Systemic Functional Linguistic

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Linguists, language educators and researchers of literature and culture conduct discourse analysis for a variety of purposes: to capture writing and literacy development, to characterize teacher-student classroom interaction, to describe social practices at various institutions, or to reveal aspects of an author’s style. This course introduces students to the socioculturally-oriented analysis of language using Hallidayan systemic functional linguistics (SFL) as an approach that enables discourse analysts to systematically account for the connections between grammar, discourse, and social activity no matter what their research data are: learner written texts, spoken conversations, institutional documents, or literary discourse. The course will cover the fundamental conceptual and methodological tools the SFL approach makes available for such an analysis. The course will start with the overarching assumptions about the SFL model of language as social semiotic and then explore its specific theoretical constructs, such as genre, register, metafunctions, and the grammatical systems that are used to encode them. Three fundamental questions will underlie our exploration: How is language structured for use? What choices do language users make? How do these choices function in various contexts of use? Throughout the course, participants will be discussing studies that demonstrate how the analytical constructs and tools can be applied to the analysis of language data in various contexts. We will examine studies of oral and written texts in diverse registers and genres, aspects of second language acquisition at various educational and performance levels, second/foreign language pedagogy, curriculum development, teacher education, and assessment. Those interested in literary texts will discover how the approach can shed new light on the study of literature as a phenomenon of languaging in a particular way. In the course, participants will: • use a textbook to learn about the major tenets and analytical categories of the SFL model • complete workbook exercises to identify and label text structures • engage in the analysis of texts (in English, German or other languages of interest) to reveal patterns of language use • discuss additional readings and applications of the theory to expand their understanding of how the model contributes to discourse description and interpretation in various contexts or languages (particularly those of interest to the course participants) • develop a project (a final paper) where they apply the framework to an area of research interest Topics ? Introduction to the SFL model of language: historical developments and major assumptions ? Register and genre ? Experiential meanings: Transitivity ? Logical meanings: Clause complex ? Interpersonal meanings: Mood and Modality ? Interpersonal meanings: Appraisal ? Textual meanings: Theme Materials Eggins, S. (2004). An Introduction to Systemic Functional Linguistics. London: Continuum. Martin, J., Matthiessen, C.M.I.M., & Painter, C. (2010). Deploying functional grammar. Beijing: The Commercial Press. Matthiessen, C. M. I. M., Lam, M., & Kazuhiro Teruya, K.. (2010). Key Terms in Systemic Functional Linguistics. London: Continuum. Course packet Recommended materials M. A. K. Halliday, M. A. K., & Matthiessen, C.M. I. M. (2004). An Introduction to Functional Grammar. London: Hodder Arnold. 3rd edition. Course requirements Regular attendance and class participation—30% Workbook and other textual analyses—20% Discussion Board—10% Article presentation—10% Final project—30% Note: All courses in the German Department follow the Honor Code of Georgetown University. In cases of alleged violations in graduate courses, the procedures adopted by the Graduate School will be followed.