The Functional Analysis of

English
Chapter 6: Process and participant
Analysis by colours
 Processes
• The process centres on that part of the clause realised by the
verbal group.
• It can also be regarded as what ‘goings-on’ are represented in
the whole clause.
• The participants are the entities involved in the process.
 Types of Processes: I] Material
• Most material processes involve ‘doing-words’.
• In an action-oriented narrative, such processes tend to occur
frequently.
• Example 1: Jerry took the money, picked up a hat from the
table and strolled out.
• Example 2: Half an hour later he returned.
 Types of Processes: I] Material
Actor & Goal
• In example 1, Jerry is explicitly the performer/doer of an action
represented by the Process took.
• Therefore, we label Jerry as Actor.
• It is Jerry who performs the action & it is the money that
undergoes the action.
• The label we give to the money in this clause is Goal, ‘the point
of impact’, the thing acted upon.
• In example 2, there is only one participant: the Actor he.
• There is no Goal involved in the Process realised by the verb
returned.
 Types of Processes: I] Material
Beneficiary
• In the following clause, we have a material process with three
participant roles:
He gave some of the bills to Thaler.
• The Process is realised by the verbal expression gave.
• The Subject he is Actor, while some of the bills is Goal.
• The third element to Thaler is Beneficiary (benefits from the
process)
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Exercise 2: Identify the processes and
participants in the following sentences. Label
the participants as Actor, Goal or Beneficiary.
1) She tripped.
2) He beats his son.
3) I baked her a cake.
 Types of Processes: II] Mental
• Some processes involve not material actions but phenomena best
described as states of mind or psychological events.
• These are called mental processes.
• These are realised through the use of verbs like think, know, feel, hate,
smell, hear, want, like, see, please, disgust, admire, enjoy, fear, frighten
• Example: He knew what speed was.
• The clause could not serve as an answer to the question What did he
do? Knowing is not doing.
• Other examples:
He didn't see me. I heard the shots.
You didn’t want it this morning. I dislike your manner.
 Types of Processes: II] Mental
Senser & Phenomenon
• In all these examples, the Subject is the one who experiences/senses
the process: the Senser.
• That which is experienced/sensed is given the label Phenomenon.
Types of Processes: II] Mental
Senser & Phenomenon
 Types of Processes: II] Mental
Senser & Phenomenon
• One constraint: the Senser is by definition a sentient being: a
human or at least animate creature (except in metaphorical or
fantastic uses).
• Only animate beings can think, feel, or perceive.
• The Phenomenon may be animate or inanimate.
Types of Processes: II] Mental
Phenomenon realised as clause
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Exercise 4: Identify the processes and
participants in the following sentences. Label
the participants as Senser or Phenomenon.
1) I love apples.
2) The news puzzled me.
3) Her name escapes me.
 Types of Processes: III] Relational
• Relational processes are typically realised by
-the verb be
-some verb of the same class (copular verbs); for example,
seem, become, appear (She appeared cheerful)
-verbs such as have, own, possess.
 Types of Processes: III] Relational
Attributive Identifying
An attribute is ascribed to some One entity is used to identify
entity. another.
Carrier – Process – Attribute Identified – Process – Identifier
Attribute is adjective or indefinite Identifier is a specific/definite
Noun Phrase (NP) NP
X is Y He seems foolish. She is the leader.
Quint is his name.
X is The fair lasts all day. The fair is on the 10th.
circumstance She is in the room.
X has Y or He has/owns a violin. The piano is Sarah’s.
X is Y’s I had a little money.
Types of Processes: III] Relational
Attributive process
 Types of Processes: III] Relational
• Other copular verbs which appear in relational processes include the
following:
 Types of Processes: IV] Existential
• This process has only one participant, the Existent.
• This type of process is grammatically realised with a copular verb &
an empty there as S. Example:
-There were ten of us in the party.
• The semantically empty S there is not a participant since it is simply a
sort of place-holder or syntactic marker.
There were ten of us
Existential process Existent
Some other pattern exists
Actor Material Process
 Types of Processes: V] Verbal
• Example 1: I said: ‘If there isn't, I'll have to take him down to the City
Hall.’
-The person who produces the utterance: the Sayer: “I”
-The verbal process: “said”
-The representation of the words actually spoken: Quoted realised as
direct speech.
• Example 2: I said I wanted to be dropped off in the neighbourhood.
-I is Sayer
-I wanted to be dropped off in the neighbourhood is Reported.
 Types of Processes: V] Verbal
• There are various ordering possibilities with this type of process.
• Examples:
-‘That’s nice,’ the grey-moustached sleuth on my left said.
-‘I don't think I meant to kill him,’ he repeated, ‘though I took the gun
with me.’
-‘Must be another march,’ grumbled the taxi driver.
• In addition to the Sayer & the Quoted or Reported, there is a third
participant: the person to who, the verbalisation is addressed: Receiver.
• Example: I asked her if she heard him.
 Types of Processes: V] Verbal
• There are two other potential participants: Verbiage & Target.
• Verbiage is used to label items like the truth in I told her the truth.
• Here the truth represents what the Sayer said but instead of
representing it as a quotation of the actual words used (Quoted) or
report of the proposition expressed in those words (Reported), it rather
refers to what is said by classifying it in terms of its character as an
expression.
• Target is the person or thing which is ‘targeted by the process’.
• Example: Former party officials criticised party leadership.
• Lexical verbs which accept a Target include: describe, explain, praise,
flatter, blame, condemn, castigate.
 Types of Processes: VI] Behavioural
• This process is in the grey area between material & mental processes.
• It is a human/animal physiological & psychological process.
• Examples of verbs considered as Behavioural processes: dream, laugh,
cry, sob, sleep, dance, read, stand, look/watch (not see), listen (not
hear), taste, smell
• Only one participant is normally required: Behaver.
• Rarely, a further participant occurs: Behaviour.
• Example: I could cry salty tears.
• Here I is the Behaver and salty tears is the Behaviour.
• Other examples: breathe a sigh, sweat blood, dream sweet dreams.
 Circumstance
• In any clause, there are three components: participant, process &
circumstance.
• Circumstance: elements which carry a semantic load but are neither
process nor participant.
• It is concerned with such matters as
-the settings, temporal & physical,
-the manner in which the process is implemented
-the people or other entities accompanying the process rather than
directly engaged in it
• It conflates with circumstantial Adjunct.
 Circumstance
• Examples:
• In we went down three steps into the back yard, there are two
Circumstances:
-down three steps
-into the back yard
both telling the reader about the location of the process.
• In Presently something hit the door, the Circumstance is realised by the
adverb Presently, telling us about the timing of the process in relation to
the other events described previously.
• In He muttered nervously, the Circumstance is realised by the adverb
nervously, a circumstantial A, telling us about how the Sayer performed
the verbal process.
Circumstance
Exercise: Analyse the following sentences by identifying the
process(es), participant(s) & circumstance(s) in each sentence.
1) He reads before he sleeps.
2) There was a beetle in the class.
3) They played in the garden all night.
4) He told her a lot of rubbish.
5) She keeps rubbishing me to the other people in the office.
6) He made her a pie.
7) He made a good husband.
8) The luggage appeared harmless.
9) We can dance without her.
10)Blinis are traditionally made with wheat flour.
Exercise: Analyse the following sentences by identifying the
process(es), participant(s) & circumstance(s) in each sentence.
11)The operation lasted one hour.
12)His wife was the real victim.
13)In despair, Alice put her hand in her pocket.
14)These are made to a very high standard.
15)Buckwheat is available in health food shops.
16)She travelled as a tourist.
17)The fish smells bad.
18)I smell food before I eat it.
19)He works for the transports section.
20)Signing means agreement.
End of Chapter 6
Thank you!