive Spanish-English study using systemic functional linguistics." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/6189.
Abstract:
This thesis investigates whether studying through English has an effect on the written texts secondary school students produce in their first language, Spanish. Research in bilingual education has tended to focus on students‟ language proficiency and academic achievement as opposed to investigating differences in discourse norms. However, an increased awareness of the role of discourse in language use and the culturally-specific nature of discourse, along with a growing concern over the dominance of the English language in Europe and elsewhere, have widened the range of questions identified as requiring investigation in bilingual education. Popular understanding suggests that English speakers make different choices from Spanish speakers in particular rhetorical situations. Although research into these contrasts can be problematic, there is support for the existence of cultural preference in the selection of options, and specific areas of similarity and difference between Spanish and English discourse have been suggested. This study then looks at one group of secondary three (3º E.S.O.) Spanish students studying through English on a Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) programme in Spain, and compares two sets of argumentative texts written in Spanish by the CLIL students with equivalent texts written by non-CLIL students in the same school. Forty-eight texts are examined in total, and the comparison draws on previous research into discourse differences between Spanish and English texts from contrastive rhetoric, systemic functional linguistics (SFL), and other fields, using tools from SFL for the textual analysis. Areas of analysis include use of clause complexes, multiple Theme and thematic progression, and also genre structure and text organisation strategies for argumentative writing. The main contrasts are found to be in length of t-units, use of simplexes versus complexes, use of multiple Theme, and some issues of text structure. These differences largely correspond to contrasts found in studies comparing written Spanish and written English text, with the CLIL students‟ texts showing features more commonly associated with English writing. Additional data from analysis of the geography textbooks used by the CLIL and non-CLIL students, questionnaires administered to these students, and interviews with their teachers are also used to explore the possible CLIL effect on the students‟ written text. The study discusses how discourse conventions associated with English text in contrast with Spanish text may have influenced the Spanish writing of the CLIL students, considering possibilities including the effect of direct and indirect teaching, and the more general impact of the CLIL programme. Also explored is the question of whether this possible influence of English on Spanish language use is a matter for concern or not, with increased work on language and discourse awareness suggested as a potential response. Methodological issues raised through the study relating to aspects of text analysis and of data collection are also addressed.