Structure and Function – A Guide to Three Major Structural-Functional Theories: Structure and Function – A Guide to Three Major ... beyond

Studies in Language Companion #64

by Christopher S. Butler

Like its companion volume, this book offers a detailed description and comparison of three major structural-functional Functional Grammar, Role and Reference Grammar and Systemic Functional Grammar, illustrated throughout with corpus-derived examples from English and other languages. Whereas Part 1 confines itself largely to the simplex clause, Part 2 moves from the clause towards the discourse and its context. The first three chapters deal with the areas of illocution, information structuring (topic and focus, theme and rheme, given and new information, etc.), and clause combining within complex sentences. Chapter 4 examines approaches to discourse, text and context across the three theories. The fifth chapter deals with the learning of language by both native and non-native speakers, and applications of the theories in stylistics, computational linguistics, translation and contrastive studies, and language pathology. The final chapter assesses the extent to which each theory attains the goals it sets for itself, and then outlines a programme for the development of an integrated approach responding to a range of criteria of descriptive and explanatory adequacy.

593 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an astonishing scholarly achievement. It is rare for anyone to become sufficiently-versed in a functional theory of language to evaluate its merits across the range of strata from morpheme to discourse. For someone to be able to do this for three separate theories, and then to compare each of them is extremely rare in the current academic climate of ever-narrowing interests and specialisations. As a consumer, and developer, of Systemic-Functional Grammar (SFG), I recognise in Butler's detailed descriptions the many advantages that the theory has to offer. I also realise that the criticisms he makes are offered from the standpoint of someone who really understands the approach and is concerned to improve it. The same is clearly also true of the other two theories evaluated here: Functional Grammar (FG) (originally formulated by Dik)and Reference and Role Grammar (RRG) (van Valin).
The presentation of each theory is thorough and clear; the evaluation rigorous and fair. Part two investigates the level of clause, discourse and the applications of each theory. While SFG may appear to receive a more positive response in this volume, particularly in terms of its applicability, this is balanced by volume 1 which offers a more positive view of both FG and RRG.
The two volumes of Butler's 'Structure and Function' is a reminder of what rigorous academic research in linguistics can achieve, and sets a high standard that is unlikely to be matched by any comparison of functional grammars in the near future.