Pragmatic function assignment and word order variation in a functional grammar of English

Abstract

This paper discusses word order variation and pragmatic function assignment in English declarative main clauses within the theory of Functional Grammar. Concentrating on variation in the first constituent of the clause, a theory-specific analysis of topichood is presented for English which restricts the application of the topic function to first constituents, but not to all first constituents. In the light of this restricted view, the paper goes on to propose that the speaker's choice as to the pragmatic functions to be applied and the order in which constituents are to be realized can be seen as reflecting a deciaion to organize the message according to a specific mode of message management. The effect of the mechanism proposed is that it is possible to incorporate ideas about the speaker's communicative strategies in discourse construction more solidly into the grammar, rather than seeking to account for them in a wider theory of verbal interaction.