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Menndez DiscourseStudies-2006

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Review

Reviewed Work(s): An Introduction to Systemic Functional Linguistics by SUZANNE


EGGINS
Review by: Salvio Martín Menéndez
Source: Discourse Studies , December 2006, Vol. 8, No. 6 (December 2006), pp. 852-854
Published by: Sage Publications, Ltd.

Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24048921

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852 Discourse Studies 8(6)

three parts of the book. However, in my opinion, considering Webster's academic


record, more informative and authoritative editorial notes could have been
expected. I wish Webster had referred the readers to the major debates
surrounding Halliday's work in linguistics, applied linguistics and computer
technology. This could provide the readers with a more comprehensive picture of
the major ideas and works in quantitative language studies. All said, I would
highly recommend this book to those individuals interested in SFL in general and
in computer-related uses of language in particular.

REFERENCES

Ghadessy, M. and Webster, J. (1988) 'Form and Function in English


Implications for Computer-based Learning', in M. Ghadessy (ed.) Regi
English: Situational Factors and Linguistic Features. London/New York:
Webster, J. (1993) 'Text Processing Using the Functional Grammar Proc
Ghadessy (ed.) Register Analysis: Theory and Practice. London/New York

Esmat Babaii
University for Teacher Education, Tehran, Iran

SUZANNE EGGINS, An Introduction to Systemic Functional Linguistics. Lond


Continuum. 2004. xv + 384pp.
DOI: 10.1177/1461445606069332

Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) is today one of the main trends w


textual and discursive theories that have a deep social and critical in
and impact. Its mentor, M.A.K. Halliday has clearly stated that:
If I now appear as a champion of grammar, it is not because I have c
my mind on the issue, but because the issue has changed. The current
preoccupation is with discourse analysis, or 'text linguistics'; and it is sometimes
assumed that this can be carried on without grammar - or even that is somehow
an alternative to grammar. But this is an illusion. A discourse analysis that is not
based on grammar is not an analysis at all, but simply a running commentary of
the text. (Halliday, 1985: xvi)
In this book, Susan Eggins makes a clear and perspicuous introduction to SFL.
She clearly understands that SFL is not only a model of grammar, but it is a way
to approach discourse analysis (text analysis in SFL terminology) successfully as
well. The organization of the book clearly reflects how language and context are
really interwoven and not opposed to each other. SFL clearly states that they both
are in a dialectical relationship and that texts, as semantic (in the broad sense
Halliday [1978] gives to this word) units are the starting point to analyse the
complex social-semiotic relation between language, society and culture. Text is
defined in relation with context; and context is defined as register, genre and
ideology.

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Book reviews 853

SLF stands as a stimulating point of view to deal with language in context. It


gives methodological tools to analyse both text and context in order to describe
grammar resources, to explain how they are used by speakers and to give an
interpretation of how texts function in the socio-cultural contexts where they are
produced.
The book is very well organized and it is very clear. The author has decided to
move from the general aspects to the particular ones. It is a very good option,
because it lets the reader get involved step by step with all the main aspects of
SFL.

It is divided into 11 chapters. In the first chapter, An Overview of Systemic


Functional Linguistics', she states the aim of the book that is 'to introduce you to
the principles and techniques of the systemic functional approach to language,
in order that you may begin to analyse and explain how meanings are made in
everyday linguistic interactions' (p. 1). She chooses a key quote from M.A.K.
Halliday (1985: xv) to define the general scope of SFL: 'The aim has been to
construct a grammar for purposes of text analysis: one that would make it
possible to say sensible and useful things about any text, spoken or written . . .'.
Then she describes the systemic approach taking as a starting point its two main
questions: how do people use language and how is language structured for use,
that is, how many different sorts of meanings do we use language to make and
how is language organized to make meanings. She points out that:

as a linguistic approach to meaning in texts, systemic linguistics has (or has had)
common ground with text and discourse analysts from a range of perspectives . . .
There have also been points of connection with research in areas such as
sociolinguistics . . . and the ethnography of speaking . . . exploring ways in which
social and cultural contexts impact on language use ... As a semiotic approach, it
has common ground with semiotic theoreticians and those ... working in what has
become known as Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). (p. 21)

But it is very important to note that she points out that the distinctive mark of
SFL is 'to develop both a theory about language as social process and an
analytical methodology which permits the detailed and systematic description of
language patterns' (p. 21).
In the second chapter, 'What is (a) text?' she starts with two questions: what
is a text and how do we know when we have got one. She answers them following
Halliday and Hasan's pioneering work Cohesion in English (1976): text is a
semantic unit that involves the interaction of two main components: coherence
(the relationship to the context of situation) and cohesion (the relationship of the
elements within the text).
It is important to note that Eggins identifies two types of coherence: registerial
coherence ('a text has registerial coherence when we can identify one situation
in which all the clauses of the text could occur' [p. 29]), and generic coherence
('a text has generic coherence when we can recognize the text as an example of
a particular genre', p. 29). She modifies, terminologically speaking, Halliday and
Hasan's original presentation. They stated that coherence is a property of the

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854 Discourse Studies 8(6)

text that has two features: cohesion and register. But her modification is based
upon Halliday and Hasan's original aim.
In the third and the fourth chapters, she develops genre and register in detail.
From chapter six to eight, she gives a clear introduction to the grammar of the
clause (as necessary complement for the analysis of text). In chapter six, she
analyses the system of mood. Chapter seven is devoted to analysing meaning as
choice and the systems associated with them. Chapters eight, nine and ten are
centred on experiential meaning (transitivity), logical meaning (clause complex)
and textual meaning (theme). In the last chapter, she clearly shows how to apply
SFL to the analysis of a particular text.
One of the main tenets of SFL is that language cannot be thought of without
reference to context. And context should not be considered as something 'added'
to text analysis, but as part of it. Eggins's book shows it in the best possible way:
explaining SFL through different and very well chosen analyses of different texts.
As an introductory book, its organization proves to be very useful because it
can frame clause grammar analysis within the larger frame of text, register and
genre analysis and shows how they relate to each other. The volume is not only
an excellent introduction to SFL, but a book of reference to any discourse analyst
who wants to better understand this central approach as well.

REFERENCES

Halliday, M.A.K. (1978) Language as Social Semiotic. London: Edward Ar


Halliday, M.A.K. (1985) An Introduction to Functional Grammar. London
Halliday, M.A.K and Hasan, R. (1976) Cohesion in English. London: Long

Salvio Martin Menéndez


Universidad de Buenos Aires, Universidad Nacional de
Mar del Plata, CONICET, Argentina

HELENA HALMARI AND TUIJA VIRTANEN (eds), Persuasion across Genres.


Amsterdam/Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins, 2005. viii + 257 pp..
$132/110€.
DOI: 10.1177/1461445606069333

Persuasion across Genres, edited by Helena Halmari and Tuija Virta


collection of nine papers, which highlight several dimensions of per
across a continuum of private, semiprivate, semipublic, public gen
articles offer diverse disciplinary and methodological approaches to s
both quantitative and qualitative methods can be applied to the stud
linguistic features of persuasion in various genres, including b
negotiations, judicial argumentation, political speeches, print adverti
newspaper editorials, and news writing. The editors' aims are to fi

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