Systemic Functional Grammar workshop summary session one
Systemic Functional Grammar workshop summary session one
Summary
Because SFG considers language in context and delineates the various functions of language, it
subdivides language into three separate domains, called metafunctions: textual, interpersonal and
ideational, each of which is classified differently: is comprised of different systems. The textual
metafunction is the domain of language itself. Texts are created as multi-use artifacts. In this
domain, the three metafunctions merge. The interpersonal metafunction is the domain of
interpersonal communication: texts are created to exchange information between interlocutors. The
ideational metafunction is the domain of ‘ideation’: “construing our experience of the world around
us and inside us.” (Matthiessen & Halliday, 2009).
The table below shows the different classifications for each metafunction.
Matthiessen, Christian M. I. M. & Halliday, M. A. K. Systemic Functional Grammar: A First Step into
the Theory. Beijing: Higher Education Press, 2009.