Invitation to Systemic Functional Linguistics through the Cardiff Grammar: An extension and simplification of Halliday's Systemic Functional Grammar ... Textbooks and Surveys in Linguistics)

by Robin P Fawcett

This short book is two books in one. First, it is a genuinely introductory introduction to the main concepts of Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) for the 21st century. Drawing on recent research, it focuses on the structure of the clause in English, bringing out clearly (i) the 'multifunctional' nature of language, and (ii) the way in which structures are the result of 'choices between meanings'. It is an 'extension' of Halliday's SFG in several ways, including the introduction of new elements that are of growing importance in the language, and a 'simplification' of it in that it shows how the many 'strands of meaning' in a clause can be expressed in a single structure. But this is also a book for experienced linguists (who may include the teachers of the first group) who are interested in a scholarly work which (i) compares the two main current versions of Systemic Functional Grammar with respect to the structure of the English clause, and (ii) gives reasons for every decision to prefer one analysis to another. This 'book within a book' is achieved through a generous use of extended 'footnotes'. The Cardiff Grammar version of SFG is based as firmly in the core principles of SFG principles as the Sydney Grammar (the version in Halliday's Introduction to Functional Grammar). Halliday, however, describes the development in the Sydney Grammar since the 1970s as expansions into new areas beyond what he has aptly termed the 'lexicogrammar'. In contrast, the Cardiff Grammar's description of English lexicogrammar (and other languages) has made significant advances since the 1970s, under the influence of eight major factors. Versions of this book are being published concurrently in Chinese (by Peking University Press) and Spanish (University of Plata del Mar Press).

282 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Lachlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) was originally developed by Michael Halliday, but the syntactic side of the theory has remained fairly unchanged since the 1970s, as the main practitioners have moved into other fields. Robin Fawcett has developed the syntax and thereby added numerous corrections to the original proposals. In this book he devotes lengthy footnotes, some extending to as many as three pages (!), to the contrasts with Halliday's writings, and it is clear from many passages that Robin is frustrated that his detailed and thoroughly work has not found more of an echo among scholars in SFL. As a grammar nut myself, I found this book very worthwhile, even though it is (except for the footnotes) intended for beginners: there are a number of ideas that are definitely worth pursuing.