Overview of Systemic Functional Linguistics

Systemic functional linguistics is the  study of the relationship between language and its functions in social settings. Also known as  SFL, systemic functional grammar, Hallidayan linguistics, and systemic linguistics. Three strata make up the linguistic system in SFL: meaning (semantics), sound (phonology), and wording or lexicogrammar (syntax, morphology, and lexis). Systemic functional linguistics treats grammar as a meaning-making resource and insists on the interrelation of form and meaning. This study was developed in the 1960s by British  linguist  M.A.K. Halliday (b. 1925), who had been influenced by the work of the Prague School and British linguist J.R. Firth (1890-1960). Examples and Observations SL [systemic linguistics] is an avowedly functionalist approach to language, and it is arguably the functionalist approach which has been most highly developed. In contrast to most other approaches, SL explicitly attempts to combine purely structural information with overtly social factors in a single integrated description. Like other functionalist frameworks, SL is deeply concerned with the purposes of language use. Systemicists constantly ask the following questions: What is this writer (or speaker) trying to do? What linguistic devices are available to help them do it, and on what basis do they make their choices?(Robert Lawrence Trask and Peter Stockwell, Language and Linguistics: The Key Concepts. Routledge, 2007)that language use is functionalthat its function is to make meaningsthat these meanings are influenced by the social and cultural context in which they are exchangedthat the process of using language is a semiotic process, a process of making meaning by choosing.Four M ain ClaimsWhile individual scholars naturally have different research emphases or application contexts, common to all systemic linguists is an interest in language as social semiotic (Halliday 1978)--how people use language with each other in accomplishing everyday social life. This interest leads systemic linguists to advance four main theoretical claims about language:These four points, that language use is functional, semantic, contextual and semiotic, can be summarized by describing the systemic approach as a functional-semantic approach to language.(Suzanne Eggins, An Introduction to Systemic Functional Linguistics, 2nd ed. Continuum, 2005)Three Kinds of Social-Functional NeedsAccording to Halliday (1975), language has developed in response to three kinds of social-functional needs. The first is to be able to construe experience in terms of what is going on around us and inside us. The second is to interact with the social world by negotiating social roles and attitudes. The th ird and final need is to be able to create messages with which we can package our meanings in terms of what is New or Given, and in terms of what the starting point for our message is, commonly referred to as the Theme. Halliday (1978) calls these language functions metafunctions and refers to them as ideational, interpersonal and textual respectively.Hallidays point is that any piece of language calls into play all three metafunctions simultaneously.(Peter Muntigl and Eija Ventola, Grammar: A Neglected Resource in Interaction Analysis? New Adventures in Language and Interaction, ed. by Jà ¼rgen Streeck. John Benjamins, 2010)Choice as a Basic Systemic Functional ConceptIn Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) the notion of choice is fundamental. Paradigmatic relations are regarded as primary, and this is captured descriptively by organizing the basic components of the grammar in interrelated systems of features representing the meaning potential of a language. A language is viewed as a system of systems, and the linguists task is to specify the choices involved in the process of instantiating this meaning potential in actual texts through the resources available for expression in the language. Syntagmatic relations are viewed as derived from systems by means of realization statements, which for each feature specify the formal and structural consequences of selecting that particular feature. The term choice is typically used for features and their selection, and systems are said to display choice relations. Choice relations are posited not only at the level of individual categories such as definiteness, tense and number but also at higher levels of text planning (as in, e.g., the grammar of speech functions). Halliday often stresses the importance of the notion of choice: By text . . . we understand a continuous process of semantic choice. Text is meaning and meaning is choice (Halliday, 1978b:137).(Carl Bache, Grammatical Choice and Communicative Motivation: A Radical Systemic Approach. Systemic Functional Linguistics: Exploring Choice, ed. by Lise Fontaine, Tom Bartlett, and Gerard OGrady. Cambridge University Press, 2013)

Cognitive Dissonance Is Defined By Gilovich Et - 1283 Words

Cognitive dissonance is defined by Gilovich et all’s textbook as â€Å" A theory that maintains the inconsistencies among a person’s thoughts, sentiments, and actions create an aversive emotional state (dissonance) that leads to efforts to restore consistency†. While this definition is true it also quite confusing. To understand this first the words that make up the term need to be understood. Cognition is a mental action, it involves gaining knowledge and understanding through use of thoughts, senses, and experiences. This cognition can produce a perception, sensation, notion, or intuition. Dissonance is simply a discrepancy among two things. In the case of cognitive dissonance this discrepancy is between any two of the following; an idea,†¦show more content†¦There are four distinct ways to reduce cognitive dissonance; Change the behavior or cognition, justify the behavior or cognition by changing conflicting cognition, justify the behavior or cognitio n by adding new cognitions, or ignore or deny any information that conflicts with one s existing beliefs. Cognitive dissonance was created by Leon Festinger in 1957. While it is just a theory is widely regarded as fact. Festinger created this theory when he was doing an observational study on a cult that believed the world was to be destroyed by a flood and the cult members would be spared by aliens. Cult members sold or gave away their positions, including their homes, and their jobs and then waited to be rescued by aliens. The aliens never came and the earth was obviously not destroyed. Festinger noticed a trend where the extremely committed members of the cult believed that the earth was spared due to the members extreme faith. The less committed members chocked it up to a bad mistake on their part or a worthwhile experience and ceased believing in the cult. This is a classic example of cognitive dissonance, the members with the highest commitment and faith changed their beliefs to think that their faith had spared the earth. The members who hadn t given up their homes and jobs, los t faith in the cult. The two separate belief changes by the two groups were both ways to relieve the cognitive dissonance created when the aliens never

On Being Isolated Free Essays

I have been a doctor for two decades now, always ready to aid people who are in need, to heal them in the most impossible way that a man can, to cure others who asked of me over and over in the most isolated provinces in this wounded nation. But all of these can disappear from an instant blink of an eye. The whole nation is desperately in need of healing, to be quite frankly. We will write a custom essay sample on On Being Isolated or any similar topic only for you Order Now It is hard to think of a proclamation of Jesus that is harder to understand – or believe – than â€Å"blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven’ because truthfully, from where I am standing, I don’t quite see it at all. Vive seen death in everywhere I go, pre-school children died from being exploded by a bomb of the ABA Safe conflict in Sambaing, a sick mother who died after giving birth to a twin because his husband who happens to be a conductor in a bus company can’t afford a proper three-day meal for the family despite his almost 24- hours shift. And Just like last week, Vive seen a woman who was stabbed by her own sister-in-law out of Jealousy. I bring this up in the context of considering that poverty is everywhere, that no matter how much we think about the did an Dana’ it won’t bring the Filipino people in good condition. I believe, as a Doctor, health is one of the most important elements in society. It takes a great deal of effort to come up with plans and proposal to keep the nation in balance with health. The President Just stated his State of the Nation a few days back, and it is sad that promoting good health and proposing for cheaper medicines and health benefits doesn’t seem like its included in his flagships. True, that the administration is still on its process of rehabilitating what was lost in Samara-Letter regions, but in ejaculating all of the medical assistance is by far most unknown in his propaganda. Thankfully enough, we are living by the hands of the foreigners. All of the countless relief’s we received are from all over the world. It is also quite considerate when Peons cabinet members and Local Government Officials are working hard for the safety of everyone, but why it seems that everyone is still coping up with the devastation. It has almost been a year since it happened, but why are these dreams seems to be washed out by the typhoon? You see, I am Just a Doctor, who can’t even help himself, because I am being dragged y the system and by the looks of it the government can’t even help its people. I wish all those people who made decisions could come down to see what the consequences of their decisions would be like. But really, who are those’ people in the first place? Tobacco executives who market a carcinogenic product? Conglomerate food industries that contribute to obesity (and poor dental health)? Insurance companies that leveraged debt in credit default swabs and contributed to global inflation? Even if I help myself in building a hospital, do you think the government would support me on that? How would I even know that all of hose pain and effort in helping people would really pay off? No matter how much I think about going abroad and dedicate myself in contributing to the nation’s rising economy (even though it doesn’t seem quite felt), it would reflect on me, and the media will use its persuasive power to kill people like us (doctors, nurses, therapists) like we are the most gruesome professionals in the world. The clinic that I usually attend to in Panamanian, every time Vive visited it, is about as anti-Aquinas as it gets, so it is hard for me to reconcile the claims that insurance (since when does every Filipino has insurance and I wish everyone can) and co-pays should be under IPPP with the insistence that whatever our misfortunes might be, they are the product of unfair treatment at the hands of power and privileged. In the President’s speech he talked about preparing for future disasters and even focuses on how his administration carry over responsibilities in all of those who are affected. I was one of the Doctors that immediately went to see how wrecked the place was, but a one single official was never really there to go and look in many far- lung areas. Relief’s were distributed almost three days after that typhoon. There used to be several health centers in Tactical (where I was assigned) but last January, it stretched to the limit. People cannot even walk to the main health center in Tactical. There are trees everywhere and they have essentially been cut off. We set up in the destroyed former health clinic and received a lot of patients. It was non-stop and people were happy that my team arrived. And in everyday was the same, we went to another remote village and the patients did not stop coming. It is clear that there is a massive need. As a freelance Doctor, I cannot save the whole country, but many people are currently surviving without medical care and we will try to fill that gap until services are restored. Till when can I accept this tragic fact? Back in Tactical, we are mainly treating respiratory infections, and we’ve also seen some patients with diarrhea. Without proper shelter and being exposed to the elements, a lot of people have colds and fevers, especially the kids. Vive also encountered people who have been affected mentally by the typhoon. They are resent with physical symptoms that you can’t really pinpoint, but often we see that this indicates psychological distress. It’s common to see this after such a traumatic event, so psychological care is in need to. As I continue my distress over the things I saw back last November when the Typhoon was out in the Philippine Area of Responsibility, I was drawn to more facts about this illness of my country in providing deserved health benefits. Equipment and facilities are still not up to the standard of private institutions. Government hospitals remain largely ill equipped and have offered years due to the decline of government spending on health care. Accessibility to public healthcare still remains a contentious issue, particularly in more rural areas. Ideally, everyone is entitled to health care through Philately, but the problem still is, some are discouraged to pay for this because they still choose ‘Panamanian Eng than’ over health care and not all medical procedures are covered by the Philately scheme and often the balance for medical expenses is to be paid by the patients. The other day, Budget Secretary Butch Bad presented the 201 5 proposed budget of PA. 06 trillion ($60 billion), 15% higher than the previous year. For health, the government wants a APP. Billion budget for the upgrade of 1,242 bargain (village) health stations, 587 rural health stations, 128 local government unit hospitals, and 1 1 treatment and rehabilitation centers. The government also seeks a PA. 3 billion budget to minimize 2. 2 million children and to provide pneumatically vaccines to 1. 4 million senior citizens and 429,000 infants. Big money is allotted in Health. If only the President would consider this, a plan where he can control th e distribution of budget appropriately for everyone. Although, he dispensed an allotted amount in covering future calamity funds and increase in providing the National Health Insurance Program from APP. 3 billion ($810 million) to APP. 2 billion ($850 million); increase in coverage from 14. 7 million to 15. 4 million beneficiaries, it would be quite enough to sustain what the nation needs, but the big question here is that if the administration can provide this fairly and legitimately. As a Doctor, I am not enraged by how the administration works. I am furious on how they manage everything. I am not against to those who are now in the position, I believe they are placed there for a reason, a reason that neither of us would know. But to be quite honest, my heart goes to the people who deserved a better life. A life of happiness, stability, and even the most taken for granted acts. I am not taking sides in considering that the Philippines is not a choice anymore; I won’t want to believe that. It is probably one of the reasons why I still keep myself flowing as much as possible, helping those poor; I believe that social protection and social services should be given a much more credit, a bigger perspective to end this misery. But for now, I’ll keep my hopes up. I will definitely wait for the right time. But I won’t lose my hope in this administration and in this passion in serving others. I challenge the President in helping and promoting us, especially those who are in the medical world, in healing our nation’s wounds. It might be hard, it is not easy, but there’s no need to worry, it will be all well and right, if we all keep ourselves closely knit, together, hand in hand. How to cite On Being Isolated, Papers