1. Defenition
is realized — is the result of — different clause systems that work continuously and simultaneously, creating four distinct types of meaning. The four metafunctions are called experiential, interpersonal, textual, and logical.
2. Part of functional grammar
1. The experiential metafunction:
Clause as representation Metafunctions:
Ideational = (construes human experience) – Transitivity
Interpersonal = (enacts human relationships) – Mood
Textual = (creates discourse) – Theme/Rheme
Logical = (links between components rather than unit–whole)
Ideational function Experiential
(modelling a domain of "knowledge" – construing organic ‘wholes’)
2. Processes, participants, circumstances.
| semantic (role) | process | participant(s) | circumstance |
| lexicogrammatical (realization) | verbal group | nominal group substantival/adjectival | adverbial group / prepositional phrase |
A) Processes
material (‘doing’, ‘causing')
behavioural (‘acting’)
major clause mental (‘thinking’, ‘sensing’, 'evaluating')
process) types verbal (‘saying’)
relational (‘being’, ‘having’)
existential (‘existing’, ‘appearing’)
B) Material processes
Associated participants: Actor & Goal
Actor. the participant always inherent in a material clause. The Actor can be animate (‘action’) or inanimate (‘event’). The process it participates in may or may not extend to affect another participant, the Goal.
Examples :
Actor Process Goal
They were making supper.
Actor Process Circumstance
The car crashed into a tree
Actor Process Goal Circumstance
Ambulance crews, firefighters and police helped to rescue passengers from the water
C) Mental processes
Associated participants: Senser & Phenomenon
Phenomenon. Participant role in the transitivity structure of a mental clause: the phenomenon sensed by the Senser. (Senser in bold; Phenomenon in italics.)
Examples :
She saw them. She saw them leaving the house.
These people don’t understand functional grammar.
She recognized the dilemma she and every teenager around her found themselves in.
Relational processes
• attributive: Associated participants: Carrier & Attribute
• identifying: Associated participants: Token & Value (Identified & Identifier)
A Carrier is construed as being ascribed or attributed to an Attribute: the relation can be interpreted as one of class-membership – the Carrier is construed as a member of the class described by the Attribute.
Verbal processes
Associated participants: Sayer and Verbiage (+ Receiver)
• She told me the story of her life.
• He couldn't say a word.
Existential processes
Associated participant: Existent (+Circumstance)
1. There is a fly in my soup.
Behavioural processes
Associated participant: Behaver (+Range)
1. He was laughing.
2. They hummed a little tune.
3. We were watching the news.
Circumstances
Location : Temporal (when?) – She’ll arrive on Thursday.
Spatial (where?) – She lives in Birmingham.
Extent : Temporal (for how long?) – She has lived there for eight years.
Spatial (how far?) – It slid halfway over the floor.
Manner : (means/quality/comparison) (how?) –
Daddy went off quite happily at 7.40.
He answered with a smile.
Cause : Reason (why?) – We have to be there early as it’s Friday.
Purpose : (what for?) – He popped over for a chat.
Behalf : (who for?) – He’s doing the shopping for me.
Contingency : (concession) – Despite his eagerness he’s unlikely to succeed.
Accompaniment : (who/what with?) – She returned with(out) her gun / with her friend.
Role : Guise (what as?) – He returned and remained at the hotel as an inoffensive tourist.
Product : (what into?) – The constable's features broadened into a grin.
Matter :(what about?) – I'll wager he learns more about you than you about him.
Angle :(from what point of view?) – To a great mind, nothing is little.
CIRCUMSTANTIATION
Each type of circumstance is realized by a particular set of prepositional phrases and/ or adverbial groups; prepositions include:
Location :
at, by, on, in, to, towards, from, onto, into, out of, through; above, below, in front of, behind, over, under; after, before, since, ago ['post-position': ten years ago]
Extent :
for, along, across, throughout
Manner :
by, with; like, unlike, as; in [a ... way/manner/fashion] (Note that certain prepositional phrases which appear to be locative serve as Manner: how did he walk? – he walked on all fours. How did he leave? – He left in a huff.)
Cause :
for, for the sake of, on behalf of; through, of, because of, as a result of, thanks to, for want of
Matter :
about, on, of, regarding, concerning
Accompaniment :
with, without; as well as, besides, instead of, except [for]
Role :
as, by way of, in the role/ shape/ guise/ form of
Summary of processes and participants:
| Process type | Associated participant(s) | Example | Other |
| material | Actor, Goal (Beneficiary) | Stella opened the door | Range Circumstance |
| behavioural | Behaver | She was smiling. | |
| mental: | Senser, | She didn’t see anyone. | |
| perceptive, cognitive & affective | Phenomenon | She couldn’t understand it. She hated being tricked. | |
| verbal | Sayer, Verbiage (Receiver) | She told the truth. | |
| relational: intensive, circumstantial & possessive | Identifier, Identified Token, Value Carrier, Attribute Possessor, Possessed | Her brother was the host. The silence was threatening The neighbours were at home. They had a big dog. | |
| existential | Existent | There was a madwoman in the attic. |
