Functional discourse grammar
Encyclopedia
Functional grammar and functional discourse grammar (FDG) are grammar
models and theories motivated by functional theories of grammar. These theories explain how linguistic
utterances are shaped, based on the goals and knowledge of natural language users. In doing so, it contrasts with Chomskyan transformational grammar
. Functional discourse grammar has been developed as a successor to functional grammar, attempting to be more psychologically and pragmatically adequate than functional grammar.
The top-level unit of analysis in functional discourse grammar is the discourse
move, not the sentence
or the clause
. This is a principle that sets functional discourse grammar apart from many other linguistic
theories, including its predecessor functional grammar.
motivated by functions. The model was originally developed by Simon C. Dik
at the University of Amsterdam in the 1970s, and has undergone several revisions since then. The latest standard version under the original name is laid out in the 1997 edition, published shortly after Dik's death. The latest version features the expansion of the model with a pragmatic/interpersonal module by Kees Hengeveld and Lachlan Mackenzie. This has led to a renaming of the theory to functional discourse grammar. This type of grammar is quite distinct from systemic functional grammar
as developed by Michael Halliday
and many other linguists since the 1970s.
The notion of "function" in FG generalizes the standard distinction of grammatical function
s such as subject and object. Constituents (parts of speech) of a linguistic utterance
are assigned three types or levels of functions:
Functional discourse grammar explains the phonology, morphosyntax, pragmatics and semantics in one linguistic theory. According to functional discourse grammar, linguistic utterances are built top-down in this order by deciding upon:
According to functional discourse grammar, four components are involved in building up an utterance:
The grammatical component consists of four levels:
At the interpersonal level, this utterance is one discourse move, which consists of two discourse acts
, one corresponding to "I can't find the red pan." and another corresponding to "It is not in its usual place."
Similar analysis, decomposing the utterance into progressively smaller units, is possible at the other levels of the grammatical component.
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
models and theories motivated by functional theories of grammar. These theories explain how linguistic
Natural language
In the philosophy of language, a natural language is any language which arises in an unpremeditated fashion as the result of the innate facility for language possessed by the human intellect. A natural language is typically used for communication, and may be spoken, signed, or written...
utterances are shaped, based on the goals and knowledge of natural language users. In doing so, it contrasts with Chomskyan transformational grammar
Transformational grammar
In linguistics, a transformational grammar or transformational-generative grammar is a generative grammar, especially of a natural language, that has been developed in the Chomskyan tradition of phrase structure grammars...
. Functional discourse grammar has been developed as a successor to functional grammar, attempting to be more psychologically and pragmatically adequate than functional grammar.
The top-level unit of analysis in functional discourse grammar is the discourse
Discourse
Discourse generally refers to "written or spoken communication". The following are three more specific definitions:...
move, not the sentence
Sentence (linguistics)
In the field of linguistics, a sentence is an expression in natural language, and often defined to indicate a grammatical unit consisting of one or more words that generally bear minimal syntactic relation to the words that precede or follow it...
or the clause
Clause
In grammar, a clause is the smallest grammatical unit that can express a complete proposition. In some languages it may be a pair or group of words that consists of a subject and a predicate, although in other languages in certain clauses the subject may not appear explicitly as a noun phrase,...
. This is a principle that sets functional discourse grammar apart from many other linguistic
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
theories, including its predecessor functional grammar.
History
Functional grammar (FG) is a model of grammarGrammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
motivated by functions. The model was originally developed by Simon C. Dik
Simon C. Dik
Simon Cornelis Dik was a Dutch linguist, most famous for developing the theory of functional grammar. He occupied the chair of General Linguistics at University of Amsterdam between 1969 and 1994...
at the University of Amsterdam in the 1970s, and has undergone several revisions since then. The latest standard version under the original name is laid out in the 1997 edition, published shortly after Dik's death. The latest version features the expansion of the model with a pragmatic/interpersonal module by Kees Hengeveld and Lachlan Mackenzie. This has led to a renaming of the theory to functional discourse grammar. This type of grammar is quite distinct from systemic functional grammar
Systemic functional grammar
Systemic functional grammar , a component of systemic functional linguistics , is a form of grammatical description originally developed by Michael Halliday in a career spanning more than 50 years. It is part of a social semiotic approach to language called systemic-functional linguistics...
as developed by Michael Halliday
Michael Halliday
Michael Alexander Kirkwood Halliday is a British linguist who developed an internationally influential model of language, the systemic functional linguistic model. His grammatical descriptions go by the name of systemic functional grammar .-Biography:Halliday was born and raised in England...
and many other linguists since the 1970s.
The notion of "function" in FG generalizes the standard distinction of grammatical function
Grammatical function
In linguistics, grammatical functions refer to functional relationships between participants in a proposition...
s such as subject and object. Constituents (parts of speech) of a linguistic utterance
Utterance
In spoken language analysis an utterance is a complete unit of speech. It is generally but not always bounded by silence.It can be represented and delineated in written language in many ways. Note that in such areas of research utterances do not exist in written language, only their representations...
are assigned three types or levels of functions:
- Semantic function (Agent, Patient, Recipient, etc.), describing the role of participants in states of affairs or actions expressed
- Syntactic functions (Subject and Object), defining different perspectives in the presentation of a linguistic expression
- Pragmatic functions (Theme and Tail, Topic and Focus), defining the informational status of constituents, determined by the pragmatic context of the verbal interaction
Principles of functional discourse grammar
There are a number of principles that guide the analysis of natural language utterances according to functional discourse grammar.Functional discourse grammar explains the phonology, morphosyntax, pragmatics and semantics in one linguistic theory. According to functional discourse grammar, linguistic utterances are built top-down in this order by deciding upon:
- The pragmaticPragmaticsPragmatics is a subfield of linguistics which studies the ways in which context contributes to meaning. Pragmatics encompasses speech act theory, conversational implicature, talk in interaction and other approaches to language behavior in philosophy, sociology, and linguistics. It studies how the...
aspects of the utterance - The semanticSemanticsSemantics is the study of meaning. It focuses on the relation between signifiers, such as words, phrases, signs and symbols, and what they stand for, their denotata....
aspects of the utterance - The morphosyntactic aspects of the utterance
- The phonologicalPhonologyPhonology is, broadly speaking, the subdiscipline of linguistics concerned with the sounds of language. That is, it is the systematic use of sound to encode meaning in any spoken human language, or the field of linguistics studying this use...
aspects of the utterance
According to functional discourse grammar, four components are involved in building up an utterance:
- The conceptual component, which is where the communicative intention that drives the utterance construction arises
- The grammatical component, where the utterance is formulated and encoded according to the communicative intention
- The contextual component, which contains all elements that can be referred to in the history of the discourse or in the environment
- The output component, which realizes the utterance as sound, writing, or signing
The grammatical component consists of four levels:
- The interpersonal level, which accounts for the pragmaticsPragmaticsPragmatics is a subfield of linguistics which studies the ways in which context contributes to meaning. Pragmatics encompasses speech act theory, conversational implicature, talk in interaction and other approaches to language behavior in philosophy, sociology, and linguistics. It studies how the...
- The representational level, which accounts for the semanticsSemanticsSemantics is the study of meaning. It focuses on the relation between signifiers, such as words, phrases, signs and symbols, and what they stand for, their denotata....
- The morphosyntactic level, which accounts for the syntaxSyntaxIn linguistics, syntax is the study of the principles and rules for constructing phrases and sentences in natural languages....
and morphologyMorphology (linguistics)In linguistics, morphology is the identification, analysis and description, in a language, of the structure of morphemes and other linguistic units, such as words, affixes, parts of speech, intonation/stress, or implied context... - The phonological level, which accounts for the phonologyPhonologyPhonology is, broadly speaking, the subdiscipline of linguistics concerned with the sounds of language. That is, it is the systematic use of sound to encode meaning in any spoken human language, or the field of linguistics studying this use...
of the utterance
Example
This example analyzes the utterance "I can't find the red pan. It is not in its usual place." according to functional discourse grammar at the interpersonal level.At the interpersonal level, this utterance is one discourse move, which consists of two discourse acts
Speech act
Speech Act is a technical term in linguistics and the philosophy of language. The contemporary use of the term goes back to John L. Austin's doctrine of locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary acts...
, one corresponding to "I can't find the red pan." and another corresponding to "It is not in its usual place."
- The first discourse act consists of:
- A declarativeDeclarativeDeclarative may refer to:* Declarative learning, acquiring information that one can speak about* Declarative memory, one of two types of long term human memory* Declarative programming, a computer programming programming paradigm...
illocutionary force - A speaker, denoted by the word "I"
- An addressee
- A communicated content, which consists of:
- A referential subact corresponding to "I"
- An ascriptive subact corresponding to "find", which has the function Focus
- A referential subact corresponding to "the red pan", which contains two ascriptive subacts corresponding to "red" and "pan", and which has the function Topic
- A declarative
- The second discourse act consists of:
- A declarative illocutionary force
- A speaker
- An addressee
- A communicated content, which consists of:
- A referential subact corresponding to "it", which has the function Topic
- An ascriptive subact corresponding to "in its usual place", which has the function Focus
- Within this subact there is a referential subact corresponding to "its usual place", which consists of:
- A referential subact corresponding to "its"
- An ascriptive subact corresponding to "usual"
- An ascriptive subact corresponding to "place"
- Within this subact there is a referential subact corresponding to "its usual place", which consists of:
Similar analysis, decomposing the utterance into progressively smaller units, is possible at the other levels of the grammatical component.
See also
- Nominal groupNominal group (language)In systemic functional grammar , a nominal group is a group of words which expresses an entity. A "nominal group" is widely regarded as synonymous to noun phrase in other grammatical models, although Halliday and some of his followers draw a theoretical distinction between the terms group and phrase...
- Thematic equativeThematic equativeIn systemic functional grammar, a thematic equative is a thematic resource in which two or more separate elements in a clause are grouped together to form a single constituent of the theme-plus-rheme structure...
- Verbal Behavior (book)Verbal Behavior (book)Verbal Behavior is a 1957 book by psychologist B.F. Skinner, in which he analyzes human behavior, encompassing what is traditionally called language, linguistics, or speech...