Chapter 7 : Functional language typology : a discourse semantic perspective 1
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Date
2019
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Routledge
Abstract
Butler (2005: 4), in one of his many overviews of the major tenets of ‘functionalism,’ argues that “a functional theory must take fully into account the essential connection between language and (a) cognition and (b) the social and cultural context of language use.” What tends to be elided in these discussions is the place of co-textual relations as we attempt to interface (1) grammar and cognition or (2) grammar and social context. In this chapter we will address this elision from the perspective of discourse semantics, as developed in Systemic Functional Linguistic theory (hereafter SFL). In particular we will focus on some typological issues arising from consideration of the systems of ideation, conjunction, identification, periodicity, appraisal and negotiation as we try to understand how language has been shaped by its use.