4. Introduction
Choices in style motivate, even if
unconsciously, and these choices have a
profound impact on the way texts are
structured and interpreted.
The experiential function is an important
marker of style, especially that of narrative
discourse, because it emphasizes the
concept of style as choice.
5. Transitivity
This is a system in which The particular
grammatical facility is used for capturing
experience in language.
This is used in a more expanded semantic
sense than that used in traditional grammars
where it simply serves to identify verbs which
take direct objects.
this refers to the way meanings are encoded
in the clause and to the way different types of
process are represented in language.
6. Three components of processes:
(Transitivity)
1. The process itself, which is typically realized
in grammar by the verb phrase.
2. The participant(s) associated with the
process, typically realized by noun phrases.
3. The less importantly for stylistic analysis, the
circumstances associated with the process.
This is typically expressed by prepositional
and adverb phrases (the Adjunct element in
clause structure).
8. Material Processes
are simply processes of doing.
Associated with are two inherent
participant roles which are the Actor, an
obligatory role in the process, and a
Goal, a role which may or may not be
involved in the process.Actor Process Goal
I nipped Daniel.
The washing
machine
broke down.
9. Mental Processes
are essentially processes of sensing.
inhabit and reflect the world of consciousness,
and involves:
cognition (encoded in verbs such as ‘thinking’ or
‘wondering’)
reaction (as in ‘liking’ or ‘hating’)
perception (as in ‘seeing’ or ‘hearing’)
The two roles associated are the Sensor (the
conscious being that is doing the sensing) and the
Phenomenon (the entity which is sensed, felt,
thought or seen).
10. Sensor Process Phenomenon
Mary understood the story.
(cognition)
Anil noticed the damp patch.
(perception)
Siobhan detests paté. (reaction)
11. Behavioral Processes
a process which represents both the activities of
‘sensing’ and ‘doing’.
embody physiological actions like ‘breathe’ or
‘cough’, although they sometimes portray these
processes as states of consciousness as in ‘sigh’,
‘cry’ or ‘laugh’. They also represent processes of
consciousness as forms of behaviour, as in ‘stare’,
‘dream’ or ‘worry’.
The key participant is the Behaver, the conscious
entity who is ‘behaving’:
13. Verbalisation
are processes of ‘saying’
the participant roles associated are the Sayer
(the producer of the speech), the Receiver (the
entity to which the speech is addressed) and
the Verbiage (that which gets said).
Sayer Process Verbiage
Mary claimed that the story had
been changed.
The minister announced the decision to
parliament.
14. Relational Processes:
are processes of ‘being’ in the specific
sense of establishing relationships
between two entities.
can be expressed in a number of ways.
There is however general agreement
about three main types of relational
process.
Intensive relational process presents a
relationship of equivalence, an ‘x is y’
connection, between two entities.
Example:
Paula’s presentation was lively.
Joyce is the best Irish writer.
15. Possessive relational process plots an ‘x has
y’ type of connection between two entities.
Example:
Peter has a piano.
The Alpha Romeo is Clara’s.
Circumstantial relational process is where
the circumstantial element becomes
upgraded, so that it fulfills the role of a full
participant in the process : ‘x is at/is in/is on/is
with/ y’ :
Example:
The fête is on all day.
The maid was in the parlour.
The forces of darkness are against you.
16. The three types come in two modes, yielding six
categories in total
Attributive : The entity, person or concept being
described is referred to as the Carrier, while the
role of Attribute refers to the quality ascribed to
that Carrier. The Attribute therefore says what the
Carrier is, what the Carrier is like, where the
Carrier is, what it owns and so on
Identifying: One role is identified through
reference to another such that the two halves of
the clause often refer to the same thing. This
means that unlike attributive processes, all
identifying processes are reversible, (The
Identifier) picks out and defines (the Identified).
17.
18. Existential Processes
these processes basically assert that
something exists or happens.
typically include the word ‘there’ as a dummy
subject, as in ‘There was an assault’ or ‘Has
there been a phone call?’, and they normally
only contain one participant role, the ‘Existent’
(assault/ phone call).
