An Ecological Discourse Analysis of Faulkner’s The Bear from the Perspective of Transitivity System

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to review the origin and development of Ecological Discourse Analysis and its relationship with transitive and ergative analysis, and make an ecological interpretation of William Faulkner’s The Bear according to the “participants” and “circumstances” of clauses under the six “processes” of transitivity system in Systemic-Functional Linguistics. It is found that this novel highlights the ecological philosophy of “Diversity and Harmony, Interaction and Co-existence”, and belongs to beneficial ecological discourse. Ecological Discourse Analysis, from the perspective of transitivity system, can enrich the means of discourse analysis, transmits a positive ecological value and orientation, and clean up people’s ecological behavior.