FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR

Basic concepts

To give meaning to the functional analysis, there must be some basic concepts that form the fundamentals of the study. Following are the basic notions:

  • Rank

Rank refers to the different levels of organisation in the description of grammar. We could talk about our analysis at word level or we could talk about it at sentence level.

At the word level, we could focus on word formation . For example, grammar is a morpheme , a minimally meaningful unit in the English language. For grammar, we could form the word grammarian . What we did was to add a suffix - ian to form another noun group. On the other hand, if we are interested at the sentence level, we could talk about the parts that make up the sentence.

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Task 1 10(minutes)

Analysis the following words. How many morphemes are there for each word ? (Use a dictionary where necessary )

countryrecondition

upsetobscure

mandatorybeautiful

ladder handphone

powderyconstitution

additionalresourcefulness

Answers

(The numbers refer to the number of morphemes.)

country (1)recondition(1)

upset (1) obscure(1)

mandatory(2)beautiful (2)

ladder (1)handphone (2)

powdery(2) constitution (2)

additional (3) resourcefulness (3)

Task 25(minutes)

Which are sentences that can be analysed ?

He won the competition on the logo design.

Logo design competition he won.

The Internet is an ingenious system of communication.

Communication chimpanzee clever is.

What a speech!

Prize big show.

Answers

He won the competition on the logo design.

The Internet is an ingenious system of communication.

What a speech!

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  • Units

Units are the word groups that can be strung together to give meaning.

Example:

Hamid who wrote the book / is brought up / in Sudan.

( The units are indicated by slashes )

Hamid who wrote the book ( This part focuses on the person)

is brought up ( This focuses on the verb)

in Sudan ( The focus is on the place)

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Task 3(20minutes)

Segment the sentences into meaningful units.

  1. Arthur wrote the programme for the Sunday afternoon drama.
  2. We were all very pleased at his musical performance.
  3. Sometimes, it is difficult to get him on the phone.
  4. Learning English is fun.
  5. Polly had dinner at that Italian restaurant with her friend.
  6. I wish that she would be more spendthrift.
  7. During the war, my father worked on a farm in Kedah.
  8. Nothing is more precious than health.

Suggested Answers

  1. Arthur / wrote / the programme /

for the Sunday afternoon drama.

  1. We / were / all very pleased /

at his musical performance.

  1. Sometimes, / it / is / difficult / to get him on the phone.
  2. Learning English / is / fun.
  3. Polly / had / dinner at that Italian restaurant / with her friend.
  4. I / wish / that she would be more spendthrift.
  5. During the war, / my father / worked / on a farm in Kedah.
  6. Nothing / is / more precious than health.

Note:The manner of division could be different according to how detailed you wish to be. For example for the sentence

During the war, my father worked on a farm in Kedah.

Your division may be:

During the war, / my father / worked / on a farm / in Kedah.

Thus, units are constituents of the groups and the groups are constituents of the sentence.

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  • Clauses

A clausal structure contains a verb form. It may be a complete sentence or it may be a group of words that serve as a modifier.

Example:

He goes to the movie. ( one clause)

(Clause 1) (Clause 2)

Ali bought a pen and Hassan bought a book. ( two clauses )

The word “and” is in a word class of its own serving as a conjunction.

( Clause 1) ( Clause 2)

After visiting his uncle, he went for a swim. ( two clauses)

A clause may be a finite clause or a nonfinite clause

A finite clause contains a finite verb such as

He goes to the antique shop in Malacca.

She went to Port Dickson with her friends.

A nonfinite clause may contain a verb form which is not affected by tense agreement or number as in: ( the underlined words)

Having transport problems , Kong Beng decided to stay in the hostel at Sekolah Sri Kota.

They kept silent, hoping to get away with it.

Disillusioned with the job, he resigned immediately.

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Task 4(15 minutes)

Identify the finite clauses and the non finite clauses in the sentences below.

  1. Come home early.
  2. If you need an umbrella, take it from the study room.
  3. Going for a long vacation, he sent the pets to his brother's place.
  4. The boat, built by his nephew, cost RM5000.
  5. We can't sent you the document needed for your reference.
  6. He goes to Kota Kinabalu on transfer and he rents a house there.
  7. Please arrange the books neatly on the shelf before Mrs Lee comes in.
  8. Is there a doctor's clinic near your house?
  9. I don't understand the logic of your argument which involves technical details.
  10. I would like to think it over before giving you a reply.

Answers

Finite Clause = FC

Non finite Clause = NFC

FC

1.Come home early.

FC FC

2.If you need an umbrella, take it from the study room.

NFCFC

3.Going for a long vacation, he sent the pets to his brother's place.

FC

NFC

4.The boat, built by his nephew, cost RM5000.

FC

  1. We can't sent you the document

NFC

needed for your reference.

FC

6.He goes to Kota Kinabalu on transfer and

FC

he rents a house there.

FC

7. Please arrange the books neatly on the shelf

FC

before Mrs Lee comes in.

FC

8. Is there a doctor's clinic near your house?

FC

  1. I don't understand the logic of your argument

FC

which involves technical details.

FC NFC

10.I would like to think it over before giving you a reply.

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  • Word Classes

These refer to the traditional parts of speech.

Example:

The beautiful girl smiles happily all the time.

article adjective noun verb adverb

She loved horse riding and her sister liked wind surfing.

pronoun verb noun conjunction pronoun noun verb noun

Lee had gone to the post office early in the morning

noun verb prep article noun adv prep article noun

to buy some stamps.

infinitive quantifier noun

While it is important to know the labels and the slots they occupy, functional grammar does not emphasise heavily on such discrete analysis. As said, the functional approach focuses on meaningful units.

  • Groups

In functional grammar, we use the traditional names to label the word groups that are also formed by the units. Thus, units make up the word groups such as the verb group, the noun group, the adjectival group and the adverbial group. In the sentence

Hamid who wrote the book is brought up in Sudan.

We may say that the word groups are :

Hamid who wrote the book ( noun group)

is brought up ( verb group )

in Sudan ( adverbial group)

  • Phrase

This word is used together with a preposition and the label used is Prepositional Phrase. What follows a preposition is the object of the preposition. For example:

Preposition Object

in front of the post office ( the noun

group)

at the back of the market

The words that follow the prepositions are not an expansion of the preposition. They are different from the clauses in which an object functions as an expansion.

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Task 5(15 minutes)

Label the word groups including the prepositional phrase (the underlined parts) found in the following sentences.

  1. Uncle Tom was a wealthy and generous man
  2. My sister and I wanted to go to the magic show yesterday.
  3. Sometimes, Wen Cheong is late for class.
  4. They finished dinner at about nine o'clock.
  5. Tomorrow is the day for the presentation.
  6. Her grandmother stays in Kedah while her uncle lives in Alor Setar.
  7. It is difficult to get up to wake up early during the week end.
  8. All the king's men could not put Humpty Dumpty together again.
  9. She was sick after the weekend at Port Dickson.

10.These days, Lily goes to school by car.

Answers

Noun group = NG Verb group= VG Adjective group= AdjG

Adverb group = AdvGPreposititonal phrase = PP

NG VG AdjG

1. Uncle Tom was a wealthy and

NG

generous man

NGVGPPAdvG

2. My sister and I wanted to go to the magic show yesterday.

AdvGNG VG AdjG

3. Sometimes, Wen Cheong is

PP

late for class.

NG VG NG

4. They finished dinner

PP

at about nine o'clock.

AdG VG NG

5. Tomorrow is the day PP

for the presentation.

NG VG PP

6. Her grandmother stays in Kedah conjunction NG VG PP

while her uncle lives in Alor Setar.

NG VG AdjG VG

7. It is difficult to wake up AdG PP

early during the week-end.

NG VG NG AdG

8. All the king's men could not put Humpty Dumpty together

again.

NG VG AdjG PP PP

9. She was sick after the weekend at Port Dickson.

AdvG NG VG PP

10. These days, Lily goes to school

AdvG

by car.

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  • Embedding

This concept refers to the way a sentence can be formed in which additional information is given in the form of a clause together with a main clause. This a useful devise in the use of language as we are given options to have sentence variety, differing degree of emphasis and economy in use as well.

Examples

  1. She invited his secretary who is trained in England to attend a party at the British Council.

The base sentences are

a.She invited his secretary to attend a party at the British Council.

b.The secretary is trained in England.

  1. He dates a girl whose birthday is the same as his.

The base sentences are:

a.He dates a girl.

b. The girl's birthday is the same as his.

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Task 6(10 minutes)

Underline the embedded clause.

1.He has a book that is written by Stephen Hawkins.

2.He needs a job in which he can maximise his talents.

3.However hard he tries, he has yet to succeed.

4.How he does his work is none of your concern.

5.Although he is late in his payment, he did not have to pay a fine.

6.He visits Kuantan because his best friend is there.

7.Don't criticise if you know nothing about art.

8.I can't help noticing the man who is behaving suspiciously.

9.Whenever you have the time, please drop by.

10.Do write to me wherever you may be.

Answers

1.He has a book that is written by Stephen Hawkins.

2.He needs a job in which he can maximise his talents.

3.However hard he tries, he has yet to succeed.

4.How he does his work is none of your concern.

5.Although he is late in his payment, he did not have to pay a fine.

6.He visits Kuantan because his best friend is there.

7.Don't criticise if you know nothing about art.

8.I can't help noticing the man and he was behaving suspiciously.

9.Whenever you have the time, please drop by.

10.Do write to me but I can't promise I'll reply immediately.

Note: The embedding can operate at the level of coordination or subordination. Sentences 8 and 10 are examples of coordination while the rest are that of subordination.

 Go through Task 1A (p. 8) in the text. ( 15 minutes)

Task 7(15 minutes)

Examine the sentence below and answer the questions that follow.

Most probably the students will be producing some very good work.

  1. How many clauses are there?
  2. How many constituents are there?
  3. Is there a phrase?
  4. What are the word classes used?

Answers

1.There is only one clause.

2.Four constituents are found.

1 234

Most probably the students will be producing some very good work.

3.No phrases are used in the sentence.

4.The word classes are

intensifier adverb article noun verb qualifier

Most probably the studentswill be producing some

intensifier adjective noun

very good work.

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Grammatical Functions

The functions of the different slots in a sentence help us to see how language is organised or structured to enable people to express meaning. Traditional terms are resorted to for this description.

  1. Subject of a sentence

It can be in the form of a single word, a group of words or in a clause.

Examples:

  1. Ali went to the concert.
  1. Ali and Hasnah went to the concert.
  2. That Ali and Hasnah went to the concert is surprising.
  3. How Ali and Hasnah went to the concert is an interesting story.
  4. Going to the concert is a luxury for Ali and Hasnah.

2.The verb group

  • The subject in the sentence determines the finite verb characteristic used.

How do we identify the finite verb?

  • Use the tag question to verify the finite verb

He is coming to dinner, isn’t he?

How do we recognise it?

  • It is the first word in the verb group constituent.

Hetypes ( verb group)everyday

Hehas been typing (the verb group) for the last two hours.

Note:Only finite verbs are marked for tense and number agreement.

Examples:

She goes ( is/was going, has/had been going, has/had gone, went) to the cinema.

They go ( have gone, have been going, went,) to the cinema.

As mentioned earlier, we also have non-finite clauses. These are clauses without the finite verbs.

Examples
  • Having a cold, he went to see the doctor.
  • He waited for a few days in order for the form to be processed.
  • Enclosed in the room, he had no chance to escape.

It is important to differentiate the finite and no-finite form of the verb as it helps us to avoid mistakes made in tense and number.

  1. Object in a sentence

The object slot is occupied by a noun group. It expands on the use of the verb group.

Examples

He made a kite.

She washes the basket.

Objects in a sentence may be classified as a direct object or an indirect object. The above examples have only one object and they are direct.

Examples of indirect objects

He give a present to her cousin.

The foundation awarded the student a scholarship.

My mother wrote a letter to the city council about the clogged drains.

I'll lend you some money.

3.Adjunct

These are attachments to the main sentence. They may be adverbs or prepositional phrases.

Examples

He made a kitein the evening.

She washes the basket thoroughly.

4.Complement

The noun group, adjectives, adverbs or prepositional phrases that complete the sense of the sentence is referred to as the complement. They are used after a linking verb such as is, has, seem, appear etc.

Examples

He is a clown. ( noun)

He is here. ( adverb)

They look tired. ( adjective)

We were at work. (prepositional

phrase)

5. Predicator

If the verb group consists only of a finite verb, then it can also be referred to as the predicator. However if the verb group consist of a combination of words then that part of the verb group except the finite is referred to as the predicator.

Examples

He goes into the kitchen. ( finite and predicator)

He had been asked to leave. ( the predicator)

He is singing at the opera. ( the predicator)

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Summary

We have covered a fair bit in this unit to foreground the necessary information for subsequent analysis in the study of functional grammar. You need to know the structure of a sentence and the slots occupied by the units that make up a sentence. Remember that a sentence must be grammatical if it is to be subject to meaningful analysis. Otherwise, there is no starting point. It is important to note that formal and functional grammar are different in their approaches and assumptions. Each system is used for a particular intention of description.