METAFUNCTION IN SYSTEMIC

FUNCTIONAL LINGUISTIC (SFL)

 METAFUNCTION

INTERPERSONAL EXPERIENTIAL TEXTUAL

 WHAT?
• The term ‘metafunction’ is preferred to avoid potential
confusion with ‘communicative functions’ in relation to
Searle’s (1965) Speech Acts, and grammatical functions
of words or groups (Bloor and Bloor, 2004).

Interpersonal to enact (perform, express) our personal and

social relationships

to construe (to understand the meaning of,

Experiential represent) our experience of the world and
our consciousness

to organize discourse and create continuity

Textual
and flow in texts
Halliday and Matthiessen (2014 : 83)
• The realizations of these 3 metafunctions
occur simultaneously, allowing language to
create different meanings at the same time
(Eggins, 2004).
I must finish this blogpost

Subject Finite Predicator Complement

Interpersonal Mood Residue

Experiential Actor Process (material) Goal

Textual Theme Rheme

INTERPERSONAL METAFUNCTION
• Clause as an exchange
• Language involves interactions where we initiate
or respond to the act of giving or demanding for
goods-and-services or information
• The principle grammatical system here is the
MOOD network, within which is a choice
between imperative and indicative.
• If indicative is chosen, there is a choice between
declarative (+, or -) and interrogative (?). These
choices are realized by manipulating the Mood
element.
 MOOD
• The Mood carries the interpersonal functions of the
clause and consists of Subject + Finite.
• The Subject is realized by a nominal group that the
speaker gives responsibility to for the validity of the
clause
• The Finite is realized by the first of the verbal group.
• The rest of the verbal group is the Predicator, which
forms part of the Residue.
• A clause thus consists of Mood + Residue. The Mood
element can also be identified in Mood tags (question
tags).
 Example 1
Josh can speak English.

Subject Finite Predicator Complement

Mood Residue
 EXAMPLE 2

Josh can speak English, can’t he?

Subject Finite Predicator Complement Finite Subject

Mood Residue Mood Tag

 Example 3

Would you like some biscuits?

Finite Subject Predicator Complement

Mood Residue
 Example 4
A: I didn’t steal your wallet!
B: Yes, you did.
A: No, I didn’t!
B: Did!
A: Didn’t!
Subject Finite Predicator Complement

Mood Residue

I didn’t steal your Wallet!

Adjunct Subject Finite

Mood

Yes, You Did.

Adjunct Subject Finite

Mood

No, I didn’t!

Finite

Mood For extended explanation about Adjunct and

Did! Complement, read: Halliday and
Matthiessen (2014 : 153-159)
Finite

Mood

Didn’t!
 DISCUSSION
Analyze the interpersonal metafunction of these
sentences.
• I haven’t had breakfast.
• You made some mistakes.
• Will you accomplish this task?
• Unfortunately, we don’t have much time to
discuss this.
• Who killed President J.F Kennedy?
• Whose bag is this?
• Which University did you choose to attend?
EXPERIENTIAL METAFUNCTION
• Clause as Representation
• The clause represents the ‘content’ of our
experiences, answering the question ‘Who
does what to whom’.
• This metafunction uses the grammatical
system of transitivity (process)
TG View FG View

Subject – Verb – Object Participants – Processes – Circumstances

PROCESS

Halliday and Matthiessen (2014 : 311)

 Material Process
• Experiences of the external world and
describe processes of doing and happening.
• Answering the question ‘What did he/she do?’
or ‘What happened?’
• Process of doing = transitive verb
• Process of happening = intransitive verb
 Example 1
Process of “doing”

my wife’s
I bought last month
handphone

Actor Material Process Goal circumstance

Nominal group Verbal group Nominal group Adverbial group

 Example 2
Process of “happening”

The bird chirps

Actor Material Process

Nominal group Verbal group

 Example 3

Mr. David gave us some tasks

Actor Material Process Recipient Goal

Nominal group Verbal group Nominal group Nominal group

 Example 4
Compare this two sentences:
The lion caught the tourist yesterday
Actor Material Process Goal circumstance
Nominal group Verbal group Nominal group Adverbial group

The tourist was caught by the lion yesterday

Goal Material Process Actor circumstance
Nominal Adverbial
Verbal group Nominal group
group group

For extended explanation on this topic,

read: Halliday and Matthiessen (2014 : 224-
244)
 DISCUSSION
Analyze these clauses based on material process
of experiential metafunction:
• I swim in the swimming pool
• Megawati should not control Jokowi’s
governing system
• Did Mr. David come to class last week?
• What are you doing here?
• What kind of movie do you usually watch?