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Robert Veltman interpreted marked intonation as a phonological metaphor, drawing an analogy to the grammatical metaphor. However, since then, the concept of phonological metaphor has not received significant scholarly attention. In this context, based on Gerard O'Grady's stratification model where intonation is located at the content plane, and notional comparison of "Unmarked/marked" and "Congruent/metaphorical", the current paper examines whether and how marked intonation works as a metaphor. It argues that marked intonation parallels grammatical metaphor with the functional mechanism of inter-stratal tension as it carries metaphorical properties of "poly-form" (i.e. one meaning maps to more than one form) and "poly-seme" (i.e. one form maps to more than one meaning) when seen respectively from above and below. The paper further demonstrates the use of marked tone within a conservation video, illustrating how it conveys interpersonal meanings akin to the grammatical metaphor of mood. In conclusion, marked intonation serves as a phonological metaphor at the content plane. This study explores the emerging area of phonological metaphor and probably contributes to expanding the framework of metaphor in Systemic Functional Grammar which addresses a core issue in the interplay between form and meaning. • Metaphors are inherent in speech sound. • Marked forms may function as metaphors as defined by Halliday. • Like grammatical metaphor, marked intonation involves inter-strata tension. • Marked tones realize interpersonal functions as metaphors of mood do. • Marked intonation works as a 'phonological metaphor' at the content plane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the field of interactional sociolinguistics and linguistic ethnography (IS/LE), which focuses on studying communication in various social contexts. It explores the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on IS/LE research and suggests potential areas of study involving AI and human interaction. The text also touches on broader societal issues such as post-humanism, climate change, and challenges to traditional human-centric perspectives. Overall, the article emphasizes the importance of closely observing and analyzing communication practices in a rapidly changing world. [Extracted from the article]

Emphasis is a ubiquitous notion in classical scholarship, but its vagueness has repeatedly been criticized (and its usefulness, consequently, questioned) by Greek linguists. This brief study seeks to identify (and secure) a place for this notion in the analytical toolbox for the description of Classical Greek by applying the strict but nuanced definition of emphasis in Functional Discourse Grammar (Hengeveld and Mackenzie 2008) to the identification and classification of linguistic devices in the ancient language. In particular, this study argues for a distinction between emphasis as a rhetorical effect and emphasis as a communicative intention. In the former understanding, emphasis may be produced secondarily by a number of linguistic and rhetorical devices. Conversely, linguistic emphasis stricto sensu would only be conveyed by linguistic devices used primarily to intensify linguistic entities of any level (discourse acts, propositional contents, subacts). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a comparative analysis of the inaugural speeches of U.S. President Joe Biden and Vietnamese President To Lam, utilizing Michael Halliday's Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) framework. By examining the Ideational (Transitivity), Interpersonal (Modality), and Textual (Texture and Cohesion) metafunctions, the study reveals how each leader's linguistic choices mirror the distinct political and cultural contexts of their respective nations. Joe Biden's speech underscores the urgency of immediate action and crisis management, employing Material Processes to stress the importance of unity and national recovery. Conversely, To Lam's speech is rooted in long-term nation-building and the leadership of the Communist Party, with a focus on Relational Processes to reinforce collective responsibility and national unity. The Modality analysis demonstrates Joe Biden's use of High Modality to convey decisiveness and transparency, aligning with American expectations for solid and clear commitments. In contrast, To Lam emphasizes collective duty and the Party's enduring leadership, reflecting Vietnam's socio-political ethos. Additionally, both speeches use Theme-Rheme structures and lexical repetition to ensure textual cohesion, though their cultural and ideological differences lead to distinct rhetorical approaches. By deepening our understanding of how political leaders use language to shape identities, communicate visions, and influence public perception, this study contributes to the broader field of political communication, offering insights into the strategic use of language across different cultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), a functionalist linguistic framework developed by Michael Halliday from the 1960s onwards and still highly influential in Australia, China and South America, with strong centres in Europe, owes a great debt to Czech Structuralism. The paper provides an overview of the influences of Czech Structuralism on the development of SFL, in particular its links to the Prague Linguistic Circle and to the later Czech Structuralist-Functionalist tradition, especially the work of František Daneš. These theories contributed to the conceptualization of the central SFL dimensions: structure, system, stratification, instantiation, metafunction; while the implementations of some functionalist ideas in these approaches almost completely coincide, others show divergence on various theoretical and practical points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study conducts a multimodal discourse analysis of the live streaming of Jiaqi Li, a well-known Chinese streamer. Integrating systemic functional grammar and systemic visual grammar to explore the construction of interpersonal meanings in Li's live streams, the authors found that Li uses verbal semiotics to convey information and feelings and, more important, to create his different interactive roles as an authoritative opinion leader, a protector of consumers' benefits, and a friend who shares his experiences and recommends products. This study offers insight into e-commerce discourse and communication, adding to the literature on live streaming in commerce and business communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Textbooks & Educational Materials / Uluslararası Ders Kitapları ve Eğitim Materyalleri Dergisi (IJOTEM) is the property of Bilgicagi Egitim Danismanlik ve Yayincilik Sanayi Ticaret Limited Sirketi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Since Facing the Sea with Spring Blossoms has attracted widespread attention, many scholars have formed four interpretations from various perspectives, namely: the poem conveys the love of life and the pursuit of happiness; the poem is a deathbed poem, expressing the poet's despair of earthly life; the poet is a sad and bitter soul in pursuit of happiness; the poem is the poet's choice between "existence or destruction." Poetry is the poet's choice between "existence or destruction," and he finally chooses to give up earthly happiness. Systemic functional grammar was founded by Halliday, who believed that language has three meta-functions: conceptual function, communicative function, and textual function, which are linked to the transitivity system, mood system, and thematic system. Since its inception, Systemic Functional Grammar has been applied to many text analyses, demonstrating its powerful interpretative power. Guided by this theory, the author conducted a conceptual-functional analysis of Facing the Sea with Spring Blossoms and found that there are 25 processes in the poem, including nine material processes, five mental processes, six relational processes, three verbal processes, and two existential processes. The author analyzed the three types of processes that are more typical in this poem and drew the following conclusions: first, happiness is an important theme for the poet; second, the poem is opened by me (the poet) choosing between two kinds of happiness; third, the poet finally chooses non-earthly happiness, i.e., "I only wish to face the sea, with spring blossoms.". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Basic Variety has been described as a fully fledged system that is developed in second-language acquisition. It is guided by a small number of interacting phrasal, semantic, and pragmatic constraints. This article is devoted to the semantic controller-first constraint, which says that “the NP-referent with highest control comes first” in discourse contexts where this constraint comes into conflict. The Basic Variety, as described by Klein and Perdue, relates to migrant learners that were exposed to target languages in naturalistic contexts and situations outside the classroom. Our study also deals with learners living in the target language’s country at the time of the data collection, but our learners were benefiting from foreign language teaching at university. The goal of this study is twofold. The first part of the article discusses the origins of the key notion of ‘controller’ and introduces related theoretical underpinnings, such as argument hierarchies of transitive verbs and crucial factors determining argument realization. Our analysis shows that the controller-first constraint overlaps with two key concepts of the description of L1 functional grammars – i.e., control asymmetry and the Actor-Undergoer Hierarchy – suggesting that it does not only pertain to the Basic Variety but broadly speaking to the human language capacity. The second part of this study presents some preliminary results on the L2 grammars of Spanish-speaking learners of French in a context of ‘competition’. Our results show the pervasiveness of the controller-first constraint on L2 grammars beyond initial, non-instructed learner varieties, suggesting that this semantic principle is not totally independent of (a) the specifics of the source language and (b) the target constructions of the foreign language classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Approaches to systemic functional grammar: convergence and divergence" is a book review that discusses the convergence and divergence between two models of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL): the Cardiff Grammar model (CG) and the Sydney Grammar model (SG). The book aims to provide a comprehensive reference work for SFL research, particularly for CG research. It includes sections on the divergences and convergences between CG and SG, as well as chapters on the applications and developments of CG in individual languages. The book is recommended for researchers interested in SFL and CG. However, the review suggests that the book could have been better organized and could have included more aspects, such as discussions on structures below the clause and the influence of cognitive factors in analyzing syntactic structures. [Extracted from the article]

Previous research have considered presupposed knowledge as a communicational difficulty in conceiving the meaning of the articles of the legal cods by the reader / addressee. The main question is this: to which extent is the scope of the presumed knowledge? The hypothesis in this research, based on the functional grammar approach, is that the scope of presumed knowledge extends to the extent that in -text and out -of-text references expand the scope of text and meaning. We, in implementation, based on some selective and incidental articles from the Code of Criminal Procedure (CCP), have followed the scope of their references in order to discover its in -text and out -of-text network. The research results show that the domain of presumed knowledge, networked, includes all law codes, legal texts, legal theories, judicial structure, and related knowledge. The following types of references continuously delay the meaning of the clause and article to the last frontiers of presupposed knowledge: explicit references (in -text and out -of-text), implicit references (in -text and out -of-text) including: heterogeneous references, concurrent references, iterative references, and negative reference. Heterogeneous references show that criminal laws (Code of Criminal Procedure, Penal Code, and other criminal codes) focus on the "crime" as the core signifier reflecting the network of knowledge which is presupposed. The results show that any reference, even explicit reference, creates a level of communication complexity and becomes more difficult when the articles, rules, and texts refer to each other back and forth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of the College Of Basic Education is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Theatres are creating a growing audiovisual ecosystem outside the physical venue, including podcasts and audio introductions (AI), marketed as content for the general public, as an accessibility service or both. This article explores these genres and discusses their potential contribution to the existing "cluster" (Roofthooft in Theaterervaring bij blinden en slechtzienden: een cluster van mogelijkheden: een praktijkgericht onderzoek naar toegankelijkheidsmodaliteiten die bijdragen tot een inclusieve theaterervaring, 2021) of accessibility options that create achievement spaces (Neves in The Palgrave handbook of audiovisual translation and media accessibility. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2020) for all. Four episodes of podcasts–AIs are analysed, applying systemic functional linguistics (Halliday and Matthiessen in Halliday's introduction to functional grammar. London and New York, Routledge, 2014) as a framework. The analysis suggests that "mainstream" podcasts focus on the piece, while AIs refer mostly to the production. The AI communicative functions (Reviers in J Special Transl 35:69–95 8:334–338, 2021) experience a noticeable shift in the mainstream podcasts, as the foreshadowing function (disclosing visual elements of a play) is minimised in favour of informative and certain aesthetic functions. The institutional and expert roles of the speakers in the podcasts allow them to introduce poetic language and address the audience more explicitly, in a similar vein to integrated audio description (Fryer in J of Audiov Transl 1(1):170–186, 2018). Unlike traditional AIs, podcasts include music and ad-libs, incorporating another layer of texture to the text. Mainstream podcasts have the potential to become a complementary access modality to AIs, since they minimise ocular-centric practices present in AI and AD (Chottin and Thompson in L'Esprit Créateur 61(4):32–44, 2021). Furthermore, the hybrid podcast type could be an inclusive solution that targets a wider audience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a formal analysis of two displacement phenomena in Mandarin Chinese, namely inner topicalisation and focus fronting, capturing their correlational relationships with control and complementation. It examines a range of relevant data, including corpus examples, to derive empirical generalisations. Acceptability-judgment tasks, followed by mixed-effects statistical models, were conducted to provide additional evidence. This paper presents a constraint-based lexicalist proposal that is couched in the framework of Lexical- Functional Grammar (LFG). The lexicon plays an important role in regulating the behaviour of complementation verbs as they participate in the displacement phenomena. Unlike previous analyses that cast inner topicalisation and focus fronting as restructuring phenomena, this lexicalist proposal does not rely on hypothesised clause-size differences. It captures the empirical properties more accurately and accounts for a wider range of empirical patterns. Adopting the formally explicit framework of LFG, this proposal uses constraints that have mathematical precision. The constraints are computationally implemented using the grammar engineering tool Xerox Linguistic Environment, safeguarding their precision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of College of Languages is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study examines the linguistic resources employed in the discursive reproduction and normalisation of national unity, as constructed by the private sponsors of newspaper congratulatory announcements (NCAs) in Nigeria during the period between 2011 and 2016. The analysis is focused on how the processes of lexicalisation and metaphorisation were utilised in realising such discursive purposes. The study is theoretically informed bysystemic functional grammar (SFG) and theory of conceptual metaphors. The analysis includes linguistic analysis and qualitative content analysis (QCA) in identifying the lexical items as well as the figures of speech used in the NCAs. Findings from the analysis revealed that positively charged lexical items have been employed by the non-state sponsors of the NCAs in an attempt to recontextualise and normalise the unity discourse in the Nigerian context, which goes against the status quo and the lived experiences of the masses. Moreover, the problem of unity is also metaphorised, naturalised and reproduced in the NCAs in another attempt to transform and manipulate people's thoughts and practices through such a metaphorical construction of unity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay aims to provide an ecostylistic analysis of transitivity and agency in selected extracts from Richard Jefferies's late nineteenth-century rural essays, which were collected in his so-called country books. Jefferies's portrayal of the interconnection between humans and the natural environment has been variously described as "pantheistic", a "pantheist revery", or an "ecstatic communion". The present study proposes to validate these claims by showing that Jefferies's essays utilise patterns of transitivity to depict manifold relationships between human and non-human agents in placid landscape descriptions. These can be regarded as positive discourse praising the rural environment and humans' entanglement with other animal and vegetable organisms. An in-depth scrutiny of the linguistic patterns of Jefferies's texts, corroborated by the theoretical and methodological framework of (eco)stylistics and related disciplines (i.e. Systemic Functional Grammar), offers useful insights into the author's ecosophy and holistic understanding of the human and non-human world. By conceptualising the various constitutive elements of the physical environment as active/agentive participants in particular types of processes, Jefferies gives special prominence to ecocentric, rather than anthropocentric positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the unique linguistic mechanisms of Mandarin Chinese, a tonal language, in expressing illocutionary acts, specifically focusing on the act of denial. Central to our investigation is the specialized use of the particle "并" (bīng), which is posited to add emphasis in negation contexts, akin to the emphatic role of words like "actually" or "in fact" in English. Through the lens of Functional Discourse Grammar (FDG), this research examines how Mandarin Chinese leverages lexical items, such as " 并" (bīng), over prosodic features like pitch and tone, to convey pragmatic emphasis. Our findings indicate that "并" (bīng) functions almost exclusively to strengthen denial, particularly in formal or written Mandarin, without carrying significant semantic content on its own. This specialized use underscores the adaptive strategies of tonal languages in maintaining clear lexical distinction while expressing nuanced illocutionary force. Additionally, the study highlights the limited pitch range available for intonation in tonal languages due to the necessity of distinguishing lexical tones, which further motivates the reliance on lexical means for expressing emphasis. This study contributes to the broader understanding of linguistic expression in tonal versus nontonal languages and opens avenues for further research into the complex dynamics of language pragmatics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a cohort sequential quantitative design and evaluative features drawn from Systemic Functional Grammar, this study investigates diachronic variation in linguists' use of evaluation to perform scholarly identities in English academic writing. More specifically, it focuses on the use of statements, commands, modality, comment assessment, and positive and negative lexis, in early and late career papers from 30 linguists born between 1905 and 1960. These linguists were grouped into three cohorts based on year of birth and studied in terms of variation along developmental and cross-generational timescales. Within the developmental timescale, scholars were found to use more evaluation in early career writing than in late career writing. Cohort-specific developmental changes are identified in the frequency of modality and comment assessment. Developmental and cohort-specific trends are found to occur within the backdrop of an overall decrease in the use of evaluative language within the discipline. Results point to a complex diachronic model of academic identity enactment in writing, whereby evaluative features pattern in similar or different ways depending on the timescale considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this article is to show how Functional Grammar of Dance (FGD) can be applied to dance discourse analysis to reveal the discursive strategies that underlie choreographies and support movement-based communication. In recent years, studies in Systemic Functional Multimodal Discourse Analysis (SF-MDA) have benefited from the development of several models of analysis, and from the emergence of a new focus on the materiality of semiotic modes. The Functional Grammar of Dance is a recently developed model of analysis that draws on Systemic Functional Linguistics theory and focuses on movement-based communication starting from dance (particularly ballet as a starting point). The Functional Grammar of Dance has been adopted as a central theory in an international collaborative project funded by the AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council) in the UK and the DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, 'German Research Foundation') in Germany, The Kinesemiotic Body, where it has been used with the ELAN annotation system. ELAN annotation based on the Functional Grammar of Dance was used for both live-collected data from dance rehearsals and for dance videos and revealed aspects of dance performances that are not necessarily captured by the naked eye. This paper proposes three case studies where we show that our ELAN annotation with the FGD provides an effective and very flexible interface for the grammaticalization of movement-based communication and the study of movement-based discursive strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In the era of "Internet +," government new media plays an indispensable role in guiding positive public opinion. Despite the implementation of China’s Double Reduction policy, some local governments' responses to public opinion still need improvement. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics and patterns of the verbal and visual modes in public opinion response discourse on government new media and provide suggestions for these platforms to handle public events more effectively. Methodology: This study was conducted using multimodal analysis of 68 microblogs responding to the Double Reduction policy from the official Weibo of People’s Daily, Xinhua News Agency and CCTV News. Based on the systemic functional grammar and visual grammar, this research explored the verbal mode in terms of ideational, interpersonal and textual metafunctions and the visual mode in terms of the representational, interactive and compositional meanings of government new media discourse. Results: The findings indicated that verbal response from government new media mainly consisted of heading, hashtags and texts, and the visual includes images and videos. The visual mode was in line with the verbal mode to respond to public concerns at issue. The information conveyed was strengthened by the application of images or complemented by the images. Conclusion: This study contributes to establishing the image of government authority. By capturing the potential meaning of verbal and visual modes, this study also provides some suggestions for improving the discourse quality of government new media when responding to public events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The indices for the classification of newspapers have often focused on agenda-setting roles, economic position and size of newspapers, among others. Concerning newspapers in Africa, Moehler and Singh (2011) and Hasty (2005) assert that the only index for the classification of newspapers is ownership. The study, therefore, focuses on the patterns of the attributive mode of the transitivity system of Systemic Functional Grammar to propose a linguistic alternative index for classifying newspapers. The findings indicate that the patterns of attributions that occur are significant and viable enough to classify newspapers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Scientific Development for Studies & Research (JSD) is the property of Journal of Scientific Development for Studies & Research (JSD) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper explores the inter-semiotic analysis of the ideational meaning in images generated by the text-to-image AI tool, Bing Image Creator. It adopts Kress and Van Leeuwen's Grammar of Visual Design as its theoretical framework as the original grounding of the framework in systemic functional grammar (SFG) ensures a solid theoretical basis for undertaking analyses that involve the incorporation of textual and visual components. The integration of an AI generative model within the analytical framework enables a systematic connection between language and visual representations. This incorporation offers the potential to generate well-regulated pictorial representations that are systematically grounded in controlled textual prompts. This approach introduces a novel avenue for re-examining inter-semiotic processes, leveraging the power of AI technology. The paper argues that visual representations possess unique structural devices that surpass the limitations of verbal or written communication as they readily accommodate larger amounts of information in contrast to the limitations of the linear nature of alphabetic writing. Moreover, this paper extends its contribution by critically evaluating specific aspects of the Grammar of Visual Design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lives Beyond Figures (LBF) is a multimodal book intended to raise awareness on underprivileged Egyptians' socio-economic circumstances. While many Egyptian nonprofit campaigns are frequently criticized as poverty porn, LBF generated over nine million empathetic reactions on social media. This study analyzes LBF textually and visually, using systemic functional grammar and the grammar of visual design, to understand how LBF elicited such reactions. Results demonstrated how the editor's ethical approach to empathy reduced its material, emotional, and cognitive costs, and motivated readers to identify with the narrators. The editor broke the boundary between financially secure donors and the poor, respected the narrators' privacy, presented them as the heroes of their own stories, highlighted their ordeals' cultural and economic causes (instead of attributing them to a lack of money), and used visuals to invite readers to contemplate such causes and potential solutions. LBF can inspire nonprofit campaign designers to remain ethical and elicit empathy more effectively when encouraging donations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the use of picturebooks to teach grammar in context, aligning with the Functional Grammar orientation of the Australian Curriculum. Topics include the limitations of traditional grammar worksheets, the process of functional grammar analysis, and specific examples of how picturebooks like "Every Night at Midnight" and "Bibi" can be used to uncover and teach grammar concepts effectively.

The book review discusses "Making Sense: Reference, Agency, and Structure in a Grammar of Multimodal Meaning" by Cope and Kalantzis. The book presents a theoretical framework for understanding multimodality, drawing from linguistics, philosophy, and history. It explores three functions of meaning: reference, agency, and structure. The review praises the book for its comprehensive approach, integration of pragmatics and systemicity, and inclusion of numerous examples. However, it also notes some weaknesses, such as the complexity of certain narratives and the inconsistent use of terminology. Overall, the review recommends the book as a valuable resource for those interested in multimodal meaning-making and visual communication. [Extracted from the article]

The aim of the article is to contribute to the reconstruct of the historical, political and scientific origin of the phenomenon of scolastic “manualetti” promoted by Giuseppe Lombardo Radice at the beginning of the 20th century in Italy. The role of the dialect is also emphasised through the direct description of the case study Esercizi di traduzione dal dialetto milanese (1924) by the Gruppo d’Azione per le scuole del popolo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the concept of Theme and thematic progression in Towriss's novel Ordinary Woman of the Bible: A Mother's Sacrifice: Jochebed's Story (2019). The impetus behind these elements is to pay heed to the journey of Mose's mother through a systematic functional grammar landscape. The aim of this study is to show how different Themes and thematic progression targeted by the novelist and their consistent manipulation serve to expose the story of the secondary characters, Mose's mother as an example. The study follows descriptive analysis including qualitative and quantitative techniques as well as inferential analysis via the chi-square test and the probability value. The analysis reveals that both Theme and thematic progression are escapement techniques to regulate the movement of the lines to form a unified system in the novel. It is concluded that Theme and thematic progression help divulge the suffering, struggle, and tolerance of Jochebed to keep her son safe through a systemic functional grammar frame. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This mixed-methods study evaluated the evolution of thematic development in descriptive report writing among 12 first-year English for Academic Purposes (EAP) university students in Japan over the course of a 15-week program. The program employed a genre-based approach within a Systemic Functional Linguistic framework. Four consecutive information report essays (two pre-essays, a post-essay, and a delayed test essay) were analyzed to assess the student's writing progress. The results revealed a general progression, starting with limited Theme development in the first pre-essay, to some students exhibiting a growing familiarity with coherence and cohesion in terms of the generic structure of descriptive reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mid-adolescence has been identified as a period of considerable potential growth in the language skills and practices that support reading and writing at school, but little research has examined mid-adolescents' use of connectives in school-relevant persuasive writing. In this study, we define connectives as cohesive devices that signal to a reader logical relations between ideas or organizational relations in a text. Drawing from Halliday and Matthiesen (Halliday's introduction to functional grammar, Routledge, 2014) and Hyland (Metadiscourse: exploring interaction in writing, Continuum, 2005), we propose a comprehensive taxonomy of connectives that guided our examination of developmental trends and individual differences in the use of connectives in persuasive essays written by a socioeconomically and ethnically diverse cross-sectional sample of U.S. public-school mid-adolescents in grades 5 to 8 (N = 512). Our analysis revealed (1) developmental trends and individual differences at different grade levels and (2) identified students' connective use as a predictor of overall writing quality above and beyond students' receptive language skills and sociodemographic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an explanatory model for the lexical representation of the native speakers' lexical knowledge of English prepositions. Lexical knowledge of prepositions as relational predicates includes argument structure (trajector-landmark) as in Cognitive Grammar, situation types (position vs state) as in Functional Grammar, lexical hierarchies (spatial subdomains) based on semantic primitives, as in Natural Semantic Metalanguage, and embodied perceptual parameters configured in four dimensions, namely, geometry, topology, force-dynamics and function (from Cognitive Linguistics). This model is illustrated here by expounding three lexical templates compatible with constructional templates in the Lexical Constructional Model, representing the semantic decomposition of English prepositions at, on and in. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this paper is to present the results of an investigation about functioning of tag questions in oral corpus of Chilean Spanish from a systemic-functional language perspective. The categories of interpersonal analysis are derived from the semantic-discursive and lexicalgrammatical strata. In the meaning stratum, the speech function and the semiotic commodity have been considered, while in the coding stratum, the clause modes and the location of the tag question in the clause have been considered. It is concluded that the tag question is a productive resource for the expression of interpersonal meanings in all speech functions. It is mostly integrated in moves that fulfill the role of 'give', while the main subject of negotiation is 'information'. Within the MOOD system, they are mostly integrated in final position of declarative clauses and to a lesser extent in imperative and interrogative clauses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Synthetic Model of Analysis has been proposed to address the complexities of advancing critical literacy through the teaching of narrative literary texts. This five-level model was designed as an assemblage of the Multiliteracies Model and Four Resources Model, which also combined systemic functional grammar, visual design grammar, and narrative discourse grammar with the dialogicality of language and reception theory approaches. In the light of new theory advancements in multiliteracies, we revisit our design to explore meaning transpositions across meaning forms and between meaning functions in literary narrative reading from an in-between standpoint. The complex transposition iterations charted are intended to inform discussions on transpositional grammar and online learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is much literature about the licensing of complement clauses by complement-taking predicates. However, less has been written about the licensing of adverbs in a complement clause. This article addresses the licensing of English evidential adverbs in complement clauses extracted from the NOW corpus. The article discusses three factors that determine the distribution of evidential adverbs in complement clauses. These are the nature of the evidential adverbs, the constraints of the complement clause and the anchor of the evidential adverb. To explore the role of these three factors, I adopt the hierarchical scopal theory of Functional Discourse Grammar (FDG). If a complement clause licenses the inclusion of the evidential adverb, then there is a match. Should there be no alignment between the complement clause and the adverb, there will be a mismatch. The results of the analysis of the data show that there are mostly matches, which occur with either a current speaker anchor or an actor anchor. Secondly, it appears that in cases of mismatches, there is always a current speaker. It thus appears that a current speaker anchor can override the constraints of the complement clause. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lexical Functional Grammar (LFG) is a lexicalist, constraint-based grammatical theory that shares a lot of the basic assumptions of Construction Grammar (CxG), such as a commitment to surface-oriented descriptions (no transformations), and the simultaneous representation of form, meaning, and other grammatical information (no derivations). Nevertheless, LFG is not standardly viewed as a kind of CxG, in particular since its adherence to the principle of Lexical Integrity means that it insists on a strict morphology-syntax distinction where CxG canonically rejects such a divide. However, such a distinction is in fact entirely compatible with CxG assumptions; the actual problem with viewing LFG as a CxG is the difficulty it has in describing the more substantive end of the schematic-substantive spectrum of constructions. I suggest that by replacing the limited context-free grammar base of LFG responsible for this shortcoming with a more expressive formalism (in this case a description-based tree-adjoining grammar), we can obtain a fully constructional LFG, suitable as a formal framework for CxG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to designate the functional use of case suffix +lA in dialects of Giresun and its region and the role of each function in the syntax. In the functional approach, the case is determined not according to the suffixes the noun takes, but according to the tasks which it is assigned in the sentence. The +lA case suffix examples used in our study were determined by scanning the work called Giresun İli ve Yöresi Ağızları prepared by Demir and Aydoğdu (2009). All the examples in which the detected +lA suffix is used have been evaluated by Daşdemir (2015) on the basis of the case categories created according to the functions and tasks in the syntax in accordance with the functional approach. As a result of the study, the outcome that the case suffix +lA is used in 7 different functions was reached. According to the frequency of usage, these functions are as follows: the instrumental case, commutative case, qualitative case, reciprocal case, genitive case, causative case and locative of time case. The tasks they undertake in these functions are determined as case adverb, instrumental object, reciprocity object, commutative object, genitive object, case object, cause object, time object and designation/qualifying adjective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Korean Grammar: A Systemic Functional Approach" by Mira Kim, J.R. Martin, Gi-Hyun Shin, and Gyung Hee Choi is a comprehensive book that applies the systemic functional linguistics (SFL) framework to the analysis of Korean grammar. The book explores the rich lexicogrammatical resources of the Korean language and examines the paradigmatic relations realized in texts. It covers various aspects of Korean grammar, including discourse semantics, lexicogrammar, phonology, interpersonal grammar, experiential grammar, and textual meaning. The book also demonstrates the practical applications of the systemic functional grammar of Korean in language education and translation/interpretation. While the book provides valuable insights into Korean grammar, it could benefit from incorporating alternative linguistic theories and providing more examples for analysis. Overall, "Korean Grammar: A Systemic Functional Approach" is a valuable resource for researchers and scholars in Korean studies, cross-linguistic analyses, second language acquisition, and translation studies. [Extracted from the article]

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This article discusses the challenges and opportunities presented by technology in the field of writing instruction. The first article explores the concept of "ungrading" as an alternative assessment method that focuses on qualitative learning and student self-assessment. The second article addresses the need for a translingual approach in working with multilingual students, emphasizing their agency in self-identifying and utilizing their diverse language repertoires. The third article highlights the importance of explicit language instruction in developing students' metalinguistic awareness and facilitating transfer of writing skills. The fourth article proposes an individualized intervention for "promising but struggling" multilingual students, aiming to bridge the gap between their reticence and conventional tutoring methods. Overall, the articles emphasize the importance of building connections and understanding between instructors and students in the writing classroom. [Extracted from the article]

Responding to a lack of attention to language in transfer pedagogies, this study examines the potential effects that direct language-level instruction has on the metalinguistic awareness of students who were enrolled in stretch and corequisite courses at two four-year, public universities. Informed by a functional view of language, the instruction made explicit the connections between conventional language-level features and the related socio-rhetorical practices of academic discourse and provided metalanguage for students to describe these connections. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participating students to determine the extent to which the metalanguage from the instruction aided their ability to articulate their awareness of these connections. The findings suggest that the instruction cultivates a metalanguage that helps students verbalize their metalinguistic awareness. When considering the role that such awareness has on the transfer process, these findings indicate that functional language-based instruction can prepare students to transfer their writing strategies across contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children's increasing expertise in composition relies partly on word choice. Little is known about how children consider words as they write, their meta-lexical awareness, or about their choice of words for writing. In this study, we investigate children's meta-lexical awareness, as one aspect of their metalinguistic awareness, which guides their word choices as they write. We describe how child writers express their meta-lexical awareness and how this might relate to writing achievement. We view language as functional in context of use following systemic, functional grammar theorists. We employ a mixed methods approach using writing achievement scores and a modified think aloud protocol to understand what children think about words as they write. Findings show that children develop increasing sophistication in the way they consider and choose words and that this relates to their writing achievement. The nature of children's meta-lexical awareness and its relationship to writing achievement is theorised, adding to the growing body of research into the importance of metalinguistic awareness to children's writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the diachronic development and the different uses of the reportative word dizque (diachronically based on diz que ‘she/he/it says that’) using data from Colombian and Mexican Spanish. The study presents a predominantly qualitative analysis of diachronic, twentieth- and twenty-first-century written data. The theoretical framework applied in this article is Functional Discourse Grammar (FDG), which is particularly useful in this context as it distinguishes between the interpersonal and representational functions of language. The main points made are: (i) dizque is an adverb that arose from a process of lexicalization rather than grammaticalization; (ii) in most of its uses, dizque has an interpersonal function in the sense that the Speaker instructs the Addressee that she/he is not the source of the information provided; (iii) by means of diachronic, dialectal, and typological data, it is shown that the scope of dizque is gradually decreasing; (iv) the only scope decrease that leads to a functional change of dizque is its application outside the context of speech-reports. FDG serves to account for each step in the scope decrease of dizque by means of its hierarchical approach to the actional and descriptive functions of verbal interaction.

This study traces the relationship between two erstwhile separate linguistic elements, just and so, within the framework of Functional Discourse Grammar (FDG). In keeping with FDG’s form-oriented function-to-form approach, the study proceeds semasiologically by, first, examining the uses of relatively independent forms (i.e. the focus particle just modifying so as a degree word and a manner proform), then turning to more tightly-knit structures (i.e. just so as a subordinator of purpose and condition), and finally, looking at the fixed expression just so used as a part of a pragmatic marker. Using data from the Corpus of Contemporary American English and the Corpus of Historical American English, we argue that the different meanings of just so raise a number of issues related to the analysis of modification in FDG, namely the status and function of the modifier just in the constructions under discussion and the concomitant representation of so. Furthermore, the analysis shows that FDG can model very precisely the interplay of semantic and pragmatic information in the stages when just so is still compositional, with just providing interpersonal (i.e. pragmatic) and so representational (i.e. semantic) information, as well as its development into the non-compositional and purely pragmatic discourse marker just so you know.

This article addresses the question of how the distribution and role of English evidential -ly adverbs in the noun phrase can be accounted for using the framework of Functional Discourse Grammar (FDG). Both adverbs and adjectives occurring in noun phrases are categorized in various ways. The results of the categorization offer insights into the distribution of these adverbs and adjectives. Four generalizations are arrived at concerning the combination of evidential adverbs and adjectives in noun phrases. First, the lower in the FDG hierarchy the category of an adverb, the less frequent the occurrence of that category in the noun phrase. Thus, higher reportative adverbs are very frequent, and lower adverbs of event perception are very infrequent. Second, evidential adverbs do not modify adjectives that express the speaker’s subjective evaluation of the referent. Third, the higher-level reportative and inferential adverbs modify adjectives expressing permanent properties, whereas the lower adverbs of deduction and event perception do not. Finally, neither restrictiveness nor the evaluative vs descriptive nature of the adjective appears to solely determine the category of evidential modification of the adjective. We furthermore discuss the pragmatic effects of the evidential adverb in the noun phrase, such as distancing, and the stress shift that may accompany it.