Systemic Functional Grammar Of Chinese Book

Foreword     ix
Acknowledgements     xi
Historical and theoretical backgrounds     1
The history of the Chinese language     1
The history of the study of language in China     6
A brief introductory note to Systemic Functional Grammar     10
Semiotic system, stratification and realization     11
Language potential and instantiation     12
Modes of meaning in language     13
Rank, axis and delicacy     14
The organization of the book     17
Building blocks: Below the clause     19
Morphemes, syllables and characters     19
Word classes     21
Verbal groups     21
Verbal premodifiers     21
Verbal postmodifiers     23
Nominal groups     24
Nominal Heads     25
Nominal premodifiers     25
Adverbial groups     29
Adverb as Head     29
Adjectival verb as Head     31
Coverbal phrases     32
Circumstantial type of coverbal phrases     32
Participant type of coverbal phrases     34
Construing experience: Clause as representation     37
Construing ourexperience: FIGURES     37
Construing the world of consciousness     41
Construing the world of symbolization     42
Construing the world of material reality     42
Construing the world of abstract relations     42
Realizing our experience in the grammar: Transitivity     43
Material processes     46
Relational processes     49
Verbal processes     54
Mental processes     57
Temporal profile     58
The system of Aspect     61
The system of Phase     63
Temporal adverbs     63
Relative sequence of verbal groups     64
Locative profile     65
Construing relationships: The natural logic of language     69
The natural logic of language     69
Relative order of reality among figures     70
Relative status among figures     72
Clause complexes     73
Taxis     76
Logico-semantic types     77
Linkage in a clause nexuses     97
Number of conjunctions in a clause nexus     98
Structures of a clause nexus     99
Enacting relationships: Clause as exchange      103
Enacting our social relationships: Speech Function     105
Realizing our social relationships in the grammar: Mood     111
Encoding speech functions: Mood Type     112
Negotiating the validity: Polarity     132
Evaluating the commitment and responsibility: Modality     134
Assessing the degree of forcefulness: Assessment     144
Enacting social relationships through bound clauses     153
Enabling discourse: Clause as message     159
Constructing messages: Textual Prominence and Textual Status     160
Textual prominences of an information chunk     160
Textual statuses of a message     163
Regulating the flow of information 1: Theme     170
Textual Theme     172
Interpersonal Theme     173
Topical Theme     176
Regulating the flow of information 2: Information     186
Information unit and structure     186
Contrasting parallel clauses     188
Emphatic particles     188
Wh-type interrogative elements     189
Regulating the flow of information 3: Voice     189
The ba-and bei-constructions and textual motivation     190
Voice and Theme     196
The system of Voice     198
Variants of the ba-and bei-constructions and the flow of Information     201
A short note on other aspects of the bei- and ba- constructions     206
Above the clause: Creation of texts     209
Identification and continuation of information: Textual Continuity     210
Recoverability of information     216
Source of information     217
Semantic relation between information     217
Other features     218
Grammatical realization of Textual Continuity: Cohesion     220
Continuity of messages: Textual Transition     224
The system of Logico-Semantic Types     225
The system of Conjunction     226
Guidance of unfolding text: Textual Development     228
Patterns of thematic selection in different text types     229
Patterns of thematic selection in the whole novel     237
Patterns of thematic progression     244
Logogenetic patterns of an unfolding text     256
Systemic notation conventions     265
References     267
Index     277