Hallidayan Approach and Categorisation - Essay Example

Hallidayan Approach and Categorisation Systemic functional linguistics (SFL) is a differentiated approach to understanding linguistics. This approach relies on looking at language in terms of a social semiotic system. The use of the term systemic signifies that the use of language is seen as composed of systems and correlated networks that combine to produce meaning. The Hallidayan approach to SFL introduces functionalism to the scenario. This approach holds that the existing structure of language has been arrived at due to its evolution from what language is supposed to do. This implies that the structure of language is shaped by human experience as well as interpersonal relations making it a multidimensional phenomenon (Halliday, 2003). The approach to grammar advocated by Halliday relies on three basic tenets being system, meta function and rank. Halliday has tended to describe grammar from the perspective of a combination of systems and not rules. The basic contention is that any grammatical structure being studied will reveal the use of different choices from a discernible set of choices. If this approach is taken further, language can be seen as relying on meaning potential. Halliday argues that a grammatical system is closed since it is composed of a finite set of choices. However, a lexical system is open because various new additions are constantly taking placed in language. Halliday also claims that language is organised in a meta-functional manner indicating that it is composed of different grammatical systems that aid to provide different kinds of meaning. He attaches the real reason behind language to providing meaning in social life and thus argues that all forms of languages are based on three semantic components. The first semantic component is ideational and works as a resource to interpreting human experience. This component tends to reveal the contextual value of a field in grammar. This indicates that it allows the exploration of the social processes through which the particular use of language in some fashion is being implicated. The second semantic component is interpersonal and serves to perform various functions (which may be simple or complex) that define social relationships. This component is in itself composed of the personas of the writer or the speaker, the social distance between interacting parties and the relative social status difference between the interacting parties. The last semantic component is textual and it aids in combining the two semantic components presented above. This combination allows both forms of meanings to come together in a coherent fashion through textual means. Using the textual meta-function allows an exploration of how coherent a piece of text is which in turn allows to discern the credibility of the subject text. The various forms of grammatical systems that are proposed by Halliday are in turn related to these meta-functions that serve to compose them. Comparison of Selected Texts At first glance it seems obvious that the selected texts are geared to serve different purposes. The first text (extracted from a seller’s website) is designed to sell a product related to the medical condition being discussed. In stark contrast, the second text (extracted from a medical help website) is designed to help understand the medical condition and its progression and growth. This significant difference helps to explain the fact that the first text is more suggestive in nature while the second text is more declarative in nature. In addition, the first text contains little medical terminology because it is designed to appeal to the mass audience that will consume the text. This indicates that the first text is directed towards the layman who is suffering from this condition and is looking online for quick fixes to the problem. When the second text is looked into, it becomes obvious that the inclusion of medical terms makes it incomprehensible for the layman. Instead, the second text is directed more towards professional audiences such as doctors, nurses and other forms of health practitioners. Another significant difference between both texts is the manner in which the texts are organised and sectioned. The first text starts out creating a common affiliation with a person suffering from the subject condition by asking questions. It then proceeds to answer these questions on its own in order to propose a solution. The solution is brought forward as a claim that can neither be confirmed nor denied and thus is able to hold the reader’s attention by providing a glimmer of hope. In order to enhance the credibility of the text, the author claims that he has researched the issue and presents his own findings that are inconsistent with medical findings but seem credible enough to be believed by an average person. The author concentrates on using simple medical terms such as “white blood cells” in order to lend an air of credence to the text. The last major area of the first text provides another form of hope for someone suffering from the subject condition by offering a simple, cheap and reliable solution to the problem. The comparison between “thousands of dollars” and a mere twenty dollars allows the reader to look at a cheap and affordable solution. The author then cements up his claim by offering “a complete refund of the purchase price”. In contrast, the second text begins by introducing the medical condition and allows statistics to back up its claims. The text develops in a matter of fact style and then relates the development and progression of the subject medical condition including the associated dangers. This is followed by a separately sectioned region of text allowing for management of the subject medical condition. Only pertinent forms of management are related and no large claims are placed. This section is followed by a separate section concerning the medication involved. Again the text develops in a matter of fact style and continues to relate anti-inflammatory drugs and their temporal effect in handling the pain. Hallidayan Comparison of Texts In this section the texts will be compared based on the three semantic components of the Hallidayan approach. The beginnings of the first text are highly circumstantial in nature. The use of an interrogative attitude can be blamed for the excess of circumstantial material present. For example, the first sentence alone has two such instances as “in remission” and “this week”. Moreover, the common carrier (being the reader) is provided with a common attribute (that of having Ankylosing Spondylitis) repeatedly to establish the presence of this medical condition. This shifts over to projecting the goals such as “what can be the beginning of stopping the progression of Ankylosing Spondylitis”, “the disease”, “my Ankylosing Spondylitis” etc. As this text proceeds, the actor is introduced to new attributes such as “energy”, “pain free”, “medication free” and the like in order to introduce new goals which is essentially getting “their life” back. Another wave of circumstantial objects is introduced that present “how” to stop the problem by staying “on this diet”. This is again followed by the introduction of new attributes such as the financial comparison to introduce new circumstantial objects such as a refund. This clearly indicates that the author’s experiences have been shaped as a seller of products as indicated by his transition from one form of experiential objects to another in order to drive an idea to another person. In contrast, the second passage tends to intermix the goals, attributes and circumstantial objects in a random fashion. This reflects that this text is more focused on relating information as it is without having the need to drive any particular idea(s). Additionally the processes being used are limited to being either material or relational in this text. When the first text is looked at using the interpersonal component of semantics, it becomes clear that the initial section is composed entirely of interrogative gestures. These are construed in order to gain the attention of the reader. This is followed by strongly declarative statements such as: “If you answered yes to all three questions then you have come to the right place.” This is followed continually with declarative statements which are intervened by the occasional imperatives such as: “If this sounds interesting read on.” Such statements are being used in this text to hold the reader’s interest in place. This pattern continues through the text with an interrogative statement intervening in the declarative statements. The final statement is again imperative and offers to refund all of the money if satisfaction is not reached. The mood of the statements makes it clear that the author is addressing a common person looking around the internet for a solution. There seems to be little distance in the status of both the author and the audience given the informal language. On the other hand, the second text is composed entirely of declarative statements that pursue a highly formal tone throughout the text. The author does not appeal to the audience but merely presents the facts one after the other. This simplified presentation of facts makes it clear that this text is construed to relay information to the audience. However, the ability of the text to relay such information is limited by the use of medical terminology that only a health care professional may be able to understand. When the third semantic component is applied to the first text, it becomes evident once again that the text is not highly coherent as it tends to switch between themes one after the other. The dominant theme is the audience in the various forms of “I”, “you” and “we” in decreasing order. The author tends to switch from theme to theme in order to drive a point. The themes typically vary between the medical condition and its proposed solution and the encompassing guarantee for a complete refund. In contrast, the second text is more coherent in terms of the themes being used that revolve in a unified form around the subject medical condition. Minor nuances exist in the themes in the second text but the overall theme is the same. Conclusion Based on the arguments presented above, it is obvious that the first text was geared to sell a booklet relating to a medical condition while the second text was construed in order to spread information about the medical condition in professional circles. The use of circumstantial objects and the continuous transitions between themes in the first text allow it to employ interrogative and imperative statements. On the other hand, the second text employs declaratives statements only and tends to restrict itself in terms of themes. References Bloor, T. & Bloor, M., 2004. The functional analysis of English:a Hallidayan approach. 2nd ed. London: Hodder Arnold. Halliday, M.A.K., 2003. On the "Architecture" of Human Language. In J. Webster, ed. On Language and Linguistics. Volume 3 in the Collected Works of M.A.K. Halliday. London: Continuum. Richards, J.C., 1996. Functional English Grammar: an introduction for second language teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Thompson, G., 2004. Introducing functional grammar. London: Hodder & Stoughton Educational. Read More