Complementarity of Systemic Functional Grammar and Constructional Grammar

Xiaoyu XING, Duxin CAO

Abstract


Construction Grammar (CG) as developed by Fillmore, Goldberg and others is a recent development in syntactic theory, which has become more and more influential. Its central claim is that in a language there are a large number of grammatical units, called constructions, which are the basic forms for the speakers to express their meanings. Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG), put forward by Halliday, also pays great attention to how the speakers generate utterances and texts to convey their intended meanings. This paper explores the relationship between CG and SFG. It argues that the concept of constructions should be introduced in SFG and reflected in the transitivity network. It also suggests that main ideas from SFG be used in CG to describe language more adequately. The objective is to make SFG and CG better theories of language, by combining their strengths.

Keywords


Construction grammar; Systemic functional frammar; Way construction; Resultative construction

Full Text:

PDF

References


Boas, C. H. (2003). A constructional approach to resultatives. Stanford: CSLI Publications.

Chai, T. W. (2007). Transitivity: The commonality between systemic functional grammmar and cognitive grammar. Research in Foreign Language and Literature, 1, 26-34.

Chen, M. H. (2009). Some essential aspects of the theory of construction grammar. Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 5, 337-344.

Deng, Y. H., & Shi, Y. Z. (2007). Advances and limitations of construction grammar. Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 5, 323-330.

Fawcett, P. R. (2000). A theory of syntax for systemic functional linguistics. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

Fawcett, P. R., Gordon H. T., & Francis Y. L. (1993). How a systemic functional grammar works: The role of realization in realization. In H. Horacek & M. Zock (Eds), New Concepts in Natural Language Generation. London: Pinter Publishers.

Feng, Z, X. (2012). Linguistic indeterminacy and fuzziness in systemic-functional grammar. Foreign Language Research, 5, 41-47.

Fillmore, C. J., Paul, K., & Mary C. O’Connor. (1988). Regularity and idiomaticity in grammatical constructions: The case of let alone. Language, 64(3), 501-539.

Fillmore, C. J., Paul K., Laura M., & Ivan, S. A. G. (2007). Sign-based construction grammar. Stanford: CSLI Publications.

Gao, B., & Shi, M. (2010). Overview of construction grammar family. Foreign Language Research, 1, 57-61.

Goldberg, A. (1995). Constructions: A construction grammar approach to argument structure. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Goldberg, A. (2006). Constructions at work. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Goldberg, A., & Ray J. (2004). The English resultatives as a family of constructions. Language, 80(3), 532-568.

Halliday, M. A. K. (1994). Introduction to functional grammar. London: Edward Arnold.

Halliday, A. K., & Christian, M. (2004). Introduction to functional grammar. London: Edward Arnold.

Huang, G. W. (2000). Systemic functional linguistics: Forty years on. Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 1, 15-21.

Kay, P., & Fillmore, C. J. (1999). Grammatical constructions and linguistic generalizations: The what’s X doing Y? construction. Language, 75(1), 1-33.

Langacker, R. (1987). Foundations of cognitive grammar. Volume 1: Theoretical prerequisites. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

Li, M. X. (2007). On the views of Grammar of three functional schools. Foreign Language Research, 2, 90-94.

Li, X. N., & Zhang, D. L. (2012). Formalism of systemic functional linguistics: On systemic functional grammar in natural language generation. Shandong Foreign Language Teaching Journal, 1, 27-32.

Lu, J. M. (2013). More about construction grammar: A preface to the Chinese translation of constructions at work: The nature of generalization in language. Journal of Foreign Languages, 1, 16-21.

Mann, W. C., & Matthiessen, C. (1985). A demonstration of the Nigel text generation computer program. In B. James & W. Greaves (Eds.), Systemic perspectives on discourse (Vol. 1, pp.50-83). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

Wang, X. F., & Liu, S. P. (2010). The development and changes of construction grammar: Based on Goldberg’s two monograph. Journal of Xi’an International Studies University, 2, 5-9.

Yan, C. S. (2006). A sketch of construction grammar. Journal of PLA University of Foreign Studies, 2, 6-11.

Zhang, D. L., & Lei, Q. (2013). The study of grammatical metaphor in China. Foreign Language Education, 3, 1-6.

Zhang, G. Y. (2007). Cognitive-functional approach to verb- nominalization pattern. Journal of Xi’an International Studies University, 3, 10-14.

Zhang, Y. W. (2013). Functional-semantic analysis of ditransitive clauses. Foreign Languages and Their Teaching, 3, 11-15.

Zhao, Y. C., & Wang, J. (2008). The theoretical orientation and limits of construction grammar. Foreign Languages in China, 3, 42-50.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/j.css.1923669720130905.2739

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c)



Reminder

  • How to do online submission to another Journal?
  • If you have already registered in Journal A, then how can you submit another article to Journal B? It takes two steps to make it happen:

1. Register yourself in Journal B as an Author

  • Find the journal you want to submit to in CATEGORIES, click on “VIEW JOURNAL”, “Online Submissions”, “GO TO LOGIN” and “Edit My Profile”. Check “Author” on the “Edit Profile” page, then “Save”.

2. Submission

Online Submission: http://cscanada.org/index.php/css/submission/wizard

  • Go to “User Home”, and click on “Author” under the name of Journal B. You may start a New Submission by clicking on “CLICK HERE”.
  • We only use four mailboxes as follows to deal with issues about paper acceptance, payment and submission of electronic versions of our journals to databases: caooc@hotmail.com; office@cscanada.net; ccc@cscanada.net; ccc@cscanada.org

 Articles published in Canadian Social Science are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC-BY).

 

Canadian Social Science Editorial Office

Address: 1020 Bouvier Street, Suite 400, Quebec City, Quebec, G2K 0K9, Canada.
Telephone: 1-514-558 6138 
Website: Http://www.cscanada.net; Http://www.cscanada.org 
E-mail:caooc@hotmail.com; office@cscanada.net

Copyright © Canadian Academy of Oriental and Occidental Culture