A Systemic Functional Grammar of French: From Grammar to Discourse

Description

'[The] consistent interplay between theoretical and applied pursuits has always been a defining feature of systemic functional theory... This kind of mutual enrichment is clearly demonstrated in Alice Caffarel's work. The result is a description which penetrates to the heart of the language, revealing it at one and the same time as a specimen of the human semiotic and a unique resource for the continuous creation of meaning.' Professor M A K Halliday, from the Preface.

Dr Alice Caffarel is Senior Lecturer in the Department of French Studies at the University of Sydney.

'[The] consistent interplay between theoretical and applied pursuits has always been a defining feature of systemic functional theory... This kind of mutual enrichment is clearly demonstrated in Alice Caffarel's work. The result is a description which penetrates to the heart of the language, revealing it at one and the same time as a specimen of the human semiotic and a unique resource for the continuous creation of meaning.' Professor M A K Halliday, from the Preface "In the volume's foreword, Michael Halliday, the foremost SF linguist, claims that Caffarel's work will interest three different groups of readers: (a) readers already familiar with SF but unfamiliar with French lexicogrammar, (b) readers already familiar with French but unfamiliar with SF, and (c) readers interested in a typological approach to linguistic metafunctions. In my opinion, the work is most appropriate for the first group of readers... this volume seems best suited for readers already familiar with discourse-oriented or usage-based grammar, either in terms of SF grammar or another framework, such as cognitive grammar or construction grammar." - Carl S. Blyth, MLJ Reviews, (Modern Language Journal), Vol. 92 No. 3, 2008 -- Carl S. Blyth "Readers unfamiliar with SF grammar's functional framework and its technical terminology will find this text challenging indeed. Furthermore, although Caffarel does comment about linguistic typology on occasion, there is little attempt to contrast French with other languages." -Carl S. Blyth, MLJ Reviews, (Modern Language Journal) , Vol. 92 No. 3, 2008