Prosody and ideology

The focus of this paper is on the role choices in phonological systems (Brazil 1997; Halliday & Greaves 2008) play in the ideological work of a text. Using an instance of news reporting of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, we show how prosodic choices – both those shared with other texts in this register, and those specific to this instance – contribute to the ideological force of the text. The ideological effects of prosodic choices in this text, we argue, include projecting a very particular interpretation of the invasion as if distant and objective, and giving prominence to claims that the invasion was measured and targeted, and by implication in accordance with international law.

Instantiation and individuation in Buddhist scripture translation

This paper analyses and compares the systemic functional features of the Sanskrit original text and the Chinese and English translations of the Buddhist scripture Heart Sutra, focusing on the ideational components that are manifest on the strata of discourse semantics and lexicogrammar. Results show that there are both expected equivalence and significant differences among the Sanskrit original text and the two translated texts. The accounts for the equivalence and differences are twofold (on two hierarchies): in terms of instantiation, the translators go along different re-instantiation routes in finding corresponding potentials between the source text and their respective target texts; in terms of individuation, the English and Chinese translators’ personal and social identity has an immediate influence on their respective reproductions of the text.

Alignment, persuasiveness and the putative reader in opinion writing

This paper explores a new line of analysis for comparing opinion writing by reference to differences in the relationships being indicated between author and addressee. It draws on recent work within the appraisal framework literature to offer proposals for linguistics-based analyses of what has variously been termed the ‘intended’, ‘imagined’, ‘ideal’, ‘virtual’, ‘model’, ‘implied’ and ‘putative’ reader (the ‘reader written into the text’). A discussion is provided of those means by which beliefs, attitudes and expectations are projected onto this ‘reader in the text’, formulations which signal anticipations that the reader either shares the attitude or belief currently being advanced by the author, potentially finds it novel or otherwise problematic, or may reject it outright. The discussion is conducted with respect to written, persuasive texts, and specifically with respect to news journalism’s commentary pieces. It is proposed that such texts can usefully be characterised and compared by reference to tendencies in such ‘construals’ or ‘positionings’ of the putative reader – tendencies in terms of whether the signalled anticipation is of the reader being aligned or, conversely, potentially unaligned or dis-aligned with the author. The terms ‘flag waving’ and ‘advocacy’ are proposed as characterisations which can be applied to texts, with ‘flag waving’ applicable to texts which construe the reader as largely sharing the author’s beliefs and attitudes, while ‘advocacy’ is applicable to texts where the reader is construed as actually or potentially not sharing the author’s beliefs and attitudes and thereby needing to be won over. This line of analysis is demonstrated through a comparison of two journalistic opinion pieces written in response to visits by Japanese politicians to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, one published in the English-language version of the mainland China newspaper, China Daily and one in the English-language version of the Japanese Asahi Shimbun. It is shown that one piece can usefully be characterised as oriented towards ‘flag waving’ and the other towards ‘advocacy’.

Language in action

This paper explores language in sport. It draws on systemic functional linguistics to map variations in language as coaches and players change situation, from setting up drills and giving feedback to calling for the ball during the intensity of play. In particular, it explores grammatical and phonological shifts as coaches and players move more toward the ‘language–in–action’ pole of mode. It shows that the more language is used in relation to intense action on the field, the less this meaning is given by the ‘higher levels’ of language (both its higher strata and higher ranks) and the more meaning that is given by the ‘lower levels’ (lower strata and lower ranks). In terms of strata this shifts meaning from the higher stratum of lexicogrammar to the lower stratum of phonology; in terms of rank, this breaks down clause structures to rely heavily on group/phrase and word choices and flattens phonological patterns of intonation, rhythm and syllable structures to rely more on voice quality and timing. This paper thus maps a rich space of registerial variation with significant deviations from typical English patterns.

Martin on discourse semantics, genre, educational linguistics

J. R. Martin is a leading scholar who has greatly developed the theoretical framework of systemic functional linguistics (SFL) over the past four decades. Some of these contributions, such as the systems of discourse semantics, the appraisal framework and genre relations have been widely applied in various areas of linguistic studies and language education. The educational linguistic model he and his colleagues have cultivated and developed has attracted the attention of more and more educators from different disciplines around the globe. In this interview, he firstly elaborates on the significance of the concepts of discourse semantics, grammatical metaphor and genre. Then he continues with applications of genre theory in secondary school education, language maintenance, the relation and collaboration between Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) and SFL, and how the two paradigms complement each other. Finally, he introduces some of his recent collaborations with grammarians of different languages.

A preliminary description of mood in Welsh

In this paper we propose a functional account of the Welsh mood system, focussing on responsives in particular. The discourse functions of responsives are interpreted through the concept of negotiation within the systemic functional linguistic framework, which offers a rich model for accounting for both initiations and responses, including possible tracking and challenging moves. By examining the interaction of mood together with specific features of Welsh, e.g. a dominant VSO clause ordering, mood particles, Subject ellipsis and a complex system of negation, we are able to show that Welsh tends to highlight interpersonal meanings in clause initial position. As the first functional description of Welsh, we also set out important directions for future research, based on the findings presented in this paper.

The linguistic construction of business decisions

This paper models analytical tools for identifying the linguistic resources at play in constructing business decision-making in high-scoring undergraduate business reports from a systemic functional linguistic perspective. Drawing on the discourse semantic system of appraisal and coupling theory in systemic functional linguistics, this paper illustrates a process for analysing the linguistic construction of investment opportunities and risks in undergraduate business reports through the ‘coupling’ of different types of discourse semantic meanings. This study has pedagogical implications for making explicit the key language resources critical for constructing business decisions in undergraduate business studies.

Translating the English academic article for a French readership in 1686

Previous studies of translations from the Philosophical Transactions to the Journal des Sçavans in 1665 and 1675 showed that the translators adopted a strategy of selective translation. The present study looks at five examples published in 1686. Selective translation is again in evidence. Analyses of thematic structure and process types, however, show only slight differences, but with biases towards constant progression and material processes in the French versions. It is suggested that this can be explained by the translator adapting his texts to his readership. Whereas the Philosophical Transactions was restricted to questions of science and technology, the Journal des Sçavans dealt with all the academic disciplines of the time, and thus had a wider readership than its English counterpart.