Sunteți pe pagina 1din 25

Process Types of Transitivity System in the National Geographic’s

Articles

Marbun, Lidia April Yanti


lidiamarbun@yahoo.com

Abstract

This study deals with the process types of transitivity found in the National Geographic’s
Articles. The objectives of this study is conducted to identify the process types and to find out the
dominant process. This study is conducted by applying descriptive qualitative research design. All
the process types of transitivity system are found in the National Geographic, they are material,
mental, relational, behavioral, verbal and existential process. There are 1415 processes of five
articles in the National Geographic. The occurrences of material process is 791 i.e. 56.0%, mental
process is 84 i.e. 6.0%, relational process is 347 i.e. 24.5%, behavioural process is 49 i.e. 3.4%,
verbal process is 118 i.e. 8.3%, and existential process is 26 i.e. 1.8%.The most dominant process
of five articles in the National Geographic is material process with 791 i.e. 56.0% occurrences.
The highest proportion usage of material process implies that articles in the National Geographic
mostly tells about the experience of human’s of physical action, about the external world, things,
events, qualities, etc and concern with the question of what did human do and what happened in
the world. Thus, it is suggested to English Department students, to get the understanding that the
six process types of transitivity has different meaning in representing the clause in English, they
suggested to learn more about process types of transitivity in order to be able to analyze by using
the transitivity system in text or discourse written in English. To the readers, to know that material
proces is mostly found in the National Geographic articles so that they get easily understand the
meaning representated by the dominant process in relation that material process is process of
doing. And to the further researchers, as the contribution concerning process types of transitivity
system, they can enhance by conducting the similar topic viewed from other points of view to get
more accurate analysis.
Keywords : process types of transitivity, National Geographic’s Articles

1. The Background of Study


Language is a tool of communication used by human being. It helps human to
interact with other people to establish and maintain appropriate social links. It is also
interpreted as a system of making meaning. It enables human being to build a mental
picture of reality, to make sense of what goes around them and inside them. As well as
using language to interact with people, it is clearly used to talk about the world, either the
external world, things, events, qualities, etc., or internal world, thoughts, beliefs,
feelings, etc in written or spoken language. Language is studied in linguistics.
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. It has three broadly aspects to the
study which include language form, language meaning, and language in context. The
study of language meaning is concerned with how languages employ logic and real world
references to convey, process and assign meaning.
The branch of linguistics which study about language meaning is called
semantics. Nowadays, the language meaning is not only studied in semantics. There are
many studies of language meaning, one is functional grammar.
Functional grammar is a study of sense and meaning in context of grammar. It is
primarily concern with the function of structures and their constituents and with their

1
meaning in context, how the meaning of a text are realized. It is also called as a study of
wording, but one that interprets the wording by reference to what it means.
The functional grammar itself consist of three main kinds of meaning, where all
languages are considered to be shaped and organized in relation to these three main kinds
of meaning, they are the ideational, interpersonal and textual meaning. These three
generalized meaning are termed ‘metafunctions’.
The ideational meaning reflects the contextual value of field (what’s going on),
where language is used to talk about the experience in the world, including the worlds in
the minds, to describe events and states and entities involved in them. It construes human
experience. It means by which human make sense of “reality” (meaning about the inner
and the outer worlds). It is further divided into the logical meaning and the experiential
meaning.
The experiential meaning refers to the grammatical resources involved in
construing the flux of experience through the unit of the clause. It also refers to the
grammatical choices that enable speaker to make meaning about the world inside and
around (how the words are associated with evens in the world) . An analysis of a text
from the perspective of the experiential function involves inquiring into the choices in the
grammatical systems of “transitivity”.
Transitivity is a proper of verb that relates to whether a verb can take direct
object and how many such objects a verb can take. It also refers to a system for
describing the whole clause, rather than just the verb and its object. There are three basic
elements to all process structures of transitivity; the process it self, the participant in the
process, and the circumstances associated with the process. The process itself is the
central to transitivity. It is realized by verb and consists of the various types processes
together with the structures that realize these processes.
Thus, the writer interested in conducting this study because the process is the
main element of a clause in transitivity and there are six process types of transitivity, each
of them has different meaning in representation of clauses in English.
Halliday (1994:138) stated “...there are three principal types of process in the
English clause: material, mental, relational....We can then go on to recognize three
subsidiary process types, located at each of the boundaries:
behavioural sharing characteristics of material and mental
verbal - mental and relational
existential - relational and material”

Based on the explanations above, the writer would like to conduct a study titled
“Process types of transitivity system in the national geographic articles”.

The objectives of this study are: to identify the process types of transitivity
system used in the national georaphic articles, to find out the most dominant process
types of transitivity system used in the national georaphic articles.
The transitivity system has three basic element, they are participants, processes, and
circumstances. Based on the background of study which has been discussed above, the
writer would like to limit this study focus on analyzing the process types proposed by
Halliday, three principal types of process: material, mental, relational and the three
subsidiary process types: behavioural, verbal, existential. The data that were analyzed in

2
this study is the articles in the National geographic magazine on September 2014 edition.
Thus, the writer takes 5 articles in that edition.

The finding of this study hopefully be useful and helpful to: the English
Department students to improve their understanding and knowledge about the language
representation in the text or discourse written in English viewed from process types of
transitivity and how to analyze text or discourse by using the transitivity syste, and to the
English lecturers or readers, to enrich and enlarge their knowledge about process type of
transitivity.

Theoretical Framework
A theoritical framework is the structure that can hold and support a theory of a
research study. In this chapter, the writer presents and reviews the theories that is related
and relevant to the topic of this study. The references including the terms are explained
clearly in order to avoid misunderstanding and misperception. The conceptual framework
of this study is presented as follows.
Table 1 The conceptual framework

Functional Grammar

Interpersonal Function Ideational Function Textual Function

Logical Function Experiential Function

Transitivity

Participant Process Circumstance

Material Mental Relational Behavioural Verbal Existential

Articles in the National Geographic Magazine

3
Functional Grammar
The functional grammar is primary concern with the function of structures and
their constituents and with their meaning in context. The focus of this kind of grammar is
usually on the appropriateness of a form for a particular communicative purpose in a
particular context. In the other hand, it is concerned with the way in which grammar is
organized to make meaning.
David et. al ( 1995 :23) stated whenever human speak or write, they make
selections from entire lexical and grammatical system of English to choose
appropriate meanings for the field, tenor, and mode of a context of situation, they
introduce the notion that language simultaneously perform three functions ( Ideational:
Experiential and Logical, Interpersonal, and Textual). Halliday in David et. al(1996:13)
calls these main functions metafuctions. Also, Gerot and Wignell (1995:6) state that
“functional grammar views language as a resource for making meaning”. These
grammars attempt to describe language in actual use and so focus on text and their
contexts. They are concerned not only with the structures but also how those structures
construct meaning. Functional grammar explains language viewed from the relationship
between context, meaning, and wording. It starts with the question, ‘How are the meaning
of a text realized?’ However, Halliday (1994:17) assert that “functional grammar is a
study of wording, but one that interprets the wording by reference to what it means and
the meaning is encoded in the wording as an integrated whole”.
It is essentially a ‘natural’ grammar", in the sense that everything in it can be explained
ultimately, by reference to how language is used. This can be concluded that functional
grammar is a study of context, meaning and structure of language, the meaning which
constructed by the wording or structure of a language.
In functional grammar there are three distinct although closely related sense: in
its interpretation (1) of text: in the sense that it is designed to account for how language is
used, everything that is said or written.
(2) of the elements of linguistics structures: each elements in a language is explained by
reference to its function in the total linguistics system, a functional grammar that all that
concrues all the units of a language-its clauses, phrases, and so on. In the other words,
each part is interpreted as functional with respect to the whole. (3) of the system: the
fundamental components of meaning in language are functional components. They are
they are the ideational, interpersonal and textual meaning. These three generalized
meaning are termed ‘metafunctions’.

Metafunction
The term metafunction is particular and originates in Functional Grammar and it is
consider to be property of all languages. It consists of three generalized meaning.
Halliday as the founder of the systemic functional grammar calls these three meaning as
metafunction. He argues that all languages are considered to be shaped and organized in
relation to the three main kinds of meaning, they are the ideational, interpersonal and
textual meaning. The idetional meaning is further divided into the experiential and logical
meaning. Metafunctions are systemic cluster; i.e. they are groups of semantic system that
make meanings of related kind. The three meanings are mapped onto the structure of the
clause.

4
Interpersonal Meaning
The interpersonal meaning relates to text’s aspects of tenor (social relations). It is
concerned with resources for analysing interaction – who is communicating with whom.
It refers to the grammatical choices that enable to enact their complex and diverse
interpersonal relations. The grammatical systems that relate to the interpersonal meaning
include Mood, Modality, and Polarity.
Halliday (1994:68) states “interpersonal meaning is an interpretation of the clause
in its function as an exchange”. According to Thompson (1996:28) “interpersonal
meaning is the using of language to interact with other people, to establish and maintain
relation with them, to influence their behaviour, to express the viewpoint on things in the
world, and to elicit or change theirs”. While, Gerot and Wignell (1995:13) state that
“interpersonal meaning is the meaning which expresses a speaker’s attitudes and
judgements. These are meanings for acting upon and with others”. It can be concluded
that interpersonal meaning is meaning that enacts human relationships, it claims that a
speaker uses language not only talks about something, but it always talking to and with
others in order to establish and maintain relation with them, to influence their behaviour,
to express the viewpoint on things in the world, and to elicit or change theirs.

Textual Meaning
The textual meaning relates to mode (contextual coherence), It is concerned with
resources for analysing the ways in which massage are constructed. The grammatical
systems that relate to the textual meaning include Theme/Rheme and Cohesion.
Lock (1996:10) states that “textual meaning has to do with the ways in which a
stretch of language is organized in relation to its context”. According to Thompson
(1996:28) “textual meaning is the using of language to organise the messages in ways
which indicate how they fit in with the other messages around them and the wider context
in which it is talked or written”. Halliday (1994:37) assert that “textual meaning is an
interpretation of the clause in its function as a message”. While, Gerot and Wignell
(1995:14) state that “textual meaning expresses the relation of language to its
environment, including both the verbal environment-what has been said or written before
(co-text) and non-verbal, situational environment (context)”. This can be concluded, that
textual meaning refers to the relation of language to its environment to organize the
messages in ways which indicate how they fit in with the other messages around them
and the wider context in which it is talked or written (context or co-text).

Ideational Meaning
The ideational meaning reflects the contextual value of field (what’s going on), It
construes human experience. It means by which we make sense of “reality”. It is
concerned with resources for analysing experience-what is going on. The ideational
meaning further divided into the logical meaning and the experiential meaning.
According to Thompson (1996:28) “ideational meaning is the using of language
to talk about the experience in the world, including the worlds in the minds, to describe
events and states and entities involved in them”. Morever, Gerot and Wignell (1995:14)
state that “ideational meaning are meanings about phenomena-about things (living and
not living, abstract and concrete), about goings on (what the things are or do) and the
circumstances surroundings these happenings”. It can be concluded, that ideational

5
meaning is meaning that construes human experience and the language concerned with
building and maintaining a theory of experience in the world.

Logical Meaning
The logical meaning refers to the grammatical resources for building up
grammatical units into complexes, for instance, for combining two or more clauses into a
clause complex. This meaning is not embodied in the clause but in clause complex.

Experiential Meaning
The experiential meaning refers to the grammatical resources involved in
construing the flux of experience through the unit of the clause. It also refers to the
grammatical choices that enable speaker to make meaning about the world around and
inside us (how the words are associated with evens in the world) . It focuses on the field,
the topic of the message rather than the purposes the speakers have regarding the
interaction. It refers to how the world is represented by the participants of a conversation
through language, involving actions (verbs), things (nouns) and attributes of those things
(adjectives), as well as details of background details of place, manner, time, etc
(adverbials). An analysis of a text from the perspective of the experiential function
involves inquiring into the choices in the grammatical systems of “transitivity”.
According to Thompson (1996:28) “from the experiential perspective, language
comprises a set of resources for referring to entities in the world and the ways in which
those entities act on or relate to each other. Halliday (1994:108) assert that “experiential
meaning is an interpretation of the clause in its function as representation”. This can be
concluded, that experiential meaning is meaning as representation human experience in
the world of the clause.

Transitivity
The term transitivity is probably familiar as a way of distinguishing between
verbs according to whether they have an object or not. It is a proper of verb that relates to
whether a verb can take direct object and how many such objects a verb can take. There
are three basic elements to all process structures of transitivity; the process it self, the
participant in the process, and the circumstances associated with the process.
Martin et.al (1997:102) describes transitivity as a resource for construing our
experience in terms of configurations of a process, participant, and circumstances. Butt et.
al (1996:44) state that “most English clauses have a constituent structure that can be
described functionally in terms of participant, process, and circumstance with process
being the essential ingredient”. However, Thompson (1996:78) states that “transitivity
refers to a system for describing the whole clause, rather than just the verb and its object”.
According to Halliday (1994:106) “transitivity is a system that construes the world of
experience into a managable set of process types”. While, Gerot and Wignell (1995:54)
state that “processes are central to transitivity.
Participant and circumstance are incumbent upon process. It indicates different processes
suggest different participants in varying circumstances”. This can be concluded that
transitivity is a system that construes the world of experience for describing the whole
clause with a set of process types as its central.

6
Process
Processes are realized by verbs. Traditionally verbs have been define as ‘doing
words’. Actually some verbs are not doing words at all, but rather express states of being
and having. Further, the term ‘process’ refers in general to goings-on, like doing,
happening, seeing, felling, thinking, as well as being and having.
It is the central to transitivity and consists of the various types processes together with the
structures that realize these processes.
Material Process
One of the most salient types of processes are those involving physical actions:
cooking, writing, running, and so on. These are called material processes. According to
Halliday (1994:110) “material processes are processes of ‘doing’.” They express the
notion that some entity ‘does’ something-which may be done ‘to’ some other entity.
For example:
Material process in active clause.
The lion Caught the tourist

Actor Process: Material Goal

Material process in passive clause.


The tourist was caught by the lion

Goal Process: Material Actor

Clauses with a material process obligantorily have a doing (process) and a doer
(participant).The entity who or which does something is the actor.
While, the goal is most like the traditional direct object. Material process are not
necessarily concrete, physical events; they may be abstract doings and happening, as in
follow.
The mayor Resigned

Actor Process: Material

The mayor Dissolved The committee

Actor Process: Material Goal

Further, material processes even can be in active and passive in an abstract proccess as in
examples on the following page:
The two schools Combined

7
Actor Process: Material

The two schools were combined

Goal Process: Material

Material process relates to bodily, phisically, and materially. One identification criteria
for material process is that they can be probed by asking ‘what did X do?’ and ‘what
happened to X?

Mental Process
Simple functional description of a verb as ‘a doing word’ does not by any means
fit to all processes, which suggest that it is needed to establish other catagories apart from
material process because people are not always talking about concrete processes of doing.
They often talk about what they thing or feel. Halliday (1994:117) states that “mental
processes or process of sensing are processes of feeling, thinking, and seeing.” These
processes differ from Material ones, they are mental, covert kinds of goings-on. There are
clear differences between something that goes on in the external world and something
that goes on in the internal world of the mind; and there are many verbs which refer to
these mental processes, of thinking, imagining, liking, wanting, seeing, etc. And the
participant involved in mental processes is in a doing sense, as sensing-having feelings,
perciving or thinking. Thus, for the two participants in a mental process is termed as
Senser and Phenomenon. The senser is the conscious being that is feeling, thinking or
seeing. The phenomenon is that which is ‘sensed’- felt, thought, or seen. Halliday
(1994:118) devides mental process verbs into four classes: cognition, affection,
perception and desirability.
1. Cognition is verb of thinking, knowing, understanding, etc as the examples on the
following page:

I do not understand this stuff

Senser Process: Mental Cognition Phenomenon

This stuff Baffles me

Phenomenon Process: Mental Cognition Senser

2. Affection is verb of feeling: liking, fearing, etc as the following examples:

Mark Like elicious food

8
Senser Process: Mental Affection Phenomenon

Delicious food Please Mark

Phenomenon Process: Mental Affection Senser

3. Perception is verb of seeing, hearing, etc as the following examples:


We Saw a big dog

Senser Process: Mental Perception Phenomenon

Simon Heard It on the news

Senser Process: Mental Perception Phenomenon

4. Desirability refer to intentions or wish of the speakers. The process such as want,
wish, intend, etc, belong to this category as the example on the following page:
I Want more sugar

Senser Process:Mental Desibrability Phenomenon

Mental process relates to emotionally, intelectually, and sensorily. They are probed by
asking about mental reaction; about thoughts, felling, and perceptions. It makes more
sense to ask ‘what do you think/feel/know about X?

Relational Process
If material process is that of doing, mental process is that of sensing, the third
main process type that a relational process can be said to be that of being, including
having. The main characteristic of relational process is that they relate a participant to its
identity and description. In essence, they state that something is/awas/will be and hence
relational process are often described as process of being. But other verbs may relate a
participant to a description, for example seem, become, look, appear, remain, have, feel,
ect.
Butt et. al (1996:49) state “the main characteristic of relational processes is that
they relate a participant to its identity or description”.
Halliday (1994:119) states that relational process come in two distinc modes:
a) Attributive ‘a is an attributive of x’
b) Identifying ‘a is the identifying of x’
They can be classified according to whether they are being used to identify something
(identifying) and to assign a quality to something (attributive). In attributive mode, an
entity has some quality ascribed or attributed to it.

9
Meanwhile in identifying mode some entities hace an identity assigned to it.
The relational process can be further sub-classified according to whether they are:
intensive, possesive or circumstantial.
1) Intensive ‘x is a’
2) Possessive ‘x has a’
3) Circumstantial ‘x is at a’ (where ‘is at’ stands for ‘is at, in, on, for,
with, about, along, ect.’)
The six principal types of relational process are set out in the following table:

Table 2 The principal types of relational process


mode: ( i ) attributive ( ii ) identifying
type:

( 1 ) intensive Sarah is wise Tom is a leader:


the leader is Tom
( 2 ) possessive Peter has a piano the piano is Peter’s
Peter’s is the piano
( 3 ) circumstantial The fair is on Tuesday tomorrow is the 10th:
the 10th is tomorrow

The examples in the table on the previous page bring out one most important difference
between the attributive and the identifying mode. The identifying ones are reversible, so
that the x and the a can be switched around: Tom is the leader/the leader is Tom.
The attributive ones are not reversible: there is no form wise is Sarah. This is one of a
number of significant distinctions between the two modes.
Halliday (1994:120-121) proposes four characteristics of
attributive clauses which distinguish them from identifying ones:
1. The nominal group functioning as attribute conscrues a close of thing and is
typically identifinite...
2. The verb realizing the process is one of the ‘ascriptive’ classes: become, tirn,
grow, get, remain, seem, sound, look, smell, ect.
3. The interrogative probe for such clauses is what?, how?, or what...like?
4. These clauses are no reversible. There are not passive forms of ‘sarah is wise’.
Halliday (1994:121) also enumerates the characteristics of identifying
clauses contrast with those of attributive clauses, as listed above.
1. The nominal group realizing function of identifier is typically definite.
2. The verb realizing the process is one of the ‘equative’ clases: play, act as, mean,
indicate, suggest, represent, illustrate, realized, ect.
3. The interrogative probr for such clauses is which?, who?, which/who...as?.
4. These clauses are reversible.
The options available to relational processes can also be shown as presented on the
following page:

10
Figure 1 The principal types of relational process and the participants

Attributive: Carrier, Attribute

Identifying: Token, Value


Relational processes
intensive
possessive
circumstantial

These network indicates that all Relational processes are either Attributive or Identifying,
and at the same time, are either intensive, possesive, or circumstantial. This give a
paradigm of six posibilities.
Cytoplasm Is sort of a jelly-like material
Carrier Attributive: intensive Attribute

Plant cells Have a cell wall


Carrier Attributive: possessive Attribute

The shell appears transparent


The yolk is inside the albumen
Carrier Attributive: circumstantial Attribute

The nucleus Is the brain of the cell


Token Identifying: intensive Value

The transduces Is Dr Buick’s


All cells contain cytoplasm
Token Identifying: possessive Value

Tuesday was the deadline


Albumen surrounds the yolk
Token Identifying: intensive Value

Behavioural Process
This process described semantically as a ‘half-way house’ between mental and
material process. It is for the reason that the meanings they realize are midway between
materials on one hand and mentals on the other.
They relate to specifically physiological process. One of the main reasons for
setting up this category is that they distinguished between purely mental process and the

11
outward physical signs of those processes. For example, many mental perception process
have paired process which express conscious physical act involved in perception: ‘see’
(mental) and ‘watch’, ‘look’, ‘stare’, etc. (behavioura); ‘hear’ (mental) and ‘listen’
(behavioural); and so on. According to Halliday (1994:139) “behavioral processes are
process of (typically human) physiological and psychological behaviour, like breathing,
coughing, smilling, dreaming and staring.”
He also includes some verbs referring to actions which reflect mental states, for example:
laugh, cry, gasp, grimace, snore, hiccup, ponder, etc.
The participant who is ‘behaving’, labelled behaver, is typically a conscious being.
For examples:
She lives in the fast lane
Behaver Process: Behavioural Circumstance: place

He snores loudly
Behaver Process: Behavioural Circumstance: manner

It can also have the enacted behaviour mentioned:


He heaved a great sigh
Behaver Process: Behavioural Range

He threw a tantrum
Behaver Process: Behavioural Range

Sometimes, it is difficult to distinguish behavioural processes and range from material


processes with goal and range. Several examples of each are provided on the following
page to illustrate the difference.
He did the shopping He shopped
He took a nap He took two cases
He threw a tantrum He threw the spear
He drew a ragged breath He drew a picture
He drove a hard bargain He drove a porsche
Behaver Behavioral Range Actor Material Goal

Halliday (1994:139) states that the boundaries of behavioural process are


indeterminate; but they can be recognized from the following kinds as typical:
1. (near mental) process of consciousness represented as forms of behaviour, e.g.
look, watch, stare, listen, think, worry, dream.
2. (near verbal) verbal process as behaviour, e.g. chatter, grumble, talk.
3. Physiological processes, e.g. cry, laugh, smile, flown, sigh, snarl, whine,breathe,
cough, faint, shit, yawn, sleep.
4. (near material) bodily postures and pastime, e.g. sing, dance, lie (down), sit (up,
down).

Verbal Process
Verbal process represents process of saying, or more accurately, of
symbolically signalling. It is intermediate between mental and material process: saying
something is a physical action which reflects mental operation.

12
Halliday (1994:140) states that “verbal processes are processes of ‘saying’.”
Saying here has to be interpreted in a rather broad sense, it covers any kind of symbolic
exchange. These processes can project both direct and indirect in all context. Very often
these are realised by two distinc clauses: the projecting clause encodes a signal source
(sayer) and a signalling (verbal process) and the projected clauses realises what was said.
The projected and projecting clauses are each analysed in their own right.
John said ‘I’m hungry’
Sayer Process: Verbal
Quoting Quoted

John said he was hungry


Sayer Process: Verbal
Repoting Reported

Thompson (1994:98) states that there is a wide variety of structures which can
convey the message, but they can be gruped into two main types. The message may be
reported in a separate projected clause or it may be summarized within the same clause. If
a projected clause is used, this is not analyzed as a participantin the verbal process: the
process and the participant in the verbal process: the process and the participant in the
projected clause are analyzed separately.
She answered One interviewer ‘don’t ask, just go.’
He reiterated - That he have no deals.
Sayer Process: Verbal Receiver
Projecting Projected
Examples of verbal processes are listed below. Some are used only for reporting and
others for both reporting and quoting.
Reporting Quoting (and reporting)
insinuate, imply, remind, hypothesize Say, tell, remark, observe, continue, point out,
deny, make out, claim, pretend, maintain report, announce, shout, cry, ask, demand,
inquire, query, interrupt, reply, explain. Protest,
warn, insist.

In verbal process the main participant is termed Sayer. There are three other participants
that may be incubent upon verbal processes:
1. The receiver is the one to whom the saying is directed.
2. The verbiage is the function that corresponds to what is said. This may mean one
of the two things: it may be the content of what is said or it may be the name of
the saying.
3. The target is the entity that is targeted by the process of saying.

Existential Process
The final process type is one that can almost be defined in negative terms:
assentially it expresses the mere existence of an entity without predicating anything else
of it. It is existential process. This is easy to be identified as the structure involves the use
of the word ‘there’.
Halliday (1994:142) states that “existential process represent that something
exists or happens.” The object or event which is being said to exist is labelled Existent.
For examples:

13
There was a little guena-pig
Process: Existential Existent

May be there ‘s some other book


Process: Existential Existent

The word ‘there’ in such clauses has no representational function but it is needed
as a subject. Existential clauses typically have the verb be. They are expressed by verbs
meaning ‘exist’ or ‘happen’: exist, remain, arise, occur, come about, happen, take place
and some circumstantial feature: e.g. time (follow, ensue). Place (sit, stand, lie, hang, rise,
stretch, emerge, grow). A considerable number of other verbs can also be used in a range
of abstract existential clauses; e.g. erupt, flourish, prevail.

Participant
Participant is the term used to refer in ganeral to entities involved in process. It can
be a person, a place, or an object. In the grammar of a clause the participant is realized by
a nominal group. Every major clause normally includes at least one participant which is
labelled according to the process type as in the table in the following page:

Table 3 Types of participants and processes


Process type Category meaning participants
Material: ‘doing’ Actor, Goal
• Action • ‘doing’
• Event • ‘hapennimg’
Behavioural ‘behaving’ Behaver
Mental ‘sensing’ Senser, Phenomenon
• Perception • ‘seeing’
• Affection • ‘feeling’
• Cognition • ‘thinking’
Verbal ‘saying’ Sayer, Target
Relational ‘being’
• Attribution • ‘attributing’ Carrier, Attribute
• Identification • ‘identifying’ Token, Value
Existential ‘existing’ Existent

Circumstances
Circumstances essentially encode the background againts which
the process takes place. Among other things, they may locate the process in time or space;
suggest how the process occurs, or offer information about the cause of the process.
Halliday (1994:151) as quoted Thompson (1996:105) propose nine
main types of circumstantial elements, as follows.
1. Extent
2. Location
3. Manner
4. Cause
5. Contigency

14
6. Accompaniment
7. Role
8. Matter
9. Angle

Magazine
“A magazine is a kind of periodical publication.It is usually contains an assorted
collection of articles, fiction, recipes, and images. It typically directed at a general reading
audience (public) and often published on a weekly or monthly basis.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magazine
Magazine are publications, usually periodical publications that are printed or
publish electronically (The online versions are called online magazines.) They are
generally published on a regular schedule and contain a variety of content. They are
generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by prepaid subscriptions, or a
combination of the three. At its root, the word "magazine" refers to a collection or storage
location. In the case of written publication, it is a collection of written articles.
Magazines may be referred to as popular press publications because articles are
often written by journalists, who gather information from various sources and synthesize
it into their stories or reports.
Although a journalist may specialize in a particular type of reporting, journalists are not
usually scholars. The audience for articles in magazines is usually the general public.

The National Geographic


The National Geographic Magazine, is the official magazine of the National
Geographic Society. It has been published continuously since its first issue in 1888, nine
months after the Society itself was founded. It primarily contains articles about
geography, history, and world culture. The magazine is known for its thick square-bound
glossy format with a yellow rectangular border and its extensive use of dramatic
photographs. The magazine is published monthly, and additional map supplements are
also included with subscriptions. It is available in a traditional printed edition and through
an interactive online edition. On occasion, special editions of the magazine are issued.
In later years articles became outspoken on issues such as environmental
issues, deforestation, chemical pollution, global warming, and endangered species. Series
of articles were included focusing on the history and varied uses of specific products such
as a single metal, gem, food crop, or agricultural product, or an archaeological discovery.
Occasionally an entire month's issue would be devoted to a single country, past
civilization, a natural resource whose future is endangered, or other theme.
In recent decades, the National Geographic Society has unveiled other
magazines with different focuses. Whereas in the past, the magazine featured lengthy
expositions, recent issues have shorter articles. In addition to being well known for
articles about scenery, history, and the most distant corners of the world, the magazine
has been recognized for its book-like quality and its standard of photography.

15
Articles
An article is a piece of nonfiction writing about particular subject and targeted for
a specific interest group.
“An article is a written work published in a print or electronic medium. It may be
for the purpose of propagating the news, research results, academic analysis or debate.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article (writing)
According to Kuncoro (2009: 32) “Artikel adalah sebuah tulisan yang berisi
fakta dan opini seseorang yang mengupas tuntas suatu masalah tertentu yang sifatnya
aktual dan atau kontroversi dengan tujuan untuk memberitahu (informatif), memengaruhi
dan meyakinkan atau bisa juga menghibur bagi pembacanya.”
(Article is a writing which contains fact and opinion of a person and discuss about an
actual or controversy problem clearly to inform, to influence, to assure, and also to
entertain the readers)
Articles in magazines are often a good way to gain an overview of topic, but will
seldom give full information on where the author found the information included. That is,
a bibliography of sources is generally not included. There are some characteristics of
articles in megazines represented below:

1. They do not always include an author name.


2. They are written in relative simple language.
3. They are reported on current topics and events.
4. They are usually under 10 pages length.

2.Research Design
Every research needs research design, this study as well. There are two fundamental
types of research design viewed from the kind of information or data collected in the
research, they are qualitative and quantitative. While, there are three fundamental types of
research design viewed from the purpose of doing the research, they are Descriptive,
Correlation, and Experimental.
According to Kountur (2000:15) “penelitian qualitatif adalah penelitian yang
datanya adalah data kualitatif dan umumnya dalam bentuk narasi atau gambar-gambar
dan jika informasi atau data yang dikumpulkan dari suatu penelitian tidak dapat diuji
dengan statistik maka penelitian tersebut disebut penelitian kualitatif”

(Qualitative research is a research that uses qualitative data and it is usually in narratives
or pictures form and if the information or the data of a research can not be tested by
statistics so it is called as qualitative research.)
Kountur (2000:54) states that “penelitian deskripsi adalah jenis
penelitian yang memberikan gambaran atau uraian atas suatu keadaan sejernih
mungkin, tanpa ada perlakuan terhadap obyek yang diteliti.”
(Descriptive research is a research that gives a description or explanation of a condition
clearly, without any treatment to the object which is researching.)

16
The Source of the Data
The source of the data in this study is the object of this study. The object of this
study is the articles in the National Geographic VOL 226 NO. 3 Edition September 2014
published by the National Geographic Society U.S.A. The writer takes 5 articles in that
edition, they are The Evolution of Died, 50 Years of Wilderness, Rethink Nero, A World
Apart, and Divided Kingdom.

The Technique of Collecting Data


The data is the most essential in completing the research. In conducting this study,
the writer applies documentation method. According to Patton (2002: 4) “Documents is
written materials and other documents from organizational, clinical, or programs records;
memoranda and coinformance; official publications and reports; personal diaries, letters,
artistic works, photographs, and memorabilia; and written responses to open-ended
surveys.”
There are some steps in collecting the data as presented as follows:
1. Choosing the articles of the National Geographic magazines by reading and
decided one episode based on the latest date of publishing.
2. After reading the articles, the writer indentifying the process types on each
article.

The Technique of Analyzing Data


After collecting the data then the writer analyzed it. Analyzing data is the most
important in this study, because it is used to solve the problem of this study.
There are some steps in analyzing the data as presented below:
1. Identifying the data by underlying the process.
2. Classifying the data by labeling based on the six process types of transitivity
system.
3. Tabulating the data based on the six process types of transitivity system.
4. Calculating the data to get the dominant process type.
5. Concluding the result of the research finding.
Data
The data of this study is taken from the National Geographic magazine. There
are five articles taken as the data of this study namely: The Evolution of Died, 50 Years
of Wilderness, Rethink Nero, A World Apart, and Divided Kingdom. From 5 articles, the
writer found there are 1415 processes.

3.Data Analysis
After collecting the data, then it will be classified based on the process types of
transitivity proposed by Halliday. There are three principal types of process: material,
mental, relational and three subsidiary process types: behavioural, verbal, and existential.
The sample of each process types are given as the representative data as following.

17
Material Process
Material process is process of doing. The occurrences of material process that the writer
found is 791 of 1415 processes. The writer presents 10 data of material process and the
rest are on the appendix.
He can’t fish on the river
Process: Material
The clause above uses material process because the word “fish” is a process of doing
something or a physical action.
I ‘m travelling With Ashner Rosinger
Process: Material
The clause above uses material process because the word “travelling” is a process of
doing something or a physical action.
They cleared trails
Process: Material
The clause above uses material process because the word “cleared” is a process of doing
something or a physical action.
We spend several more hour
Process: Material
The clause above uses material process because the word “spent” is a process of abstract
doing.
I wrote My book 35 years ago
Process: Material
The clause above uses material process because the word “wrote” is a process of doing
something or a physical action.
Transients built charcoal fires
Process: Material
The clause above uses material process because the word “built” is a process of doing
something or a physical action.
I was trying to photograph in a three-sided coral head
Process: Material
The clause above uses material process because the word “trying to photograph” is a
process of doing something or a physical action.
One of them trailing a length of fishing line
Process: Material
The clause above uses material process because the word “trailing” is a process of doing
something or a physical action.
King Bhumibol has used his moral authority
Process: Material
The clause above uses material process because the word “used” is a process of abstract
doing.
Fewer young men are shaving their heads
Process: Material
The clause above uses material process because the word “shaving” is a process of doing
something or a physical action.

18
Mental Process
Mental process is process of sensing, feeling, thinking, and seeing. The occurrences of
mental process that the writer found is 84 of 1415 processes. The writer presents 10 data
of mental process and the rest are on the appendix.
As the family enjoy the feast
Process: Mental
The clause above uses mental process because the word “enjoy” is a process of feeling
which indicates affection.
They want meat, sure
Process: Mental
The clause above uses mental process because the word “want” is a process of desire
which indicates desirability.
I don’t like it here
Process: Mental
The clause above uses mental process because the word “like” is a process of feeling
which indicates affection.
We really don’t understand natural system
Process: Mental
The clause above uses mental process because the word “understand” is a process of
thinking which indicates cognition.
He understood the media
Process: Mental
The clause above uses mental process because the word “understood” is a process of
thinking which indicates cognition.
I wanted to rehabilitate him
Process: Mental
The clause above uses mental process because the word “wanted” is a process of desire
which indicates desirability.
You could see them
Process: Mental
The clause above uses mental process because the word “see” is a process of perceiving
which indicates perception.
We expected to see coral death
Process: Mental
The clause above uses mental process because the word “expected” is a process of desire
which indicates desirability.
Neither side is willing to concede defeat
Process: Mental
The clause above uses mental process because the word “willing” is a process of desire
which indicates desirability.
They know they will won
Process: Mental
The clause above uses mental process because the word “know” is a process of thinking
which indicates cognition.

19
Relational Process
Relational process is process of being and having. The occurrences of relational process
that the writer found is 347 of 1415 processes. The writer presents 10 data of relational
process and the rest are on the appendix.
The children are sad
Process: Relational
The clause above uses relational process because the word “are” is a process of being as
attributive.
Jose’s family has more fruit than anyone
Process: Relational
The clause above uses relational process because the word “has” is a process of having as
attributive.

It ‘s a beautifully clear day


Process: Relational
The clause above uses relational process because the word “is” is a process of being as
attributive.
The place now appears wild
Process: Relational
The clause above uses relational process because the word “appears” is a process of being
or appearance as attributive.
The palace is called The Domus Aurea
Process: Relational
The clause above uses relational process because the word “called” is a process of being
or sign as identifying.
Rome in Nero’s time had very narrow streets
Process: Relational
The clause above uses relational process because the word “had” is a process of having as
attributive.
If an alien had just one day on earth
Process: Relational
The clause above uses relational process because the word “had” is a process of having as
attributive
The giant filter-feeders act as water purifiers
Process: Relational
The clause above uses relational process because the word “act as” is a process of being
or role as identifying.
In Thailand we had the king
Process: Relational
The clause above uses relational process because the word “had” is a process of having as
attributive.
They would be wrong
Process: Relational
The clause above uses relational process because the word “be” is a process of being as
attributive.

20
Behavioural Process
Behavioural Process is process of (typically human) physiological and psychological
behaviour. The occurrences of behavioural process that the writer found is 49 of 1415
processes. The writer presents 8 data of behavioural process and the rest are on the
appendix.
He is dancing around the fire
Process: Behavioural
The clause above uses behavioural process because the word “dancing” is a process as
behaviour near material bodily postures.
He finally sit down to eat his porridge
Process: Behavioural
The clause above uses behavioural process because the word “sit down” is a process as
behaviour near material bodily postures.
We are living in a new geologic epoch
Process: Behavioural
The clause above uses behavioural process because the word “living” is a process as
behaviour near material bodily postures.
They ‘d once stood
Process: Behavioural
The clause above uses behavioural process because the word “stood” is a process as
behaviour near material bodily postures.
He gazed up at the vaulted
Process: Behavioural
The clause above uses behavioural process because the word “gaze up” is a process of
consciousness represented as form of behaviour.
We sit outside
Process: Behavioural
The clause above uses behavioural process because the word “sit” is a process as
behaviour near material bodily postures.
Sala reckons
Process: Behavioural
The clause above uses behavioural process because the word “reckons” is a process of
consciousness represented as form of behaviour.
About 10% of Thailand’s lives In Bangkok
population of 67 million now
Process: Behavioural
The clause above uses behavioural process because the word “lives” is a process as
behaviour near material bodily postures.

Verbal Process
Verbal Process is process of saying. The occurrences of verbal process that the writer
found is 118 of 1415 processes. The writer presents 5 data of verbal process and the rest
are on the appendix.
when she tells me

21
Process: Verbal
The clause above uses verbal process because the word “tells” is a process of saying.
Lavigne tells me
Process: Verbal
The clause above uses verbal process because the word “tells” is a process of saying.
He said quietly
Process: Verbal
The clause above uses verbal process because the word “said” is a process of saying.
A French sailor moored in the lagoon said
Process: Verbal
The clause above uses verbal process because the word “said” is a process of saying.
The anti-election movement insist that it is not antidemocratic
Process: Verbal
The clause above uses verbal process because the word “insist” is a process of saying.

Existential Process
Existential Process is process of happening. The occurrences of existential process that
the writer found is 26 of 1415 processes. The writer presents 5 data of existential process
and the rest are on the appendix.
when there is no meat
Process: Existential
The clause above uses verbal process because the word “is” is a process of existing, it
represent somethings exist or happens.
Very little exists Now in actuality
Process: Existential
The clause above uses verbal process because the word “exists” is a process of existing, it
represent somethings exist or happens.
There is one locale
Process: Existential
The clause above uses verbal process because the word “is” is a process of existing, it
represent somethings exist or happens.
There must have been 60 of them
Process: Existential
The clause above uses verbal process because the word “have been” is a process of
existing, it represent somethings exist or happens.
There was a lack of equality and fairness
Process: Existential
The clause above uses verbal process because the word “was” is a process of existing, it
represent somethings exist or happens.

4.Research Findings
After analyzing all the data, the writer found there are 1415 processes. It can be
seen clearly in the appendices. From 1415 processes that can be found, the occurrences of
material process is 791 i.e. 56.0%, mental process is 84 i.e. 6.0%, relational process is
347 i.e. 24.5%, behavioural process is 49 i.e. 3.4%, verbal process is 118 i.e. 8.3%, and

22
existential process is 26 i.e. 1.8%. It can be seen that the most dominant process in the
National Geographic articles that the writer analyzed is material process which gains
more than a half of the total quantity and percentage of process occurrence. As stated in
chapter II material process is process of doing that relates to bodily, phisically, and
materially. It implies that articles in the National Geographic mostly tells about the
experience of human’s physical action, about the external world, things, events, qualities,
etc and concern with the question of what human did and what happened in the world.
Further, the total number and percentages of process types is given in the following table.

Table 5. The Total Quantity and Percentage of the Dominant Process Types
No Process Types Quantity Percentage
1 Material 791 56.0%
2 Mental 84 6.0%
3 Relational 347 24.5%
4 Behavioural 49 3.4%
5 Verbal 118 8.3%
6 Existential 26 1.8%
Total 1415 100%

5.Conclusions
After analyzing process types of transitivity in the National Geographic articles, the
writer takes some conclusions as presented below.
1. All the process types of transitivity system are found in the National Geographic,
they are material, mental, relational, behavioural, verbal and existential process.
2. There are 1415 processes of five articles in the National Geographic. The
occurrences of material process is 791 i.e. 56.0%, mental process is 84 i.e. 6.0%,
relational process is 347 i.e. 24.5%, behavioural process is 49 i.e. 3.4%, verbal
process is 118 i.e. 8.3%, and existential process is 26 i.e. 1.8%.
3. The most dominant process of five articles in the National Geographic is material
process with 791 i.e. 56.0% occurrences. The highest proportion usage of
material process implies that articles in the National Geographic mostly tells
about the experience of human’s physical action, about the external world, things,
events, qualities, etc and concern with the question of what human did and what
happened in the world.
In relation to the conclusions sated above, the writer would like to offer some suggestions
to:
1. The English Department students, to get the understanding that the six process
types of transitivity has different meaning in representing the clause in English,
they suggested to learn more about process types of transitivity in order to be
able to analyze by using the transitivity system in text or discourse written in
English.
2. Readers, to know that material proces is mostly found in the National
Geographic articles so that they get easily understand the meaning representated
by the dominant process in relation that material process is process of doing.

23
3. Further researchers, as the contribution concerning process types of transitivity
system. They can enhance by conducting the similar topic viewed from other
points of view to get more accurate analysis.

References

Butt, David et al. (1996). Using Functional Grammar : An Explorer’s Guide


Sydney : National Centra for English Language Teaching and
Research
Maxquarie Univercity.
Gerot, Linda and Wignell, Peter (1994). Making Sense of Functional Grammar.
Sydney: Gerd Stabler
Halliday, M.A.K (1994). An Introduction to Functional Grammar (2nd ed.)
London: Edward Arnold.
Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article (writing), Accessed on May 23, 2014
Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magazine, Accessed on May 23, 2014
Kountur, Ronny (2000). Metode Penelitian untuk Penyusunan Skripsi dan Tesis
(revisi ed.) Jakarta: Penerbit PPM
Kuncoro, Mudrajad (2009). Mahir Menulis: Kiat Jitu Menulis Artikel Opini,
Kolom & Resensi Buku. Jakarta: Penerbit Erlangga.
Lock, Graham. 1996. Functional English Grammar, An Introduction for
Second Language Teachers. New York : Cambridge University
Press.
Martin, J. R. et.al. Working with Functional Grammar. London : Arnold.
Patton, Michael Quinn (2002). Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods.
Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Thompson, Geoff (1996). Introducing Functional Grammar. China: Edward
Arnold (Publishers) Ltd.

24
25

S-ar putea să vă placă și