Language as Evolving: Introductory Notes to Some Aspects of Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to give a brief introduction of Systemic Functional Linguistics to people new to this theory of linguistic description by shedding light on some of its aspects, chief among these the insights that this theory gives on language learning and its contribution to the field of education in general and pedagogy in particular. Written in an accessible style, this paper tries, to the utmost, to simplify when possible, the theory by avoiding the use of all the metalanguage and technical jargons that theorists display in their writings. It thus requires no prior knowledge or readings, as it uses no indexical references to other theories of linguistic descriptions or other sources but the ones that they inform this paper.

Keywords: Language evolving, SFL theory, metafunctions, context of situation, register, transitivity, theme/rheme, mood, ontogenesis, education