Systemic Functional Linguistics and Thematic Structure

Vocabulary flashcards covering key definitions, principles, and scholars of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), information flow, Theme-Rheme structure, discourse levels, thematic progression, and nominalisation.

Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL)

An approach to language that examines how people use language to create meaning in different contexts.

Context

The situation and wider social environment in which language is used.

Genre

A type of text with a particular social purpose and a recognisable structure.

Register

Language choices associated with a particular situation, including what is being discussed, who is communicating, and how.

Metalanguage

Language used to describe and analyse language itself.

Ideational function

The function of language that expresses experiences, events, ideas and relationships.

Interpersonal function

The function of language that expresses attitudes, opinions and relationships between people.

Textual function

The function of language that organises messages into coherent texts.

Information flow

The way information is organised and presented so that readers can understand a message and follow the development of ideas.

Periodicity

The organisation of meaning into waves of information at different levels of a text.

Cohesion

The linguistic connections that link different parts of a text, such as pronouns, conjunctions and repeated words.

Coherence

The overall sense and logical organisation that make a text meaningful and understandable.

Wave pattern

A pattern in which information has different levels of prominence, with peaks of important information and troughs of less prominent information.

Peak

A point of prominence where information is particularly noticeable or significant.

Trough

A point where information is less prominent than at a peak.

Salience

The degree to which a piece of information stands out or attracts attention.

Phonological waves

Patterns of information flow at the sound level, including syllables, feet and tone groups.

Grammatical waves

Patterns of information flow within clauses, particularly Theme–Rheme and Given–New structures.

Discourse waves

Patterns of information organisation across clauses, paragraphs and whole texts.

Flagging forward

Signalling or predicting information that will be developed later in a text.

Summarising back

Bringing together or summarising information that has already been presented.

Expandable units

Units of text that can be analysed at different levels, such as clauses, paragraphs and whole texts.

Theme

The point of departure of a message; the starting point from which the clause develops.

Rheme

The part of a clause that develops the message about the Theme.

Given information

Information that is already known, familiar or recoverable from the context.

New information

Information that is presented as new to the reader or listener.

Theme–Rheme structure

The organisation of a clause into a starting point (Theme) and the message developed from it (Rheme).

Clause

A grammatical unit organised around a process, usually expressed by a verb.

Process

An event, action, state or relation represented in a clause, typically through a verbal group.

Subject

The grammatical element that functions as the Subject of a clause; it is often the Theme in English.

Point of departure

The starting point from which a message is developed.

Topical Theme (Ideational Theme)

The first experiential element in a clause, introducing what the clause is about. It is often the Subject.

Textual Theme

An element that connects the clause to other parts of the text and helps organise the flow of ideas.

Interpersonal Theme

An element that expresses the speaker's attitude, evaluation or relationship with the reader or listener.

Marked Theme

A Theme in which an element other than the usual Subject comes first, giving that element particular prominence.

Unmarked Theme

The usual or expected Theme choice in a clause, typically the Subject in a declarative English clause.

Subject Theme

A Theme that consists of the Subject.

Minimal Theme

The Theme identified using Halliday's approach, which includes the first ideational element.

Maximal Theme

The Theme identified using the broader approach discussed in the lecture, which includes material up to and including the Subject.

Circumstantial Adjunct

An element that provides additional information about the circumstances of a process, such as time, place, manner, reason or condition.

Extent

Information about duration or distance (for example: for three years).

Location

Information about time or place (for example: yesterday; at school).

Manner

Information about how something happens or the means used (for example: carefully; by email).

Cause

Information about the reason, purpose or person benefiting from an action (for example: because of the rain; for research purposes).

Contingency

Information about a condition or concession (for example: if necessary; despite the difficulties).

Accompaniment

Information about who or what is involved alongside another participant (for example: with my friends).

Role

Information about the capacity or resulting status of something or someone (for example: as a teacher).

Matter

Information about the subject being discussed (for example: about education).

Angle

Information about whose perspective or viewpoint is being expressed (for example: in my opinion).

MacroTheme

Introduces or predicts the overall direction of a whole text, such as an introduction.

HyperTheme

Introduces or predicts the main idea of a paragraph, typically through a topic sentence.

HyperNew

Presents or summarises the main point developed within a paragraph.

MacroNew

Presents or summarises the overall message of a whole text, often in the conclusion.

Topic sentence

A sentence that introduces the main idea of a paragraph.

Method of development

The way a text or paragraph develops its ideas and guides the reader through the message.

Point

The central message or substantive content being developed in a text.

Thematic progression

The way Themes and Rhemes connect and develop across successive clauses.

Constant Theme pattern

A thematic pattern where the same Theme is repeated across several clauses while additional information is provided.

Linear or Zig-zag pattern

A thematic pattern where information introduced in one clause's Rheme becomes the Theme of a following clause.

Split Rheme pattern

A thematic pattern where a Rheme introduces multiple pieces of information that become Themes in subsequent clauses.

Ellipsis (Ellipted elements)

The omission of an element that can be understood from the context.

Discourse discontinuity

A shift or break in the flow of a text, which can be signalled by a change in Theme or the use of a marked Theme.

Thematic choice

The selection of the element used to begin a clause.

Thematic pattern

A recognisable way in which Themes develop and connect across clauses.

Nominalisation

The process of expressing an action, process, quality or other meaning as a noun or noun group.

Congruent expression

An expression that represents a meaning in a more direct or typical grammatical form.

Incongruent expression

An expression that represents a meaning in a less direct grammatical form, such as through nominalisation.

Halliday

A key scholar associated with the concept of Theme as the point of departure of a message.

Martin and Rose (2007)

Scholars who discuss Theme, New and the organisation of information in discourse.

Derewianka (2011)

A scholar who discusses grammar and the importance of Theme in creating coherent texts.

Forey and Thompson (2009)

A reference associated with work on text type, texture and Theme.