1 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY - HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

VŨ THỊ THANH THÚY
A STUDY ON INFORMATION FOCUS AT SENTENCE LEVEL
IN ENGLISH ECONOMICS NEWS (Nghiên cứu về tiêu điểm thông tin ở cấp độ câu trong
các tin kinh tế tiếng Anh) M.A. MINOR THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS
CODE: 60.22.15

HA NOI - 2011

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LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1: Marked and Unmarked Theme
Table 2: Syntactic Strategies in Assigning Information Focus
Table 3: Frequency of Occurrence and Percentage of Contribution of Some Grammatical
Devices of End-Focus Strategy in English Economic News
Table 4: Frequency of Occurrence and Percentage of Contribution of the Active and
Passive in English Economic News
Table 5: Frequency of Occurrence and Percentage of Contribution of Sub-categories of
Passivization in English Economic News
Figure 1: Construction of the Existential strategy
Figure 2: Construction of Extrapotition of Finite Subject Clause
Figure 3: Construction of Thematic Fronting

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TABLE OF CONTENT Acknowledgements i
Abstract ii
List of tables and figures iii
Abbreviations iv
Table of content v
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationale of the Study 1
1.2. Scope of the Study 2
1.3. Objectives of the Study 2
1.4. Method of the Study 2
1.5. Design of the Study 3

CHAPTER TWO: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
2.1. The Concept of Discourse 5
2.2. Discourse and Text 6
2.3. Spoken and Written Discourse 7
2.4. Thematic Structure 8
2.5. Information Structure 11
2.5.1. The Notion of Information Structure 11
2.5.2. Information Focus 13


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CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1. Rationale of the Study
It is common knowledge that language is a means of communication and has
always mirrored society. It is English that is one of the most common languages and is
being used all over the world in education, business, science, technology.etc. The
economic development of our world recently has given rise to the development of
economics literature, including books, magazines, newspapers and journals. Therefore,
it is clear that English is needed for economic communication not only in spoken but
also in written form.
There are messages exchanging in each communication. Any message is the result
of number choices made by sender, though it has to be said that these choices are to
some extent determined by the context of the message- who the receivers are, what the
purpose of the message is. According to Leech (1975), there are three conditions that
make a message to be understood, such as the message has to be cut up into individual
pieces of information, the ideas have to be given the right emphasis, and the ideas have
to be put in the right order.
Accordingly, it is the speaker and the writer who decide how to understand the

framework of a minor M.A thesis, the present study will just take up syntactic devices
employed in assigning information focus at sentence level in the light of discourse.
Furthermore, the investigation is carried out in the English language only. It is hoped
that this study will help the readers in general and teachers and students in particular to
gain an insight into the information focus of English economic news.

1.3. Objectives of the Study
The inter-related objectives of this thesis are:
(i) To give a systematic and comprehensive description of syntactic devices
employed for assigning information focus in English economics news.
(ii) To propose possible implications for teaching students how to assign
information focus.

1.4. Method of the Study
The study is confined to the syntactic strategies in assigning information focus in
English economics news. The result should be useful for language teaching and
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learning. In order to achieve the objectives as stated above, research methods of
description, analysis, statistics in linguistics and survey have been used.
Firstly, ten pieces of English economic news written by different journalists will be
carefully selected from mainstream newspapers written in English including
Economics, The Times, Times online, The Sunday Times, Global Finance, CNN, etc.
Secondly, all syntactic features in assigning information focus in these news
discourses are picked up. The percentages and frequencies of various types of syntactic
strategies are calculated. However, only outstanding examples are used to illustrate.
Finally, after analyzing and systematizing syntactic strategies employed in the
English economics news, the author will carry out interviewing the third-year students
of economics major. Based on the interviews, some implications in teaching English
will be figured out.

13 CHAPTER TWO: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

In this chapter, the author is going to talk about preliminaries that are employed to
conduct the investigation into information focus at sentence level in English economics
news.


Language used in economic news is discourse because it is the language in use for
the purpose of communication.

2.2. Discourse and Text
There has been a lot of confusion between the two terms discourse and text, which
has been causing a pitfall for discourse analysis.
There are some linguists who share the same idea that these two terms can be used
interchangeably. According to Halliday & Hasan (1989:10) ―text (discourse) can be
defined in the simplest way perhaps by saying that it is language that is functional. By
functional we simply mean language that is doing some job in some context as apposed
in isolated words or sentences that I might put on the blackboard. (These might also be
functional of course if I was using them as linguistic examples). So any living language
that is playing some part in a context of situation, we shall call a text. It may be either
spoken or written or indeed in other medium of expression that we like to think of.‖
Moreover, Halliday & Hasan (1976:1) found no distinction between them when they
stated ―a text may be spoken or written, pose or verse, dialogue or monologue.‖
On the other hand, some other linguists draw a clear and explicit distinction
between the two terms. Brown and Yule (1983:6) claims that ―discourse is language
material, either spoken or written, in actual uses by speakers (and writers) of the
language.‖ while text is ―the representation of discourse and the verbal record of
communicative act.‖ From his point of view, Crystal (1992) states ―discourse is a
continuous stretch of (especially spoken) language larger than a sentence, often
constituting a coherent unit, such as sermon, argument, joke or narrative‖ while text is
―a piece of naturally occurring spoken, written, or signed discourse identified for
purposes of analysis. It is often a language unit with a definable communicative function,
such as a conversation, a poster.‖ According to Cook (1989: 156), discourse is
considered as ―stretches of language perceived to be meaningful, unified, and
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purposive‖ whereas text is ―a stretch of language interpreted formally, without

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tend to be spread out over a number of clauses rather than being tightly packed into
individual clauses which is more typical of written discourse. Another feature of
spoken discourse is it may consist of nonsense vocabulary, slang, or contracted forms
(I‘ll, you‘re, he‘s…). Rhythm, intonation and speed of utterance are other important
features of oral discourse. (Crystal 1992:291).
On the contrary, written discourse is considered as more structurally complex and
elaborate than speech. According to Crystal (1995:291) ―writing develops in space in
that it needs a means to carry the information. The writer is frequently able to consider
the content of his work for almost unlimited period of time which makes it more
coherent, having complex syntax and ―the reader might not instantly respond to the
text, ask for clarification, hence neat message organization, division to paragraphs,
layouts are of vital importance to make comprehension easier.‖ In addition, according
to Halliday written discourse tends to be more lexically dense than spoken discourse.
Lexically density refers to the ration of content words to grammatical or function
words within a clause. Content words include nouns and verbs while grammatical
words include items such as prepositions, pronouns and articles.‖

2.4. Thematic structure
The thematic structure is a formal category in the analysis of sentences and clauses.
In this structure, one element called Theme serves as the departure point of the
message, which in English coincides with the initial element of the clause. This then
combines with the remainder called Rheme.
There has been a variety of definition of Theme by different linguists. According to
Nunan (1993) theme is a formal grammatical category which refers to the initial
element in a clause. It is the element around which the sentence is organized and the
one to which the writer wishes to give prominence. A Czech linguist named Mathesuis
defines theme as ―that which is known or, at least obvious in the given situation and
from which the speaker precedes in his discourse‖. The initial constituent of a clause


its operations
proliferated within the art institutions
as well.
were viewed with admiration.
Interpersonal
textual
experiential
Rheme
Theme

(Thompson Geoff, 1996:137)

It is necessary to distinguish between the terms Theme-Rheme and Given-New.
From his point of view, Halliday considers that Theme-Rheme and Given-New are not
the same. He states:
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―The Theme is what I, the speaker, choose to take as my point of departure. The
given is what you, the listener already knows, or has accessible to you. Theme-Rheme
is speaker oriented, while Given-New is listener oriented‖
(Halliday, 1985: 278)
Theme, which is considered as ―point of departure‖ on the message, always
appears before Rheme in the clause.
E.g.
The duke
Once upon a time
Who
Has given my aunt that teapot.
There were three bears.

command.
E.g.
Alice
Did
Where
Go
Let’s
went home.
Alice go home?
did Alice go?
home!
go home!
Unmarked Theme
Rheme

(Downing et al., 1992: 227)
Marked theme is considered ‗untypical or unusual‘. In relation to the system of
mood, a theme is called unmarked when it conflates with the Mood structure
constituent that typically occurs in the first position in the clause. For example, in
declarative clauses, an unmarked theme is a constituent that conflates with the Subject,
while a marked theme is the one functioning as some element of the Residue such as
Complement, Adjunct, or Predicator. Here are some examples:

Once upon a time,
Very carefully
With sobs and tears
there were three bears.
she put him back on his feet again.
he sorted out those of the largest size.
Marked Theme

Structure is defined more broadly. It is the use of word order, intonation, stress and
other devices to indicate how the message expressed by a sentence is to be understood.
Nunan (1993: 120) stated that Information Structure is the ordering of elements within
sentences and utterances according to assumptions about the current state of knowledge
of the listener and reader, and elements which the speaker or writer wishes to
thematize.
"There is a close semantic relationship between information structure and thematic
structure. Other things being equal, a speaker will choose the Theme from within what
is Given and locate the focus, the climax of the New, somewhere in the Rheme"
(Halliday, 1985, p. 278).
In this study, an investigation is put on English economics news which is in the
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form of written discourse. Therefore, there is no consideration on phonological
realization of the organization of information. Syntactic features are the only
motivation for the author.

2.5.2. Information Focus
In his book ―Functional Grammar‖, Halliday stated that ―Each information unit is
realized as a pitch contour, or TONE, which may be falling, rising or mixed. This pitch
contour extends over the whole tone group. Within the tone group, one foot (and in
particular its first syllable) carries the main pitch movement: the main fall, or rise, or
the change of direction. This feature is known as TONIC PROMINENCE, and the
element having this prominence is the TONIC element (tonic foot, tonic syllable)…The
element having this prominence is said to be carrying INFORMATION FOCUS‖. The
term focus refers to a cross-linguistic semantic phenomenon related to the highlighting
of information for communicative purposes. In English, focus is typically connected to
words in an utterance that are perceived by hearers as stressed or emphasized by
speakers. Such syllables can be louder or longer than the syllables around them.
It is implied in Bolinger‘s early definition of what he calls the ―information point‖

information emphasis, or ―end-focus‖ as Quirk, Greenbaum, Leech and Svartvik (1985)
put it: ―…it is common to process information in a message so as to achieve a linear
presentation from low to high information value. We shall refer to this as the principle
of END-FOCUS‖. Leech et al (1975) also recognized that a sentence is generally more
effective if the main point is saved up to the end. In contrast, the beginning of a
sentence or clause typically contains information that is general knowledge, or is
obvious from the context, or may be assumed as given because it has been mentioned
earlier. For example:
- It is unbelievable how much that child eats.
It can be seen that the subject clause in the above example carry new information.
They are longer and much informative than their complement.
If the following clause is kept in the first front position, it sounds marked and less
natural.
- That people demonstrate against war surprises no-one.
It is normally write in this way:
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- It surprises no-one that people demonstrate against war.

2.5.4. The principle of End-Weight
Where there is a choice, it is normal to put long and complex constituents at the
end of a sentence or clause. This principle of end-weight is in large part a consequence
of the principle of end-focus, since the more important information tends to be given in
fuller detail. The ―weight‖ of an element can be defined in terms of length or in term of
grammatical complexity.
It is more difficult to understand a sentence when the subject is considerably longer
than the predicate. We can rephrase the sentence to shift the weight to the end:
Consider the following examples:
1. (a) That he did not understand what I said at the lecture is very strange!
(b) It is very strange that he did not understand what I said at the lecture.

satisfying their choice.‖
In this thesis, the mode of economic news is in the form of written language, thus it
has several characteristics:
 The use of normalization, metaphor, personification, syntactic features like the
passive and the leavings of gaps in message are used to make economics writing
what it is.
 Terminology is the most important part of vocabulary in scientific prose, in
particular and in economics discourse in particular.
 The language of economic news must be concise and clear; the content is up to date
and excites the readers‘ curiousness.
 The descriptive sentences with a concise structure are mainly used instead of
multi-clause sentences.
 In economics discourse, reference made to the relationships of factors is often
represented through graphs, tables and charts.
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CHAPTER THREE: INFORMATION FOCUS IN ENGLISH
ECONOMICS NEWS

3.1. Marked and Unmarked Theme
Theme is a meaningful choice, as in other parts of the grammar, writers can choose
between a marked and an unmarked option. Unmarked theme is generally understood
as ‗usual and most typical‘ while marked considered ‗untypical or unusual‘. In relation
to the system of mood, a theme is called unmarked when it conflates with the Mood
structure constituent that typically occurs in the first position in the clause. For
example, in declarative clauses, the unmarked theme takes place when a theme
coincides with the clause subject. In this case, Theme typically contains familiar, old

1. Regarding the import of soybean oil to China, it‘s just a normal problem that
comes with the development of trade and economic relations.
(Economics, July 13, 2010 )
2. To ensure we avoid another financial catastrophe such as the one that
plunged our nation into the worst recession since the Great Depression.
(Times Online, July 13, 2010 Wall Street)
3. With the support of Senators Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe and Scott
Brown, Wall Street reform is a step away from heading to the president's
desk to be signed into law.
(Times Online, July 13, 2010 Wall Street).
4. Though this was a relatively modest rate of contraction, tough operating
conditions, dire weather and funding constraints dampened overall sector
activity.
(Times Online, March 2, 2010)
5. After bungling his handling of the Northern Rock crisis in 2001, Mervyn
King, governor of the Bank England, was blamed for creating the crisis that
many said made Britain the laughingstock of global banking.
(Global Finance, November 2009)
From the above samples, we could conclude that Theme may be realized by a
nominal group, verbal group, adverbial group, prepositional phrase or a dependent
clause.
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The result of our analysis reveals that the number of clauses with unmarked theme
occupies 87.2% that is about seven times as big as that of clauses with marked theme at
the rate of 12.8%. The frequent occurrence of unmarked themes proved that most of
themes take the usual subject position in the clause. Furthermore, with most of the
clauses functioning as declaratives, the writers tend to use more statements than
questions. More importantly, the fronting positions of subjects, which form 87.2 % of
the number of unmarked themes, imply that writers of economics news attach much

End-focus strategy
322/366
87.98 %
Thematisation strategy
44/366
12.02 %

Table 2 presents the frequency of occurrence and percentage of contribution of two