Shell nouns as grammatical metaphor revealing disparate construals: Investigating the differences between British English and China English based on a comparable corpus

2019 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Dong ◽  
Alex Chengyu Fang
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Support ◽  
Relational Processes ◽  
Propositional Truth ◽  
Grammatical Metaphor ◽  
Core Set ◽  
China English ◽  
Grammatical Metaphor Theory ◽  
Verbal Processes ◽  
Chinese Group ◽  
Shell Nouns

AbstractThis article describes a study of shell nouns (SNs) complemented by appositive that-clauses observed in a two-million-word corpus of media English by British and Chinese writers. The grammatical metaphor theory was applied to the data in the light of a novel proposal that the metaphorical forms of SN+that constructions, in their contextual semantic settings, serve to re-construe various transitivity processes. The study produced significant findings, including: (1) the two writer groups demonstrate significantly different preferences for SN types but the British and the Chinese uses are instantiated from a common core set; (2) the Chinese group prefers the re-construal of Identifying Relational processes of facts and evidence as markers of neutral and impersonal discourse; (3) British writers favour the re-construal of Verbal processes of assertion and stance and tend to re-construe Attributive Relational processes with varying degrees of commitment to the encapsulated propositional truth; (4) both groups are inclined towards the re-construal of Mental processes of cognition with a common preference for the re-construal of the experience of knowing, believing and thinking. The findings above lend important empirical support to systemic functional theories and suggest further research in the future regarding SNs as indicators of disparate construals in discourse.

Shell nouns as register-specific discourse devices

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Chengyu Fang ◽  
Min Dong
Keyword(s):  
Past Research ◽  
Written Discourse ◽  
British English ◽  
Small Core ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Written Texts ◽  
Frequent Use ◽  
Core Set ◽  
Mode Of Production ◽  
Shell Nouns

Abstract This article provides a corpus-based investigation into shell nouns. Shell nouns perform a variety of referential functions and express speaker stance. The investigation was motivated by the fact that past research in this area has been primarily based on written texts. Very little is known about the use of shell nouns in speech. The study used the ICE-GB corpus of contemporary British English and investigated cataphoric shell nouns complemented by appositive that-clauses across fine-grained spoken and written registers. It has revealed that the deployment of shell nouns is governed by the principle of register formality definable in terms of contextual configurations of the Field-Tenor-Mode complex rather than the mode of production. Additionally, the study has uncovered the frequent use of a small core set of shell nouns common across speech and writing. Hence it argues that shell nouns are part and parcel of spoken and written discourse and that they pertain more to grammar than to lexis.

scholarly journals Linguistic Choices in Hamid’s Moth Smoke: A Transitivity Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 303
Author(s):  
Hafiz Muhammad Qasim ◽  
Mubina Talaat ◽  
Qamar Khushi ◽  
Musarrat Azher
Keyword(s):  
Literary Text ◽  
Analytical Tool ◽  
Frequency Of Occurrence ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Prose Fiction ◽  
Functional Grammar ◽  
Systemic Functional Grammar ◽  
Relational Processes ◽  
Male Characters ◽  
Verbal Processes

The present study is aimed at an investigation of how meanings are construed in a literary text. The main theoretical framework employed for the data analysis was transitivity, which finds its roots in Halliday’s (1994) Systemic Functional Grammar. 21 texts from Hamid’s novel, Moth Smoke (MS) were selected as data. A sample size of 1100 complex clause sentences containing different processes, participants and circumstances was drawn for analysis. The focus of the study was the identification of transitivity patterns associated with the main characters of the novel following Simpson (2004) who viewed it “useful indicator of character in prose fiction” (p. 119). The findings of transitivity constructions showed that all types of processes were found in MS. Based on the rank of frequency, material processes were computed the most frequent processes. They did have frequency of occurrence as (1076=51.45%). The projection of mental processes was (13.91%) in the second position. The verbal processes were (11.23%), relational processes (19.75%) while the lowest projection was found in behavioural (2.63%) and existential (0.86%) processes. Male characters were ascribed with more material and verbal processes while females were drawn as having mental and attributive process clauses. The current study concluded that transitivity options can function as a useful analytical tool in the analysis of a literary text.

scholarly journals Examining Word List and Processes in Law of The Republic of Indonesia Number 6 Year 2011

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Eva Tuckyta Sari Sujatna ◽  
Cece Sobarna
Keyword(s):  
Research Method ◽  
Word List ◽  
Mental Processes ◽  
Relational Processes ◽  
Verbal Process ◽  
Dominant Process ◽  
Material Process ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Verbal Processes ◽  
Descriptive Method

This research tries to figure out the word list and the types of processes in Law of the Republic of Indonesia No 6 of Year 2011 concerning immigration. The research method applied in this research is descriptive method to describe the word list and the process in each data. Based on the result of the data analysis, firstly, it was found that the word “yang” is the highest frequency gramatically, while “pasal” is the highest frequency lexically. Secondly, it was reported there are four different processes; they are material process, mental process, relational process, and verbal process. Among the processes, the dominant process applied in Law of the Republic of Indonesia No 6 Year 2011 concerning Immigration is the verb “dipidana” as material processes, “menolak” as mental processes, “melarang” as verbal processes, and “adalah” as relational processes. AbstrakTujuan penelitian ini untuk mendeskripsikan kosakata dan jenis-jenis proses dalam Undang-Undang Republik Indonesia Nomor 6 Tahun 2011 tentang Keimigrasian. Metode penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode deskriptif untuk mendeskripsikan kosakata dan proses dalam setiap data. Berdasarkan hasil analisis data, pertama ditemukan bahwa kata “yang” secara gramatikal memiliki frekuensi tertinggi, sedangkan secara leksikal kata “pasal” memiliki frekuensi tertinggi. Kedua, ditemukan empat proses yang berbeda, yaitu proses material, proses mental, proses relasional, dan proses verbal. Di antara proses-proses tersebut, proses yang dominan diterapkan dalam UUD RI No 6 Tahun 2011 tentang Keimigrasian adalah verba “dipidana” sebagai proses material, “menolak” sebagai proses mental, “melarang” sebagai proses verbal, dan “adalah” sebagai proses relasional.

scholarly journals Transitivity Processes in President Buhari’s ‘My Covenant With Nigerians’

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Isaiah I. Agbo ◽  
Festus U. Ngwoke ◽  
Blessing U. Ijem
Keyword(s):  
Presidential Election ◽  
Frequency Function ◽  
Functional Grammar ◽  
Systemic Functional Grammar ◽  
Relational Processes ◽  
Verbal Process ◽  
The People ◽  
Verbal Processes ◽  
The Masses

Politics and politicking in Nigeria has assumed a considerably new dimension. Actors articulate their ideology and programmes, and construct their subjects and experiences in diverse linguistic processes with a view to achieving political victory. This paper examines clause structures of President Buhari’s My Covenant with Nigerians to reveal the transitivity processes employed by the President in this famous campaign speech in 2015 presidential election. This study utilized Transitivity Processes, which is rooted in Halliday’s (1985) Systemic Functional Grammar, in order to uncover different process types and main participants in the speech, and to explain the functions which these processes perform in the speech in helping the speaker to convey his ideology to Nigerians and convince them to rally support for him. Specifically, objective of this study is the uncover transitivity process types in the speech, their frequency, function and ideological underpinnings. The study reveals that President Muhammadu Buhari utilized mental and verbal processes perception, affection, cognition and volition, and verbal process of saying to appeal to the masses, and to commit himself to serve Nigerians. He equally used material and relational processes to encode his ideology, persuade the people and achieve political victory.

scholarly journals Nominalizations: Application of Grammatical Metaphor in the News Articles of Bangladesh-China Relations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Anisur Rahman Akanda
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Functional Grammar ◽  
Systemic Functional Grammar ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Grammatical Metaphor ◽  
Metaphor Theory ◽  
Grammatical Metaphor Theory ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Abstract This study, within the framework of Halliday’s Systemic Functional Grammar, aims to find out the types of nominalization and their functions in the news articles of Bangladesh-China relations. Bangladesh established the diplomatic relation with China on 4 October 1975. Since then the BSS has shown great interest in the relationship between the two countries. By combining the qualitative and quantitative methods, this paper includes 140 news articles from the BSS on the topic (1975-2016). Grammatical Metaphor Theory is applied to identify the specific functions of nominalization in the news articles, which are calculated by the Wordsmith Tools. The findings show that process nominalization is the top-highest frequently metaphor (40.3%), while circumstance nominalization is the second-highest metaphor (35.8%). Further, relator nominalization is the third-highest metaphor (14.2%), while quality nominalization is the fourth-highest metaphor (8.4%). The lowest nominalization is entity nominalization, which is only 1.4%. The findings also show that process nominalization can increase the level of objectivity and conciseness of Bangladesh-China relations. By contrast, quality nominalization can increase the distance between the readers and the editors. Relator and entity nominalizations are rarely used in the news articles of the BSS. Further, practical implications are drawn for the readers about the function of nominalization in the news articles, which are concise, objective, and formal. Therefore, this paper will be helpful for those, who are interested in the study of the relations between Bangladesh and China.

scholarly journals The Construction of China’s National Image From Transitivity Perspective—A Case Study of Fighting COVID-19: China in Action

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1421-1427
Author(s):  
Zhencong Liu ◽  
Hui Liu
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
White Paper ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
National Image ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Relational Processes ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Verbal Processes

Using the theory of transitivity system within Systemic Functional Linguistics as the theoretical basis and the white paper named Fighting COVID-19: China in Action, which was published by the Chinese government on June 7, 2020 as the corpus, with the help of corpus analysis tool, UAM Corus Tool 3, this paper uses a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the construction of China’s national image. The results show that the frequency of material processes is extremely high, which is 88.26%, while existential processes and behavioral processes occupy only an extremely small proportion, 0.73% and 0.09% respectively. Relational processes are in the second rank, 5.34%. The frequencies of verbal processes and mental processes are similar, accounting for 2.97% and 2.6% respectively. Through a detailed analysis of the six transitivity processes, a national image that advocates “people supremacy”, selfless collectivism, with strong executive ability and mobilization, and a great responsibility in the international society is found to be constructed. This paper lays a foundation for further studying China’s national image in the path of SFL. It also sheds some light on the construction of China’s image in the official government document.

scholarly journals Transitivity Processes in Thunberg’s Viral Speech: A Systemic Functional Linguistics Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 607-614
Author(s):  
Hesti Raisa Rahardi ◽  
Eva Tuckyta Sari Sujatna ◽  
Heriyanto -
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
Systemic Functional Linguistics ◽  
Functional Linguistics ◽  
Relational Processes ◽  
Language Structure ◽  
The World ◽  
Verbal Processes ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
United Nation

This study analyses the relationship between clause structures and social construction of the meaning found in verbal speeches. Drawing on Halliday's transitivity system particularly the processes element rooted in Systemic Functional Linguistics, the present study attempts to investigate the distribution of transitivity processes found in viral speech of Greta Thunberg at 2019 United Nation Climate Summit held in New York City. Moreover, through descriptive qualitative analysis, the study aims to reveal the function expressed by the processes found in the speech. To this end, it is found that only five out of six process types namely material, mental, relational, verbal, and behavioral processes found in the speech. Moreover, Thunberg used relational processes, mental processes, and material processes more than verbal processes and behavioral processes. The five processes further serve different functions in the speech. Yet, all of the processes occurred in the speech are generally used to deliver Thunberg’s critics over the world leader’s slow response in handling the climate issue. Besides, the processes also used to convince the audience and people in general to start doing something for the climate. The implication of this research is expected to give the information on how language structure is used by the environmental activist in her agenda to persuade people. 

scholarly journals Transitivity Process In Bon Jovi's Selected Song Lyrics

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-125
Author(s):  
HIACE VEGA FERNANDO SIAHAAN
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Mental Processes ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Relational Processes ◽  
The Social ◽  
Source Data ◽  
Song Lyrics ◽  
Material Process ◽  
Verbal Processes

The focus of this research is to find the usage of the transitivity processes in Bon Jovi’s selected song lyrics. This research is descriptive qualitative research. This research aims to discover and examine types of the transitivity processes used in Bon Jovi’s selected song lyrics. The source data of this research are the twenty selected song lyrics of Bon Jovi. Meanwhile, the data of this research are the clauses that used transitivity processes in Bon Jovi’s selected song lyrics. The data of this research are analyzed by using the interactive model. The result of this research shows that all of the six types of transitivity processes are found in Bon Jovi’s selected song lyrics, namely: material processes, mental processes, relational processes, verbal processes, behavioral processes, existential processes. It shows that Bon Jovi, in realizing the song, applied the six types of transitivity processes. From the six types of transitivity processes that are found, the material process is dominantly used in Bon Jovi’s selected song lyrics. It indicates that Bon Jovi’s selected song lyrics are related to the physical activity that happens in the social phenomena. It is helpful for the readers to know transitivity processes in understanding the message of the song. Besides it, it also gives advantages for the songwriter in writing song lyrics to provide the varieties of wording in the songs.

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