Introduction to Systemic Functional Linguistics: 2nd Edition

Description

New edition of a best-selling introduction to systemic functional linguistics explores the social semiotic approach to language most closely associated with the work of Michael Halliday and his colleagues. An approach which views language as a strategic, meaning-making resource, systemic linguistics focuses on the analysis of authentic, everyday texts, and asks both how people use language to make meanings, and how language itself is organised to enable those meanings to be made. The book offers both an overview of systemic theory and illustrations of how systemic techniques can be applied in the analysis of everyday texts. Written for students who may have little or no formal knowledge of linguistics, it covers most of the major concepts in systemic linguistics. In addition, it introduces readers to Halliday's functional grammatical analysis of English clauses, and presents the essentials of the systemic analysis of cohesive patterns in text. With its systemic theory of the relationship between language and context, systemic linguistics has applications in many fields where an understanding of how language functions to transmit social structure is important, in , for example, language education, cultural studies, stylistics, and women's studies. The book provides an accessible first step into systemics for those who wish to equip themselves with the conceptual and practical tools to analyse and explain how people make meanings with each other in everyday contexts.

Suzanne Eggins was Head of the School of English at the University of New South Wales, Australia, and now runs Textwork, where she is a professional writer and editor.

"This book is certainly a welcome and valuable addition to the current literature both on introduction to systemic functional linguistics and on text analysis. I would certainly recommend this as the main textbook and/or reference book on introduction to systemic functional linguistics and/or systemic functional text analysis." --The Linguist list, May 2005 -- The Linguist List 'The new edition is significantly superior to its predecessor, one of the improvements being the overall structure and organization of the book...this volume presents the SFL framework clearly and convincingly...excellent in proposing a state of the art, rich and stimulating view of SFL' * Journal of Sociolinguistics *