Invitation to Systemic Functional Linguistics Through the Cardiff Grammar: An Extension and Simplification of Halliday's Systemic Functional Grammar (Third Edition)(Equinox Textbooks and Surveys in Linguistics)

This short book is intended for two groups of readers, and so is two books in one. First, it is a genuinely introductory introduction to Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) for the 21st century. Drawing on recent research, it focusses on the structure of the clause in English, bringing out clearly the 'multifunctional' nature of language, and the way in which structures are the result of 'choices between meanings'. It is both an 'extension' of Halliday's SFG (as in his Introduction to Functional Grammar), e.g. in describing elements of growing importance in the grammar of English, and a 'simplification' of it, e.g. in showing how the various 'strands of meaning' in a clause come to be expressed in a single structure. But this is also a book for experienced linguists who are interested in a scholarly comparison of the two main current versions of SFG the Sydney Grammar and the Cardiff Grammar (e.g. teachers of the first group of readers). For each difference between the two grammars, the book describes the Sydney analysis and then explains the reasons for preferring the analysis given here. This 'book within a book' is achieved through the use of extended footnotes. Halliday has described developments in the Sydney Grammar since the 1970s as being mainly 'expansions' into new areas beyond the grammar itself, rather than 'reworkings' of the grammar. In the Cardiff Grammar, however, eight major advances in describing language over this period have led to significant improvements in the description of English (and other languages). Yet the current Cardiff Grammar is still as firmly based in the core principles of SFG as the Sydney Grammar a powerful tribute to Halliday's original insights of the 1970s. Three major strengths of this book are: - the clear way in which the key concepts are presented - the explicit guidelines to help in the task of analyzing sentences - the clear explanations of the reasons for using the analyses given here Versions of this book are being published concurrently in Chinese (by Peking University Press) and Spanish (by University of Plata del Mar Press).

Table of Contents:
Preface to the Third EditionPreface to the Second Edition 1 Who this book is for, where it comes from, and how to read it 2 The place of syntax in an overall model of language 3 Introducing the syntax of TRANSITIVITY and MOOD: a simple example 4 Developing reliable analysis skills: towards an adequate set of Guidelines 5 A minimal theory of syntax: keeping things simple 6 The special case of 'being' as a Main Verb - and related concepts 7 A systemic functional grammar for the structures introduced so far 8 Three types of Auxiliary Verb, one type of Theme and one type of Newness 9 POLARITY, CONTRASTIVE NEWNESS and Preliminary Guidelines with the Improved Mood Test 10 An overview of the syntax of TRANSITIVITY: Participants as Subjects and Complements 11 An overview of the syntax of MOOD 12 The syntax of Circumstances and other types of Adjunct 13 The syntax of TRANSITIVITY: five additional concepts 14 Three new elements : Infinitive, Auxiliary Extension and Vocative 15 Full Guidelines for clause analysis 16 A final analysis task 17 What comes next? Appendix 1: A summary of English syntax for the text analyst Appendix 2: An overall comparison of the Cardiff and Sydney Grammars

About the Author :
Robin P. Fawcett is Emeritus Professor in Linguistics and the former Director of the Computational Linguistics Unit, Cardiff University. His most recent book is A Theory of Syntax for Systemic Functional Linguistics (Benjamins 2000). Books due for publication in 2008 include Alternative Architectures for Systemic Linguistics and his Functional Syntax Handbook (both Equinox). The year 2008 will also see Chinese and Spanish editions of the present book (Peking University Press and University of Mar del Plata Press).

Review :
‘Robin Fawcett is a first rate linguist and one of the major figures in both systemic functional grammar and in the computer implementation of grammars... Publications from the Cardiff Grammar... for which Fawcett is largely responsible, are fascinating and rewarding: a fruitful fusion of theorizing and pragmatism – a pointer to important developments in the linguistics of the next millennium.’ Michael Gregory, Emeritus Professor, York University, Toronto ‘There can be no doubt that Systemic Functional Grammar has lived up to its claim to be a text-oriented theory of language... it has achieved a much wider coverage of English grammar than other approaches, this being especially true of the Cardiff Grammar... In my view the Cardiff model represents a substantial improvement on the Sydney account.’ Christopher Butler, Honorary Professor, Swansea University 'I find it really tempting to use the book in my own teaching. Fawcett's many suggestions deserve more attention, and the Sydney grammar would benefit from adjustments in the light of Fawcett's arguments.' Carl Bache, University of Southern Denmark, Functions of Language, 17:2 (December 2010) 'Fawcett, in his 'Invitation,' has provided a clear and accessible introduction to his version of SFL....' Edward McDonald, University of New South Wales, Linguist List 22.4122, October 2011