The experiential meta-function and the transitivity of the clause

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Unit II

• The experiential meta-function and the
  transitivity of the clause
• Based on Gerot Wignell, chapter 3, pp. 52-79
  Bloor Bloor, chapter 6, pp. 106-126 Martin,
  Matthiessen Painter, chapter 4, pp. 100-164

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Transitivity in traditional grammar classes of
verbs and structure of the clause
Type of verbs Structure
Intransitive verbs S F/P He ran. He walked. The water boiled
Monotransitive verbs S F/P C ( DO) He made a cake. He bought a car. He used my pencil. He saw a bird. He wanted a friend.
Ditransitive verbs S F/P C ( DO) C ( IO) He gave his brother some money. He gave some money to his brother, He bought his brother a car. He bought a car for his brother.
Complex transitive S F/P C ( DO) C ( OC) They appointed him king. They called him Neo.

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Transitivity in traditional grammar classes of
verbs and structure of the clause
Type of verbs Structure
Linking verbs (stative) S F/P C (SC) She is/seemed hard-working and meticulous. She is a (renowned) scientist. She is the head of the research team.
Linking verbs (resultative) S F/P C (SC) She became a nurse. She went mad. She grew tired.

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Transitivity in traditional grammar concern
with form rather than meaning

• Traditional grammar is mainly concerned with
  form, with the number and type of complements
  associated with each type of verb and the clause
  structure resulting from the choice of one or the
  other verb.
• A functional approach to grammar is concerned
  with meaning, though in both approaches the verb
  has a key role in determining the structure of
  the clause, as we will see.

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Transitivity in Systemic Functional Grammar

• TRANSITIVITY is the system or resource for
  construing experiential meaning, i. e. meaning
  about the world outside and inside the speaker.
• It is the resource for construing (
  interpreting and expressing) events, happenings,
  goings-on, mental states, sayings, behaviour and
  relations of different kinds.

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Transitivity in Functional Grammar nuclear and
peripheral transitivity

• Nuclear transitivity resources that are central
  to the representation of events, happenings,
  states, relations, more specifically
• The Process
• The Participant(s) involved in the Process
• Peripheral transitivity resources that are not
  so central to the representation of events,
  happenings, states, more specifically
• Circumstances

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Transitivity in Functional Grammar nuclear
transitivity (Process and participants)

• Process the resource for sorting out/
  classifying/ categorizing our experience of
  events and goings-on in general into a small
  number of types.
• The process is realized by verbs (lexical verb).
• There are 6 to 7 process types that are
  generally recognized and these are

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Nuclear transitivity (Basic process types
meaning and examples)
Process type Meanings Examples
Material actions and happenings (outside world observable) He ran. The window broke. He climbed the tree.She made a cake. She broke the window. She gave him a present.
Mental perception, cognition and affective processes (inner world not directly observable) I saw a bird, I heard a sound. I saw him cross the street. I knew (the answers). I believe/think he is wrong. I fear the outcome. I like the smell. The woman scares me. The decision pleased me.
Behavioural human and animal physiological behaviour human paraverbal and mental behaviour He snored/coughed. He slept soundly. He breathed heavily. They shouted/cried/growled. He pondered/reflected over the problem.

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Nuclear transitivity (Basic process types and
associated participants)
Process type Meanings Examples
Verbal saying (mental process that becomes observable) He told a lie. He told a story. He said Hello. Im tired! he exclaimed. He answered that he was unaware of the decision.
Existential existence There is a bird on the tree. Ghosts exist.
Relational being and having He is a (famous) scientist. He is the head of the department. He has blue eyes/a car.
Meteorological weather or time processes Its 8 oclock. Its noon. Its windy. Its raining/snowing.

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Nuclear transitivity (Basic process types and
associated participants)

• Basic process types are distinguishable from
  each other in
• Meaning
• Number and kind of participants
• Subtypes
• Distinctive features and reactances

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Nuclear transitivity different process types
described and illustrated in more detail
Process type Participants Subtypes Examples Distinctive features/ Reactances
Material (actions and happenings outside world observable) Actor Actor Range Actor Goal Actor Goal Beneficiary/ Client -middle -m. w/range -effective -effective (giving type) -He ran. The window broke. -He climbed the tree. -He broke the window. He gave me flowers. He brought me flowers. -Substitution by do (do to) -Selection of Present progressive (Present in present) as unmarked tense in the present -No capacity to project (see mental and verbal)
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Material processes as doing-words

• Material processes the only processes that can
  confidently be called doing-words (term used in
  traditional school-grammar to refer to verbs in
  general). This is seen in the fact that they are
  the only ones (except maybe for some behavioural
  ones) that can be substituted by do.
• One can say What he did yesterday was
  go/run/walk to the park or What he did to the
  poor man was kill him/kick him/punch him or
  What he did with the book was tear it into
  pieces. But one cannot say What he did was see
  a bird/ hear a strange sound or What he did was
  know the answer/understand the question or What
  he did was want a cake/fear the outcome. These
  last sentences would appear illogical because the
  verbs in them do not express a doing, a
  material process.

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Material processes distinguishing between Range
and Goal
Range (not liable to be impacted or affected it just expresses the scope of the process) Goal (impacted/affected)
Cannot be probed by do to, do with What did he do with the tree/mountain? He climbed it What did he do with the piano? He played it. Can be probed by do to, do with What did he do with the tree? He put it in one of the corners of the room and decorated it. What did he do with the piano? He hatched it.
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Material processes distinguishing between Range
and Goal
Range (not liable to be impacted or affected it just expresses the scope of the process) Goal (impacted/affected)
can be replaced by a PP He climbed (up) the tree He played (on) the piano He jumped (over) the fence Cannot be replaced by a PP
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Material processes distinguishing between Range
and Goal
Range (not liable to be impacted or affected it just expresses the scope of the process) Goal (impacted/affected)
Not liable to be followed by an Attribute, a Role, a Beneficiary or a Location followed by an Attribute, a Role, a Beneficiary or a Location that represents the result of the impact They painted the wall white. They drove the car hot. (Attribute) Cut the onions into cubes. They broke the window into pieces. (Role Product) They kicked the cat down the stairs (Location) They gave/brought a car to the kid/for the kid (Beneficiary Client)
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Material processes distinguishing between Range
and Goal
Range (not liable to be impacted or affected it just expresses the scope of the process) Goal (impacted/affected)
Certain material processes with range can be restated by means of a single verb He took a bath/a shower ( He bathed/showered). He made a mistake ( he erred). Not possible for material processes with Goal
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Nuclear transitivity different process types
described and illustrated in more detail
Process type Participants Subtypes Examples Reactances
Mental percep-tion, cogni-tion, affection inner world non-observa-ble) Senser Phenomenon/ Metaphenom. perception cognition affection -He saw a bird. I saw him cross/crossing the street. -He knows all the answers. He believes that you are to blame. -I like/fear him. He pleases/scares me. He regrets the fact that he was unable to help. -No substitution by any verb -S Present as unmarked tense in Present -Bidirec-tional -Capacity to project
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Nuclear transitivity different process types
described and illustrated in more detail
Process type Participants Subtypes Examples Reactances
Beha-vioural (physio-logical, mental and para-verbal beha-viour) Behaver (Beha-viour) Physiological (Para)verbal Mental behaviour He slept soundly. He snored/ breathed. He babbled/ grunted/growled/sang a song. He pondered/ meditated over the matter He cried/ laughed/giggled. -No substitution by do. -Present in Present as unmarked tense in Present -No projection
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Nuclear transitivity different process types
described and illustrated in more detail
Process type Participants Subtypes Examples Distinctive features/ Reactances
Verbal (saying) Sayer Verbiage / Locution Receiver Quoting Reporting He told (us) a lie/a story. Im tired he said He said (to me) he was tired. -Presence of receiver -No substitution by do S. Present as unmarked tense in Pr. -projection
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Nuclear transitivity different process types
described and illustrated in more detail
Process type Participants Subtypes Examples Distinctive features/ Reactances
Existential (existence) Existent -Existential -Existential plus (some other meaning) There are different species of whales. Through the window there came the sounds of Sydney. No substitution by do -S. Present as unmarked tense -Presence of unstressed there in S position
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Nuclear transitivity different process types
described and illustrated in more detail
Process type Participants Subtypes Examples Distinctive features/ Reactances
Relational (being and having) Carrier Attribute Token Value Attributive Identifying She is famous. She is a (famous) scientist. She has blue eyes. She is the leader. The Aconcagua is the highest peak in America. Presence of be or verbs comparable in meaning. -No substitution by do -S Present as unmarked tense
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Relational processes further described
Process type Participants Subtypes Examples Distinctive features/ Reactances
Relational attributive (being and having) Assigning sb to a class Assigning sb a quality/an attribute Carrier Attribute Intensive Possessive Circumstantial She is famous. She is a (famous) scientist. She has blue eyes. She has two siblings. She has a car. She is in high school. New York is in the States. Attribute realized by adjective, indefinite nominal group or circumstance (PP) -Carrier and Attribute are non-reversible
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Relational processes further described
Process type Participants Subtypes Examples Distinctive features/ Reactances
Relational identifying (being and having) Identifying an entity by reference to some other entity Meanings of symbolization Token Value intensive possessive circumstantial America is the beacon of democracy. The Aconca-gua is the highest peak in America. This is Neils. This belongs to Neil. The time of the meeting is Friday. The cause f his illness is stress. -Presence of definite nominal groups -Reversible
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Identifyingh Token and Value
Token Value
More concrete entity America in America is the beacon of democracy Abstract notion, value the beacon of democracy in same clause
Subject in a clause with the verb represent America represents the beacon of democracy Complement in clause with represent See the beacon of democracy in other box
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Transitivity in Functional Grammar its relation
to context and meaning
Context Meaning Lexico-grammatical (systems)
Field (what the text is about) Experiential (meaning about the world or worlds perceived or imagined) TRANSITIVITY
Tenor (the relationship between the interactants) Interpersonal (meaning about the relationship between interactants) MOOD
Mode (whether the text is spoken or written) Textual (meaning about the text we construct in interaction) THEME-RHEME
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Where is transitivity to be placed in the model
of language? In which level or stratum?