Systemic Functional Approach Research Articles

Readability of PISA-like Reading Texts: A Lesson Learned from Indonesian Teachers

This article discusses the text readability of Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)-like reading texts written by Indonesian-English-teachers who are teaching in high schools in Jawa Barat province, Indonesia. The aims of the research are to describe the lexical density, grammatical intricacy, and lexical variation indexes of the PISA-like reading texts compared to PISA reading texts 2018 released field trial new reading items. The method applied is a qualitative with descriptive quantification. The qualitative method is employed to identify and describe both lexical and grammatical words, in addition to specifying the lemmas and ranking clauses in the PISA-like reading texts. Quantifying the indexes of lexical density, grammatical intricacy, and lexical variation are implemented. All analyses utilized are based on the systemic functional linguistic approach. It is reported that, firstly, the texts of PISA reading texts 2018 are lexically denser than the PISA-like reading texts. Secondly, the texts of PISA reading texts 2018 are grammatically more intricate than the PISA-like reading texts. Lastly, PISA-like reading texts have similar index with PISA reading texts 2018.

EXPLORING TEACHERS’ ABILITY IN DEVELOPING PISA-LIKE READING TASKS

This study is a part of a joint study, aiming to develop a teacher professional development program on training teachers to teach PISA-like reading. The bigger program focuses on a pedagogical intervention that incorporates PISA reading into English and Indonesian subjects based on Systemic Functional Linguistics Genre-Based Approach (SFL GBA) and has been reported in Emilia et al. (2022). Meanwhile, this study centred around the observation of English teachers’ ability to develop PISA-like reading tasks. The intervention is framed within PISA reading (OECD, 2019a,b), and SFL GBA (Halliday Matthiesen, 2014; Derewianka Jones, 2016; Emilia, 2011). The study employed a case study design. The findings show that teachers were able to develop PISA-like reading tasks, evidenced from the collected reading items that follow PISA 2018 cognitive processes and response format (OECD, 2019 a, b). Moreover, teachers’ responses from interviews were likewise positive, indicating their increased awareness of PISA and their ability to design similar reading tasks. It is recommended that the training be conducted in a variety of settings with a larger number of teachers for them to eventually assist Indonesian students in improving their reading literacy as suggested by PISA.

A Systemic Functional Linguistics Approach to Analyzing White Supremacist and Conspiratorial Discourse on YouTube

ABSTRACT Since the 2016 US Presidential Election, extreme right-wing communities have gained extensive popularity on YouTube, spreading discourses of white supremacy and conspiracy. This paper focuses on how methods drawn from Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) can be used to analyze this communication and contribute to research interests within the field of media and communication studies. SFL is a social semiotic model of language concerned with systematic analysis of language choices in terms of their social context. More specifically, this paper draws upon the Appraisal and Affiliation frameworks developed within SFL, in order to understand how patterns of evaluation are expressed in language and how these function in terms of aligning ambient audiences with particular values. YouTube videos and comments about the Notre Dame Cathedral Fire are used as a case study. The aim is to illustrate how this approach can offer an additional perspective on the issues of information disorder and hate speech that does not attempt to homogenize the multiple reasons why people engage in such hateful behavior.

Emotion in speech

AbstractThis paper explores how emotion is conveyed in spoken language based on a sample of three stories for children read aloud by a trained storyteller. It draws on both Martin & White’s appraisal framework (2005) and a systematic account of vocal features. Interpreting and profiling emotion is a challenge both for researchers interested in spoken language and for English-as-an-additional-language teachers, when working to improve students’ spoken expression of emotion. Underpinning this challenge is the absence of a unified theoretical stance and a consequent lack of shared analytical tools for describing how speakers use semiotic resources to convey emotion in their speech. A systemic functional semiotic approach can make visible the co-patterning of wordings and vocalisations that express emotion.

PHENOMENOLOGY OF INNOVATIVE DEVELOPMENT OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP

The material presented in the article in order of logical presentation and content reveals the author's approach to the phenomenology of innovative development of socio-economic systems. The article examines the phenomenon of innovative development in socio-economic and philosophical discourse. The main goal of the study is to improve the system-functional approach to the innovative development of entrepreneurship using the phenomenological method. The application of the phenomenological model is proposed for the development of quick management decisions at enterprises that face non-standard problems in conditions of incomplete information, in particular, those that produce innovations. The research is based on empirical and theoretical, as well as special methods, namely, description and observation (innovative development is considered as the result of a combination of intellectual resources and information), analysis and synthesis, abstraction, generalization, induction, deduction, explanation and classification (improved philosophical – economic understanding of innovative development of targeted (socio-economic) systems, including entrepreneurship, classification features and types of innovative development are given). The main theories of innovative development include the basic and latest provisions of the theory of social development, systemology, economic theory of information, constructive logico-mathematical theories, institutional and neo-institutional economic theory, structural functionalism, management theory, strategic, production and innovation management, theory of values and costs. Scientific approaches to the definition of the concept of «innovative development» were analyzed, and the author's interpretation of this concept was developed on this basis.The author's definition of the category «innovative development» and «philosophy of innovative development» is provided. Conceptual support for innovative development of entrepreneurship is systematized.

Legal and organizational aspects of introducing ESG-standards in the Russian banking sector

Objective: to study the processes of introduction and practical implementation of ESG standards in the Russian banking sector and to assess their impact on the prospects for the financial market development in general.Methods: logical and structural analysis, system-functional approach, formal legal method.Results: the author reveals the essence and features of such a relatively new phenomenon for the Russian banking sector as ESG-principles of doing business and responsible financing. The study reveals the prerequisites for the formation of modern ESG concepts in international practice, analyzes the possibility of their implementation in the practical activities of the Russian financial sector subjects and assesses the prospects for the Russian banking system development within the paradigm of responsible entrepreneurship and sustainable development.Scientific novelty: consists in the complex study of relations associated with the ESG principles implementation in the Russian financial sector. A distinctive feature of this work is the focus on both practical issues of implementing the ESG principles in the Russian financial sector and assessing the prospects for the ESG banking development in the Russian Federation.Practical significance: the formation of a certain theoretical basis necessary both for studying the essence of the ESG approach and the sustainable development of financial sector entities, and for developing proposals for adjusting regulatory policy in this area in the future.

Systemic Functional Linguistics and the Development of Spoken Chinese Textbooks

More than ten thousand spoken Chinese textbooks have been published in the past three decades because of the rise of China and the increasing number of Chinese learners all over the world. None of these textbooks was developed by making reference to the theories of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) both in terms of overall design and the selection of teaching materials. Therefore, this article explores the possibility of developing spoken Chinese textbooks on the basis of SFL theories. There exist many studies in the field of systemic-functional approaches to Chinese, which provide a rich foundation for the analysis of spoken Chinese. Depending on the findings of previous research, the chapter applies the theories of SFL to the development of the spoken Chinese textbook. The chapter first identifies three inadequacies of current Chinese textbooks in terms of grammatical knowledge presentation, the organization of units, and the contextual structure of conversation passages. In particular, three textbooks published respectively in China, Singapore, and the US were selected for illustration. The article then develops a functional framework for the presentation of Chinese grammatical knowledge based on experiential, interpersonal, and textual functions. Moreover, it demonstrates that the arrangement of various units and the structure of sample conversations in Chinese textbooks can be improved using register theory and genre theory respectively. The research contributes to the growing body of research on the teaching of spoken Chinese and the development of effective Chinese textbooks.

A Corpus Driven Text Analysis of "Fake Social Media News": A case study of The Indian Chronicles

Online media has become a huge strategy for the tremendous extent of information, it spread in all occupations, including publicizing, and news-projecting, and that is only the start. This use of change is a direct result of some novel features, for instance, adaptability, free speech, and insight. Thus, a layperson is always subjected to being exposed to illegitimate “news”. Hence, the need to explore this phenomenon from the textual and linguistic perspective arose. This paper aims to investigate how “fake news” is generated linguistically and which textual features are employed by the “fake news” to make them look legitimate. The data was extracted from the report “The Indian Chronicles” – which is a source of certified counterfeit news. A systemic functional language approach is applied, where for exploration of textual features; a small corpus of fake news is compiled and tagged and through the software UAM, textual features are extracted and identified. Results have displayed, that fake news operates via centralizing participants: inanimate authority material the most, the strategy of manipulation, persuasion was most recurring, and so was foregrounding of inanimate material authority and lastly application of UAM to apply SFL concludes that the socio-cultural perspective of war and hatred in general, is the cause of this generation of fake news.

Towards a systemic functional approach to context collapse

Abstract This paper presents an initial systemic functional interpretation of the nuclear features of the phenomenon known as “context collapse”, which occurs when multiple online audiences (such as family, friends and coworkers) are “flattened” into a single group of potential recipients. After introducing the fundamental systemic functional dimensions of stratification and instantiation, we briefly present Hasan’s systemic description of the contextual parameter of Tenor, which deals with the potential relations and roles enacted by the participants of an interaction. We propose that such a contextual system enables us to describe with theoretical precision the nuclear features of context collapse: besides one-way digital contact in Mode, the selection of [addressee: absent: category] in the system of TEXTUAL ROLES and a generalized vagueness in the system of SOCIAL ROLES. Finally, we outline two major strategies employed to circumvent it: enactment--based and activation-based.

A corpus analysis of disciplinary identity in evaluative journal articles: A Systemic Functional Linguistics approach

This study investigates the discursive construction of identity in the largely neglected register of evaluative journal articles (e.g., critiques, rebuttals). The study looks at how disciplinary identity is constructed in this register through the use of the subjective first-person pronoun I from a Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) perspective. This is done through the analysis of: (1) the variation of I in evaluative journal articles across six disciplines (i.e., Applied Linguistics, Biology, History, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science) and (2) the process types (e.g., material, mental) that authors use with I to construct a particular disciplinary identity. Findings show that social science and humanities authors use I much more frequently than hard science authors, but also that the frequency of I in the hard sciences is not negligible when compared to previous research. Another important finding is that disciplinary differences are reflected in both the frequency and use of process types. The findings are highly relevant for teaching graduate students discipline-appropriate ways of identity construction in evaluative registers, such as critiques.

Centering Children's Voices and Purposes in Multimodality Research

The theorization of multimodality in academic scholarship is disconnected from how it is conceptualized by children. To bridge this gap, we analyzed 75 interviews with children about their digital video making. Analysis of their responses demonstrates children's socially-embedded, age-specific understandings of how modes operate, as well as when and why to employ them. In many cases, children's ideas ran counter to formal semiotic grammars and metalanguages of design. Bridging Systemic Functional Linguistics and social semiotics approaches with work in transliteracies, we argue for the need to advance age-centric social semiotic theories that center children's voices, purposes, and capacity to generate theory.

Absorptive capacities approaches for investigating national innovation systems in low and middle income countries

This review article covers some of the founding literature that helps develop our understanding of the National Innovation System (NIS) concept. Subsequently, several versions of NIS, including system-functional approaches, are discussed and compared with narrow research and development (R&D) and market-based approaches. Finally, the article contends that the system-functional and other narrow approaches are limited in application to the developing low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Thus, it makes a case for more inclusive absorptive capacity approaches and explains how they might be more relevant in investigating the NIS of an LMIC. Such approaches suggest LMICs be strategic in building their innovation base and plead for strong local conditions (capacities) to produce knowledge as well as capture and improvise on incoming knowledge from abroad. The research is important as it provides insights into analyzing and capturing innovation processes in LMICs, which are prime candidates for development and innovation studies and practice.

Thematic Choices in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Discourse: We Should All Be Feminists

This paper is about the analysis of Chimamanda’s discourse on feminism. The paper adopts the systemic functional approach to language, notably the textual meaning so as to find out what are the thematic choices made by the author of the discourse and how this contributes in constructing or deconstructing cultural beliefs about women. The linguistics data are analyzed both on the quantitative and qualitative bases, that is, the paper uses the mixed research method. The discourse is therefore split into analyzable units referred to as clauses to which figures and statistics are meticulously ascribed. The results reveal a predominance of Topical Themes followed by textual ones whereas interpersonal elements are rarely thematized in the discourse. Furthermore, the analysis discloses a significant number of marked Themes. It is through such thematic choices that the author highlights and deconstructs discriminating prejudices by emphasizing positive attitudes that might bring about cultural changes in favor of women’s empowerment.
 
 Received: 26 April 2022 / Accepted: 30 June 2022 / Published: 5 July 2022

Transivity Analysis of the “Campus Merdeka” Speech by Nadiem Makarim

In this study, Nadiem Makarim's speech was analyzed about an independent campus. The data analyzed is Nadiem Makarim's speech about an independent campus in the form of a clause. This study aims to describe the speech of the Minister of Education Nadiem Makarim. This study applies a systemic functional linguistic approach (LFS) to analyze the speech of the minister of education presented by Nadiem Anwar Makarim which discusses the independent campus. The data that has been shared will be analyzed for the meaning of the process which includes (1) material processes, (2) mental, (3) relational, (4) behavioral, (5) verbal, and (6) form. Based on the results of the analysis of Nadiem Makarim's speech about the Merdeka Campus, six processes were found that represented Nadiem Makarim's experience. Of the six processes found, the most dominant process used is the material process of 43.76%. The dominant participant I used was the actor participant at 38.05%. Participant II which is dominantly used is the goal participant by 43.90%. The most dominant circumstantial used was the location circumstantial as much as 37.21%. This shows that the speech delivered by Nadiem Makarim regarding an independent campus can be realized through actions or actions taken by students, lecturers, chancellors, or people involved in higher education.

A Systemic Functional Grammar Approach to the Study of Emphatic Constructions in English and Arabic Scientific Texts

The study deals with emphatic constructions in English and Arabic scientific texts. To the researcher’s best knowledge, this topic received little attention from linguistic researchers, exceptionally in functional grammar analysis. The importance of this study arises from the fact that some syntactic forms are effective linguistic choices for conveying the meaning of emphasis to the readers. The study aims to identify and analyze different types of linguistic constructions in English and Arabic scientific texts and show the similarities and differences between the two types of scientific texts under investigation. The study intends to analyze the structure of complex clauses by adopting Halliday and Matthiessen’s (2004) modal of ‘Systemic Functional Grammar’ of syntax and Prince’s (1978) modal of ‘Given-New’ information of discourse analysis. These models analyze-samples of English ‘Spaceport’ magazine and pieces of Arabic ‘Sadeem Bulletin’ magazine. Moreover, the study depends on a qualitative approach to answer the research questions and confirm its hypothesis. The results show that both languages use some syntactic forms, but Arabic is rich in its constructions. This difference is due to the nature and flexibility of both languages. The findings will be helpful for researchers concerned with syntax and scientific issues because it provides a rigorous analysis of complex clauses into simple parts and shows the focus of information in its suitable.

Person or the issue? Relational process, person- and idea- targeted questions in UK and Ghanaian parliamentary questions

Using parliamentary questions as data and a corpus-assisted systemic functional approach through Wordsmith Tools, this paper, with specific reference to relational processes, explores yes/no interrogatives in order to establish how MPs encode in their questions issues of attitudes, commitments, personalities and ideas of (Prime) Ministers during Ghanaian Minister’s and UK Prime Minister’s Questions. The paper finds that MPs use yes/no interrogatives with relational processes to describe (Prime) Ministers as carriers of certain attributes relating to their positions and responsibilities, while some of the questions are issue- focused. To achieve this, MPs employ two main questioning strategies: person-targeted and idea-targeted pragmatic strategies, thereby raising issues of (Prime) Ministers’ credibility and commitment to duty. The paper has implications for parliamentary questions, party politics and MPs’ and (Prime) Ministers’ duties as representatives of their constituents.

A systemic functional linguistics approach to implicit entity recognition in tweets

The identification of knowledge graph entity mentions in textual content has already attracted much attention. The major assumption of existing work is that entities are explicitly mentioned in text and would only need to be disambiguated and linked. However, this assumption does not necessarily hold for social content where a significant portion of information is implied. The focus of our work in this paper is to identify whether textual social content include implicit mentions of knowledge graph entities or not, hence forming a two-class classification problem. To this end, we adopt the systemic functional linguistic framework that allows for capturing meaning expressed through language. Based on this theoretical framework we systematically introduce two classes of features, namely syntagmatic and paradigmatic features, for implicit entity recognition. In our experiments, we show the utility of these features for the task, report on ablation studies, measure the impact of each feature subset on each other and also provide a detailed error analysis of our technique.

Teaching the Russian verb to Chinese philology students: functional-grammatical and methodological aspects

Russian verb teaching experience to foreign (Chinese) philology students revealed the main difficulties in understanding topics related to the system of the Russian verb and its grammatical categories. These difficulties are due to a complex process of interaction between verb grammatical categories, grammatical and lexical meanings, grammatical form and context, and the general situation of speech. In terms of such interaction, various uses of verb forms, contexts allowing interchangeability of grammemes, as well as grammemes functioning in the meaning of another one are created. In the course of verb forms functioning implicit grammatical meanings easily recognized by a native speaker occur in the text but these forms are particularly problematic for foreign students. In the methods of teaching Russian as a foreign language, researchers and textbook authors generally focus on the category of aspect and on verbs of motion. Other grammatical categories of the verb attract scientists to a far lesser extent. Implicit narration meanings particularly lack attention. The purpose of this study is a comprehensive analysis of all the difficult cases associated with the verb, its grammatical categories and forms. Data obtained in the course of the study will be considered in the practice of teaching RCT and moreover it will give an opportunity to eliminate all the difficulties. Methods of observation, description, transformation, survey, functional and semantic analysis were used in the course of the study. Extracts from the Russian writers' texts selected from the National Corpus of the Russian Language provided the main language material. The research conducted suggests the tools for the development of foreign students' skills and abilities that will allow them to perceive implicit meanings expressed by verbal forms and to integrate their knowledge into speech. This requires a system-functional approach to teaching the discipline, involving various functionings of verb forms as well as rich lexical material. Besides, students’ additional efforts, a high level of language proficiency, a certain cultural level, and background knowledge will be necessary.

Review of Clark (2019): Developing language and literacy in English across the secondary school curriculum: An inclusive approach & Gebhard (2019): Teaching and researching ELLs’ disciplinary literacies: Systemic functional linguistics in action in the context of U.S. school reform & Harman (2018): Bilingual learners and social equity: Critical approaches to systemic functional linguistics & Tajino (2018): A new approach to

This article reviews Developing language and literacy in English across the secondary school curriculum: An inclusive approachTeaching and researching ELLs’ disciplinary literacies: Systemic functional linguistics in action in the context of U.S. school reformBilingual learners and social equity: Critical approaches to systemic functional linguisticsA new approach to English pedagogical grammar: The order of meanings

The representation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Obama's speeches: A systemic functional approach

The representation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Obama's speeches: A systemic functional approach