iv TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii
ABSTRACT iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS iv
LIST OF TABLE AND FIGURES vi

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Rationale of the study 1
1.2 Aims of the study 1
1.3 Scope of the study 1
1.4 Methodology of the study 2
1.5 Data collection 2
1.6 Design of the study 3
CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 3
2.1 Form and Meaning 3
2.2. Model of Context in Systemic Functional Linguistics 4
2.3 Clause Combination 4
2.3.1 Interdependency
2.3.2 Logico – semantic relation
2.4 Metafunctions 5
2.4.1 Interpersonal metafunctions
2.4.1.1 Mood
2.4.1.2 Residue
2.4.2 Ideational metafunctions
2.4.2.1 Processes types
2.4.2.2 Circumstances
2.4.3 Textual metafunctions: theme and rheme identification

vi LIST OF TABLE AND FIGURES

TABLES
Table 2.1 Overview of the process types
Table 2.2 Circumstantial Elements

FIGURES
Figure 2.1 Basic speech roles
Figure 2.2 The principal types of process
1

2 1.3 Scope of the study
It would be impossible for the researcher to cover the issues of FG. However, some
important notions such as linguistic system, metafunctions and cohesion which are
closely related to the study will be examined in detail.
1.4 Methodology of the study
The structure and meaning of the speech will be focused in the study, therefore the
methodologies applied are:
 Descriptive which is used for illustrating the crucial matters of FG
 Analysis which is used for studying the speech
1.5 Data Collection
A various number of examples and illustrations have been extracted from functional
grammar works by well known linguistics such as M.A.K Halliday (1985/1994),
Thompson (1994), G.Lock (1996), Van. Hoang Van (2006)….
The content of the speech “I have a dream” is retrieved from the official and popular
website www.americanrhetoric.com .
1.6 Design of the study
There are four main chapters in this minor thesis
 Chapter I: Introduction , gives an overview of the rationale, aims, scope,
methodology and design of the study
 Chapter II: Theoretical Background, illustrates the theoretical background for
the main concepts in FG
 Chapter III: The analysis of the speech “I have a dream”
 Chapter IV: Conclusion summarizes the outcome of the research and suggests
some further implications for language teaching and learning.
functions through meaning not just formation.
2.2. Model of Context in Systemic Functional Linguistics
SFL characterizes context as the social – cultural situations related directly to the
language usage. According to Halliday (1976), the conceptual framework for illustrating
the context in which exchanging information is the focus includes three dimensions: (i)
the on going social activity, (ii) the role of relationship involved, and (iii) the symbolic or
rhetorical channels, which he names as Field, Tenor, and Mode. They can be explained
briefly as follows:
4 (i) Field of Discourse: refers to the subject matter, what is happening, where,
when and why it happens …
(ii) Tenor of Discourse: deals with the social relation between participants as well
as the influence of this relation on linguistic system and exchange.
(iii) Mode of Discourse: describes the way the language is being used in
communication including the medium and rhetorical mode.
In brief, the three dimensions of context model are also the working hypothesis of
metafunctions. Halliday figures out that the Fields determine experiential meaning, Tenor
represents interpersonal meaning, and Mode corresponds to textual meaning.
2.3 Clause Combination
The relationship between clauses can be interpreted as “one of modification” (Halliday,
1994). As a result, the idea of modification will enable systematic substitute into two
dimensions: (i) interdependency and (ii) Logico- semantic relation.
2.3.1 Interdependency
This dimension illustrates the relation of modifying, where one element modifies or is
modified by other elements in the clause. Therefore, the relation is dependent or equal
due to the modification. If it is unequal with at least one dominant factor, the relationship
is named as Hypotaxis. On the other hand, if there is equality among elements, it is
known as Parataxis.

2.4 Metafunctions
Halliday (1994: 35) refers to the term metafunctions not simply as the characteristics of
the clause but the throughout meaning in the clause. Metafunctions, in his point of view,
are divided into three broad functions of language, known as interpersonal, ideational and
textual metafunctions.
2.4.1 Interpersonal metafunctions
Interpersonal metafunctions is constructed on the idea that clause can act as an exchange.
The communicative exchange purpose may be ordering, apologizing, confirming,
inviting, rejecting, evaluating…However, the most basic ones are demanding and giving
the language commodity, or information and “goods and services” (Halliday, 1994).
Thompson (1996:40) figures out the basic speech roles associated with specific
grammatical structures.

6 Role
in exchange
Commodity
exchanged
Goods & services
Information
Giving
Offer
I‟ll show you the way.
Statement
We‟re nearly there.

Residue
Mood
(i) The Subject is a similar term from traditional grammar. It supplies the rest of what it
takes to form a proposition, something by reference to which the proposition can be
affirmed or denied.
7 (ii) Finite can be used to make reference to time of speaking (temporal operator) or to the
judgment of speaking (modal operator). Sometimes, it is obvious to find out Finite as in
the cases when auxiliary or modal verbs are separated.
Did you invite her to the party?
I can go with you.
However, finite can be mixed with lexical verbs in simple present and simple past tense
The sun sets in the West.
I got the test result yesterday.
2.4.1.2 Residue
The rest of the clause excluding Mood is called Residue. This part consists of three other
factors: (i) Predicator, (ii) Complement, and (iii) Adjuncts.
(i) Predicator: is expressed by the verbal group, it is also an indispensable section of any
clause. The predicator presents the action, happening state…in which the subject is
involved.
(ii) Complement: is realized by a nominal group. The orders of complement and subject
will have an influence on thematic purposes of the clause.
(iii) Adjuncts: is performed by an adverbial group or a prepositional phrase.
In short, the interpersonal metafunctions can be illustrated once again as in Thompson‟s
following sample (1996):
In the following
day
he

or prepositional phrase.
The concepts of process, participants and circumstances are semantic categories, which
provide the linguistic structure of the events in reality. Each type of process contributes to
the construction of English grammar and there are specific kinds of participants
associated with it in particular circumstances.
Material process
This type of process carries out the meaning of actions or some entity “does” something,
which may have some influences on other entity. The “doer” of the action is called Actor.
In many cases, the actions may be referred as affecting to the second participant in the
process, this one is known as Goal. The Actor and Goal can be either human or
inanimate.
The man
painted
the house
Actor
Material process
Goal

The dog
barked at
the man
Actor
Material process
Goal
Furthermore, material processes are not necessarily tangible or physical activity. They
might be intangible actions or happenings as Halliday mentioned in the following
examples.
The mayor
resigned.
Actor

 Cognition: thinking, knowing, and understanding…
I
can‟t see
you.
Senser
Mental process: Perception
Phenomenon

They
really loved
the city.
Senser
Mental process: Affection
Phenomenon

The students
understood
the problem
Senser
Mental process:Cognition
Phenomenon
Relational processes
The third type of processes is relational, something is being said to be something else.
There are three main kinds of relational processes:
(i) Intensive :X is A
(ii) Circumstantial: X is at A (refer to location)
(iii)Possessive : X has A
The three types come to two modes:
 Attribute: A is an attribute of X
 Identifying: A is the identity of X

Token/ Value.
Tom
is
the leader
Identified/ Token
Relational process
Identifier/ Value
The possessive relationship can be referred as Possessor and Possessed.
Peter
has
a piano
Possessor
Relational process
Possessed
Behavioral processes
This type of process shares the characteristics of mental and material process. It
illustrates the physiological and psychological behaviors such as cough, smile, dream
The participant who behaves is the Behaver and there are five kinds of this process as
Halliday suggests:
1. Processes of consciousness as form of behavior: look, watch, stare
2. Verbal processes as behavior: chatter, grumble, talk
3. Physiological processes manifesting states of consciousness: cry, laugh
4. Other physiological processes: breathe, faint, sleep
5. Bodily postures and pastimes: sing, dance, lie
11 Normally, there is one participant in behavioral process:
He
cried

Sayer
Verbal process
Receiver
verbiage

The relationship of quoting or reporting is also demonstrated in this type of process.
She
said
“give me that”
Sayer
Verbal process
Reported

She
said
that she would go away
Sayer
Verbal process
Quoted
Existential Processes
This illustrates that something exists or happens. Normally, the word There will appear in
the process as the Subject without representational function. Existential process typically
involves the verb BE and other verbs to express the existence or happening such as exist,
remain, arise, occur
12 The object or event which is being said to be existent is known as Existent. It can be an
entity or an event that takes place.
There

Behaver
Mental:
Perception
Affection
Cognition
Sensing
Seeing
Liking
Thinking
Senser, phenomenon
Verbal
Saying
Sayer, target
Relational:
Attribution
Identification
Being
Attributing
Identifying

Carrier, attribute
Identified/identifier;
Token/Value
Existential
Existing
Existent
Table 2.1. Overview of the process types
2.4.2.2 Circumstantial element
Circumstances may occur in the process with little or no restriction. They express the
notion of “When, where, how and why” the process takes place. Circumstantial factors

Because of his illness
For the sake of us
On behalf of
5
Contingency
Condition, concession,
default
In case of
In spite of
In the absence of
6
Accompaniment
Comitation, addition
He came with me.
Jane came as well as me
7
Role
Guise, product
I talked as a representative
She is turning into another
person
8
Matter

She is upset about her son.
9
Angle

According to the professor
Table 2.2 Circumstantial Elements

was there
Unmarked theme
Rheme

In 2000,
they moved to this area.
Marked theme
rheme
Theme can be single with only one constituent or multiple with further internal structure.
Theme can also be classified into topical (if combined with experiential factors), textual
(relevant meaning to discourse) and interpersonal (referring to speakers and listeners
interaction).
In short, the thematic structure in which Theme is the prominent element can be analyzed
to “gain an insight into its (the text) texture and understand how the writer made clear to
us the nature of his underlying concerns.” (Halliday, 1994: 67)

15 2.5 Cohesion
2.5.1 The concept of cohesion
According to Nguyen Hoa (2000), “cohesion refers to the formal relationship that causes
texts to cohere or stick together”. It is a wide range of semantic relationships conveyed
through clauses.
In analyzing text and its character, the notions of cohesion and coherence may cause
some confusing matters. However, Thompson (1996) figures out the main difference
between cohesion and coherence. He supposes that cohesion involves linguistic devices

e.g.: The man turned out to be a thief.
Exophoric reference
 Personal reference: is the reference to the category of human participants, using
pronouns.

e.g.: I and my mother are at the market. We want to buy some vegetables.
Personal reference
 Comparative reference: for the purpose of illustrating comparison, similarities or
identities, comparative reference are expressions such as the same, similar to,
more than, the most, as good as…
e.g.: She cooks much better than her mum.
Comparative reference
2.5.2.2 Conjunction
The logico-semantic relations of clause combination including expansion and projection
create a variety of conjunctions. A wide range of meanings is conveyed by a conjunctive
Adjunct (an adverbial group or prepositional phrase) “within the domains of elaboration,
extension and enhancement” (Halliday, 1994:324)
Elaboration
 Apposition: the restatement or represented of some factor
(i) Expository: in other words, that is to say, I mean…
(ii) Exemplifying: for example, for instance, to illustrate…
 Clarification: summary and clearer reinstatement for the discourse purposes
(i) Corrective: rather than, at least, to be more specific…
17 (ii) Distractive: by the way, incidentally…
(iii) Dismissive: in any case, anyway, leaving that aside…
(iv) Particularizing: in particular, especially…
(v) Resumptive: to resume, as I was saying…

result)
(ii) Conditionals: positive (in that case), negative (if not) or concessive
(yet, still, through…)
 Matter: with this type of conjunction, the cohesion refers to the matter which
happened previously.
(i) Positive: here, there, as to that…
(ii) Negative: in other respects, elsewhere…
Obviously, the various kinds of conjunction are not definite; they can overlap with one
another. For instance, the concessive (despite) overlaps with the adversative (conversely).
The above clarification, which is provided by Halliday (1994) “are those which have
been found most useful in the interpretation of texts”.
2.5.3 Lexical cohesion
The choice of lexical items can determine the discourse cohesion. Lexical cohesion
involves the employment of Repetition, Synonymy, Antonym and Collocation
Repetition
A lexical item, whether a simple word unit or a sentence structure can be repeated. Such
equivalence serves as a reference to the preceding events as the word Negro in the
following example.
e.g.: But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later,
the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the
chains of discrimination
Synonymy
The use of synonyms as another means of lexical cohesion is also frequent to “avoid
unnecessary repetition” (Nguyen Hoa, 2000) as in the case of “Proclamation” and
“decree” in the speech “I have a dream”.
e.g.: Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand
today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a
great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro … CHAPTER III
THE STRUCTURE OF THE SPEECH “I HAVE A DREAM”
BY MARTIN LUTHER KING
3.1 Introduction
The title “speech” is supposed to be related to a spoken piece of language in use.
However, from systematic functional grammar, Halliday and Hasan (1975) indicated that
any passage, even spoken or written, of whatever length, that does form a unified
whole… can be considered “text”. Therefore, the title of the thesis “A study on the
structure of the speech”, in other words, refers to the analysis of the speech as text based
on functional linguistics.
In order to analyze the grammar and meaning of the text “I have a dream” by Martin
Luther King, the first step should be making a clear definition of the term “text”. The
word by itself is derived from the Latin word meaning “texture”, which is defined as „the
character of a piece of writing‟ by the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2005).
However, according to linguists, “text” definition can be approached from at least two
main perspectives.
First of all, Cook (1989: 158), as cited in Alexander Täuschel (2004), claims that “Text is
a stretch of language interpreted formally, without context”. The Collins English
Dictionary tends to support Cook‟s ideas “Text is a body of printed or written word”
(1990). In general, he seems to separate the term “text” completely from “context”, which
may not make other linguists be in favour of.
On the other hand, the notion about “text” definition in systemic functional linguistics is
clarified as any united ideas expressed even in spoken or written can be named “text” as
Halliday and Hasan (1975) figure out. Sharing the same opinions, Brown and Yule
(1983) “use text as a technical term to refer to the verbal record a communicative act”.
They have a tendency to explore the context or communicative event in which text
occurs. This is also what Nunan (1993: 7-8) presents “I shall use the term text to refer to
any written record of a communicative event. The event itself involves oral language or

actions.
 Participants types: actors, sensers, carriers
 Process types: Predominantly material and mental, characterizing the features
of rhetorical and descriptive.
2. Tenor:
 Speakers and listeners
 Mood: declarative
3. Mode
 Medium: spoken
22  High lexical density and parataxis and grammatical intricacy
3.4 Clause and Clause complex analysis
Due to time limitation, it would be impossible for the whole text “I have a dream” to be
covered completely in this study. Therefore, only the first nine paragraphs with the
exception of the seventh part of the text are going to be analysed from SFL perspective,
which is believed to illustrate an overview of the whole text.
Clause
complexes
number
Clause number in the whole text
I II III


American society
12. and finds himself an exile in his own land.
13. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
14. In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check.
15. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of
the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence,