Rationale
Speech is a form of discourse that has been utilized to express thoughts,feelings, and opinions, but sometimes, listeners do not comprehend it clearlybecause the information about what is happening around and inside us is notuttered.
Fairclough (1995) proves that speech is made up of linguistic featuresthat cannot be apart from the set of grammar that even the smallest of whichpossiblyhasameaning.Clauseisoneofgrammaticalunitsthath a v e meani ng Then, we can analyze the meaning of the speech by analyzing thefunctionofeach clausein thatspeech.
Intermsofanalyzingfunctionsoflanguage,SystemicFunctionalLinguistic salsoknownasSystemicFunctionalGrammar–atheoryintroduced by Micheal
Alexander Kirkwood Halliday and his followers since1960s is a famous framework which can be applied Halliday (1994) believesthatlanguagehasthreemetafunctions:interpersonal,textual,a n dideat ional.Theinterpersonalmetafunctionuseslanguagetoencodeinteraction, toshow how defensiblewe findout our propositions,e n c o d e ideas about obligation and inclination and to express our attitudes It treatsclauses as exchanges To find outinterpersonal meanings, mood system isused.Thetextualmetafunctionrelatesto mode.Modeistheinternalorganisationandcommunicative nature of atext This functionconsidersclauses as messages Structure Theme and Rheme is used to analyze textualmeaning.The ideational metafunctionis the function of construing humanexperience.I t i s h o w w e m a k e s e n s e o f r e a l i t y H a l l i d a y d i v i d e s t h e ideationalintothe logicaland theexperiential metafunctions.
Thelogicalmetafunctionrefers to the grammatical resources for building up grammaticalunits into complexes, for instance, for combining two or more clauses into aclause complex.The experiential functionrefers to the grammatical resourcesinvolved in construing the flux of experience through the unit of the clause,and it can beexplored bytransitivity.
Studies on Transitivity have been done in two directions The first typedeals with raw analysis of transitivity system to help reveal the grammarelements appearing in clauses as representation The second way bases on theanalysis of transitivity system element to interpret the experiential meaning Itis clear that Transitivity system is proved to be popular since the FunctionalGrammar approach appeared, which can be seen in many different genres,such as academic, news, speeches… for example Sukma et al (2013), Suparto(2015),Dadjo(2018),Xuan(2018),Vathanalaoha(2018),Trinh(2018),Ka mal& Hamied (2012)…
Asforunderstandingexperientialmeaningsofpoliticians'speeches,transitivi ty system has also been popularly used to discuss various topics orthemes.Forexample,Chen(2008)conductedatransitivityanalysisonPresident Bush's inaugural address in 2005 and found the distribution of thesixprocesses.Besides,Wang(2009)analyzedthedifferentk i n d s o f process es from the perspective of transitivity in Obama's inaugural address in2008.
D R o o s e v e n t andBarackObama'sinauguraladdresses.ArinaIsti‟anah(20 14)a l s o explored how transitivity model was used in four selected Opinions aboutJakartaGovernor election.
So far, COVID 19 has been a really serious disease Not only do themedicalf o r c e s t r y t h e i r b e s t t o f i g h t t h e p a n d e m i c , b u t a l l p e o p l e l i v i n g i n the globe also work together to wipe outt h e d a n g e r o u s v i r u s T h e r e h a v e been numerous tragic losses throughout all nations despite the determinationoftheworld.
As experiential meaning shows the writer/ speaker's experience of theouter and inner world, it is assumed to be different in different fields such aspolitical, environmental, educational topics Until now, there have been nostudies abouthow people experience the COVID 19p a n d e m i c , w h i c h h a s been spread so far Thus, this study sets out to explore how experientialmeaningsa r e r e a l i z e d i n A m e r i c a n p o l i t i c i a n s ‟ sp e e c h e s o n C O V I D - 1 9 o n thebaseofHalliday‟sSystemicFunctional Grammarvia transitivity.
Aimand ObjectivesoftheStudy
Aim
ThisstudyaimstoinvestigatetheexperientialmeaningsthroughanalyzingTransitivity system including various processes, their participantsand circumstancesin speechesbyAmericanpoliticiansonCOVID -19.
Objectives
- To find out the most dominant type of process and circumstance usedin thespeeches.
ResearchQuestions
ScopeoftheStudy
Thisstudyisconductedwiththeaimofexploringtheexperientialmeaningsbased on Halliday & Matthiessen‟s Systemic Functional Grammar frameworkin speeches that have been made by American politicians on COVID-
19.Hence,itisnecessarytofindoutkindsofprocessesandcircumstancesusedinclause sofspeeches Besides, the frequency of each type of processes and circumstancesused is also investigated.
From there, the idea, feelings, thoughts of
Americanpoliticiansareshown.TwentyspeechesmadebyAmericanpoliticiansfromthe official websites consisting of https://www.who.int/,https://www.whitehouse.gov/,https://www.paho.org/en/ media/,and CNBC
TVareusedasthemainsourceoftheresearch.Otheraspectsrelatingtofunctionalgrammar such as interpersonal meanings or textual meanings are not paidattentiontointhisstudy.
Significanceof theStudy
Thesignificanceofthestudycanbeseenboththeoreticallyandpractically In terms of theory, the study is expected to confirm the importantroleofsystemicfunctionalgrammarindiscourseanalysis,especiallyone xperientialmeaningswithitspowerfultool-transitivitysystem.Asforpractical application, this study can help learners of English know the way touse language to express their experience of the world Consequently, they canuse the research as a useful material to develop their English as a foreignlanguage.T h i s s t u d y c a n b e t r e a t e d a s r e a d i n g / l i s t e n i n g a i d s t o i m p r o v e learners‟ proficiency, enrich their vocabulary and structures.This study alsogives a clear picture to the speakers who want to convince the listeners byusingappropriateprocessesandcircumstances.
StructureoftheThesis
Chapter 1 is an introduction which reveals the overview of the studyincluding the rationale, research aim and objectives, research questions, scopeofthestudy,significanceofthestudy, andstructureofthethesis.
Chapter2presentstheoreticalconceptsincludingspeech,SystemicFunctiona l Grammar and Transitivity, and a review of previous studies relatedto this study. Chapter3describestheresearchmethodsusedint h e s t u d y Additionally, data collection, data analysis and research procedure are alsopresented.
Chapter 4 depicts the results of the study that the researcher found outfrom thecollecteddatabasedonthreeresearchquestionsandadetaileddiscussionon theresearch findings.
Chapter 5 gives the summary of the study, major findings,implications,limitationsaswellassuggestionsfor furtherstudies.
This chapter presents general concepts including speech and SystemicFunctionalGrammarasthechosentheoreticalf r a m e w o r k T r a n s i t i v i t y System which is the major focus of the study will be discussed in detail Thereview of previous studies supporting thep r e s e n t s t u d y i s a l s o d i s c u s s e d i n this chapter.
Speech is a great medium in which human cooperation is brought about.It is how the diverse activities of men are coordinated or correlated with eachotherfor attainmentat common andreciprocal ends.
A speech is also considered as a singular event that can be unified by theunity of time, space, the sequential unity of information, audience in terms ofclassicalrhetoric.
AsSchaffner(1997)definesthatspeechispartofalarger,moreextensivecom municativeprocessandthatitcanbecharacterizedasa strategic move in an overreaching communicative plan It can be thereforeassessedproperlyonlyifthelarger context istaken intoaccount.
Peopleusespeechtopresentsomethingonspecialoccasions.Itmaybe made by the head of a group, a party, a state, a nation or a larger organization.Ingeneral,therearesomefunctionsofspeech.Itisutilizedtomaketh eaudienceb e l i e v e t h e c o r r e c t n e s s o f t h e o r a t o r s ' o p i n i o n s , a d v i c e
B e s i d e s , speechisalsoused topersuadethe listeners.Furthermore,one thingspeech candoismakingtheaudiencedecideaccordingtowhattheoratorhas spoken andoutlined.
Systemic is the theory behind his functional grammar Halliday believes thatlanguage is what it is because of its functions In other words, its structure isshapedfromsocialdemandonlanguage.Halliday&Matthiessen(2004)maintaint hataclauseisamultifunctionalconstructconsistingofthe textual ,the interpersonal ,andth e ideational Theseareknownasmetafunctionsoflanguage.Thesemetafunctionsareal lunifiedwithinthestructureoftheclauseandcanberelatedbothtocontextandtolexical- grammar.TherelationshipsaresummarizeddiagrammaticallyinFigure2.1below.
Figure2.1.Contextinrelation todiscourse-semanticsandlexical-grammar
The textual function refers to how people organize information in the useof language Besides, the relationship between conditional information andother information as well as between the transmission of information and thecommunicativecontext inwhich thespeakerlocatesis shown.
The interpersonal function shows how people use language to interactwith other people, establish and keep interpersonal relationship At the sametime language is used to influence the behavior of others and express theiropinionsabouttheworldandevenchangetheworld.Theinterpersonalfunction mainlyconsistsofmood, modalityandtone.
Theideationalfunctionmeansthatpeopleuselanguagetotalkabouttheirexperienc e of the world: both the physical world and the spiritualworld, anddescribetheeventsandsituationsthatoccuraroundthem.Itcanbeexplor edbytransitivity.
According to Halliday (1994), these three meta-functions are used as thebasis of studying how meaning is created and expressed Different types offunctionscanbeseenthroughparticulartypesofwordingsin language.
Transitivity
Processesof Transitivity
English express happening, doing, being, saying andthinking A process is realized in the grammar by means of verbal group,whichi s e i t h e r o n e w o r d , b e l o n g i n g t o t h e c l a s s v e r b , o r a g r o u p o f w o r d s with aclassverb word astheheadofthegroup.
Transitivityprocessesconsistof6processes:Material,Mental,Relational,Be havioural, VerbalandExistentialProcesses.
Material processis process of doing or happening This kind of processrepresents that some entity does something physically It answers questions“WhatdidXdo?”or“Whathappened?”.P o t e n t i a l p a r t i c i p a n t r o l e s a r e Actor(the Doer of the process), aGoal(or thing which is affected by theprocess), aRange (or thing unaffected by the process),a n d / o r a Beneficiaryoftheprocess.
Materialp ro c e s s i sd i v i d e d i n t o 2 su b t y p e s : t r a n s i t i v e a nd i n t r a n s i t i v e
In the above example,“the lion”is the actor,“caught”represents anaction happening, and“the tourist”is the goal of the action Then, it belongsto thetransitivetype.
( Adapted from Halliday & Matthiessen, 2014, p.226)Inthisexample,“thelion”istheactor,“sprang”presentsanactionhappening ,a n d t h e r e i s n o g o a l a f f e c t e d b y t h e p r o c e s s T h e r e f o r e , i t i s a n exampleofintransitivetypebelongingtomaterialprocess.
Range is a participant that specifies the scope of a happening It typicallyoccursinthemiddleofclauses.Hereisoneexample:
( Adapted from Halliday & Matthiessen, 2004, p.238)AnotheroptionalparticipantinmaterialprocessisBeneficiary,w h i c h benef itsf r o m t h e p r o c e s s A c c o r d i n g t o E g g i n s ( 1 9 9 4 ) , i t r e l a t e d t o s o m e verbsl i k egive, se n d , offer, b u y , take a n ds o on Be ne fi ci ary i sd i v i d e d i n t o twokinds:arecipient(theonetowhomsomethingisgiven)andClie nt(theonef o r w h o m s o m e t h i n g i s d o n e ) T h e y a r e i l l u s t r a t e d w i t h t h e e x a m p l e s below:
Actor Pro.:Material Goal Recipient
Actor Pro.:Material Goal Client
Mental processis the process of sensing It consists of the sense ofthoughts,observationsandsentiments.Itisconsideredasareflectionofpeople's awareness of states of being There are 4 sub-types of this processnamelyperceptive(processes of seeing, hearing, etc.), cognitive(processes ofdeciding, knowing, understanding, etc.), desiderative(processes of wanting,etc.),andemotive(processes ofliking,hating,regretting,etc).
TwoparticipantsassociatedwithmentalprocessareSenserandPhenomenon According to Halliday and Matthiessen (2004),unlikematerialprocesses, mental processesalways have at least one human - like participantor conscious being that can feel, think or perceive This participant is knownasthe senser The Sensercan be human beings or any object, animate or not,that can be treated as conscious.The Phenomenonis the other participant thatis the entity being sensed, felt, thought, or perceived by the senser It can be athing, an act or a fact One of the two participants in a mental process may notbe explicitly involved There may be aSenser but noPhenomenon, like in theclause"Jill can't see"in thefollowingexamples.
Relational processis the process of being In this process, there is arelationshipbetweentwoseparateentities.However, noentityaffectst h e other in any way (Halliday, 1994).Relational processis divided into twomodes:RelationalAttributeandRelationalIdentifying R e l a t i o n a l
Attributeis related to a participant to its general characteristics or descriptionwhereasRelationalIdentifyingisrelatedtoaparticipantto itsidentity. According to Halliday (1994), there are three main relational processestypesthattheEnglishsystemoperateswith:
(1)Intensive"xisa"(2)Circumstantial "x is at a" (where "is at" stands for "is at, in, on, for, with,about,along, etc.") (3) Possessive "x hasa".
Integrating the two modes and three types, six categories ofrelationalprocesscomeout.
Behavioral processis the process of physiological and psychologicalbehavior,suchasbreathing,dreaming,smiling,looking,listening,a ndpondering.Behavioral processis concerned with the outer reflection of ourinwardthoughts.
2004) The only participant in this kind of process isBehaver,which is typically a conscious being. However, in some clauses, there may beanother participant:the
Behaviour,which is not a real participant but merelyaddsspecification to theprocess.
(i) processeso f c o n s c i o u s n e s s r e p r e s e n t e d a s f o r m s o f b e h a v i o u r , e g look,watch, stare,listen,think, worry,dream;
(ii) verbalp r o c e s s e s a s f o r m s o f b e h a v i o u r , e g c h a t t e r , g r u m b l e , t a l k , gossip,argue, murmur, mouth;
(iv)stateso f c o n s c i o u s n e s s , e g c r y , l a u g h , s m i l e , f r o w n , s i g h , s n a r l , hiss,wine,nod;
(v) otherp h y s i o l o g i c a l p r o c e s s e s , e g b r e a t h e , s n e e z e , c o u g h , h i c c u p , burp,vomit, shit,faint, yawn,sleep;
(vi) bodilyposturesandpastimes,e.g.sing,dance,lie(down),sit(up,down)
(Adapted from Halliday & Matthiessen, 2014)Thefollowing aresomeexamplesofbehavioralprocess:
Sayerthatincludesbothhumanandanythingthatownstheabilityofexchanginginf ormationandmeaning.Therearethreeotherparticipantsinvolved in the verbal clause, namelyReceiver, Verbiage,andTarget Thecontent of what is said and the name of the saying is considered theVerbiage.The Receiveris the addressee to whom the saying is pointed The entity whichis targeted by the process of saying is theTarget. Here are some examples ofverbalprocess:
Sayer Pro.:Verbal Receiver Verbiage
Thereport sharply criticized Lily‟squality-control procedures.
Sayer Circumstance Pro.:Verbal Target
Existential processis process of existing and happening It shows theexistence of an entitywithout predicting anythingelse of it.It is on theborderlinebetweentherelationalprocessandthematerialprocess.Theexistent ial processcan be recognized easily because the sentence pattern isnormallystartedwith"there"orwiththeverb"exist"(Halliday,1994).Other verbsalsoindicatethisprocess,suchashappen,arise,flourish,etc.Inexistential process, only one participant is labeled asExistent It refers to theentity or event which is being said toexist.The Existentis any kind ofphenomenon,suchas person,object, institution, action,orevent.
Circumstances
Circumstanceisanycircumstantialinformationabouttheprocess.Itappears freely in all kinds of processes and is realized by adverbial groups orprepositional groups Circumstantial
Elements are identified by some linguistsbyconsideringwhatprobesuseforelicitingorlookingatthedifferentquesti ontowhichthecircumstancesprovideanswers.H a l l i d a y & Matthiessen
(2014) classify them into 9 types based on their purpose Theyare: Extent, Location, Manner, Cause, Contingency, Accompaniment, Role,Matter,andAngle.
(measure units)? How many times ? The typical structure is a nominal groupwith quantifier, either definite, e.g.two days, or indefinite, e.g.many times,ashort way; it can be expressed with or without prepositions The most usualoneisfor.Hereare examples aboutextent circumstantial:
Actor Pro.:Material Goal Cir.: Extent
Actor Pro.:Material Cir.: Extent
Goal Pro.:Material Cir.:Extent Actor
Locationexpressestheplaceandthetimeoftheprocess.Theinterrogativeform susuallyusedforLocationarewhenandwhere.Anadverbialgroupor prepositionalphrasesistypicalstructureofLocation.
They rang me up onSaturdaynight.
Actor Pro.:Material Beneficiary Pro.:Material Cir.:Location
Actor Pro.:Material Goal Cir.:Location
Meansisthemeansthattheprocesstakesplace.Itisexpressedbyaprepositional phrase with the prepositionbyorwith.The interrogative formsused arehowandwhat with? Qualityis typically expressed by an adverbialgroup,with–lyadverbasHead;theinterrogativeformsusedarehow?
….?plus appropriate adverb Another type ofQualityrelated toMannerisrealized by a prepositional phrase This prepositional phrase consists ofinorwith.Comparisonis typically expressed by a prepositional phrase withlikeorunlike, or an adverbial group of similarity or difference The interrogative ofComparisoniswhat… like?.Degreeistypicallyexpressedbyanadverbialgroupwithageneralindicationofdegr ee,forinstancemuch,lots,alot,adeal,orwitha collocation more restricted adverb of degree likedeeply, badly, heavily,completely,profoundly.HerearesomeexamplesofMannercircumstantial:
Means How? Whatwith? (mend it)withafusewire
Causeexpressesthereasonwhytheprocesshappens.Thereare3subtypesofC ause:Reason,Purpose,andBehalf.Reasonexplainswhatcauses the process and the interrogative types usually used arewhy?orhow?.It is used to present the reason for which a process takes place It is typicallyexpressed by a prepositional phrase withthrough, from, for, because, becauseof,as a result of, thanksto,dueto.
CircumstantialPurposeexpressesthepurposeforwhichanactionhappens.Itisty picallypresentedbyaprepositionalphrasewithfor,inthehopeof,forthe purposeof,forthesakeof.Theinterrogativecorrespondingiswhatfor?.
CircumstantialBehalfpresents the entity, typically a person, on whosebehalf or for whose sake the action is undertaken – who it is for They areexpressed by a prepositional phrase withforor with a complex prepositionsuch asfor the sake of,in favor of(negative:against),on behalf of.The usualinterrogativeformofthis subtypeiswhofor?
Reason Why?How? (theyleft)because ofthedraught
Purpose Whatfor? (it„salldone)withaviewtopromotion
Contingencyexpressesanelementonwhichtheactualizationoftheprocess depends on what It consists of 3 subtypes, including:Condition,Concession,andDefault.
CircumstantialConditionconstrues circumstances that have to obtainsomethinginorderfortheprocesstobeactualizedandhavingthesense of“if ” It can be expressed by prepositional phrase:in case of,in the event of, onconditionof.
CircumstantialConcessionconstrues frustrated cause, with the sense of“although”;Itispresentedbyprepositionalphraseswiththeprepositionsdespite,not withstandingorthecomplexprepositionsinspiteoforregardlessof.
Defaultcircumstantialhasthesense of negativecondition “if… not”,“unless”;itisexpressedbyprepositionalphraseswiththecomplexprepositionsint heabsenceof,in defaultof;
Accompanimenttells aboutwithorwithout whoorwhatand it can beprobed bywhoorwhat else? It is expressed by prepositional phrase such aswith,without,besides,andinsteadof.TwotypesofAccompanimentareComitativea ndAdditive.Comitativeexpressestheprocessasasingleinstanceofaprogress,alth oughoneinwhichtwoentitiesareinvolved.Additivepresents the process as two instances; here both entities clearly sharethe same participant function, but one of them is represented circumstantiallyforthepurposeofcontrast.
Belowaresomeexamplesofcircumstantialaccompaniment: comitative, positive:“accompaniedb y” who/ what with? andwho/whatelse?
FredcamewithTomJa nesetoutwithher umbrella comitative,negative:
"inadditionto" andwho/whatelse? Fredcameaswell as
Roletells aboutbeandbecome Its categories areGuise(“be”) andProduct(“become”) Guise answers the questionWhat as?and construes themeaningof“be”(attributeoridentity)intheform ofcircumstance.Thepreposition usually used isas.Other prepositions served for this function arebywayof,intherole/shape/guise/formof.
She wastraveling to Israel asa tourist.
Actor Pro:material Cir:location Cir: role
Mattertells about what and with reference to what The interrogativeform for it iswhat about?.Matteris related to both verbal process and mentalone (especially of the Cognitive type) It is expressed by prepositions such asabout,concerning,withreferencetoand sometimessimplyof.
AsforGreece, they give you nothing.
Cir.:matter Actor Pro.:material Beneficiary Goal
AngleisrelatedtotheSayerofVerbalprocess,withthesenseof“as….says”.Be sides, it is also related to theSenserofmental process, withthesenseof“as… thinks”.
The first type is called as Source since it is used to representthe source ofinformation.Itisexpressedby complexprepositionssuchasaccordingtoandinthewordsof.Thelatteriscalledas Viewpointbecauseitisusedtoexpresstheinformationgivenbytheclausefromsom ebody‟sviewpoint.Itisexpressedby simple preposition to or by complex preposition such as in theview/opinionofandfromthestandpointof.
Type Sub-types Wh-item Examplesof Realization
Distance Howfar ? for,throughout„measured‟nominalgro up
Duration Howlong? for,throughout„measured‟ nominalgroup Frequency Howmany times?
[there,here] in, on, by, near, to, towards, into, onto, (away)from,outof, off;behind,infrontof, above, below, under, alongside…adverbof place: abroad, overseas, home, upstairs,downstairs,inside,outside,out,up, down,behind;left, right,straight…;there,here
[ then,now] at, in, on; to, until, till, towards, into, from,since,during, before,after adverboftime: today,yesterday,tomorrow;now,then
[thus] by, through, with, by means of, out of[+material],from
[thus] in + a + quality (e.g dignified) +manner/way, with +abstraction (e.g.dignity); according to adverbs in –ly, - wise;fast,well; together,jointly,separately,respectively Comparison how? whatlike? like,unlike;in+themannerof… adverbsofcomparisondifferently
Degree how much? like,unlike;in+themannerof… adverbsof comparisondifferently
Reason Why? becauseof,as aresultof,thanksto, dueto,forwantof,for,of,outof,through
What for? for, for the purpose of, for the sake of,inthehope of
Behalf Whofor? for,forthesakeof,infavourof,against
Condition Why? incase of,intheevent of
Default indefault of,intheabsenceof,short of, without[„ifithadnotbeenfor‟]
Comitative who/what with? with;without
Additive and who/what else? as well as, besides;insteadof
Type Sub-types Wh-item Examplesof Realization elaborating
Guise whatas? as,bywayof,inthe role/shape/guise/ formof
Projection 8.M a t t e r What about? about,concerning, on,of,with referenceto,in[„withrespectto‟]
Viewpoint to,intheview/opinionof, fromthestandpointof
Previousstudies
There have been many different researches based on transitivity analysistofindoutexperientialmeaningsofdifferentgenres,includingliteraturewo rks,academicaspect,orpolitical speeches.
As for literature works, Emeliya et al (2017) has applied transitivitysystem as a grammar tool to reveal the experiential meanings of the poetrywritten by William Wordsworth Halliday‟s Systemic Functional Grammarwas applied to analyze the occurrences of the processes in five poems.
Theresearcherfoundthattherearefiveprocessesnamelymaterial,mental,relationa l, behavioural, and existential coded in the William Wordsword‟spoetry She concluded that the high percentage of material process appearingin the poetry help giving readers dynamic experience of the writer about theworld outside.Similarly, Nguyen Thu Hanh(2018) has explored experientialmeanings of the short story “ The Lang Women” Her findings indicated thatby using Halliday‟s theory of
Systemic Functional Grammar, particularlyTransitivity,thisstorycantellreadersabouthowMasterrepresentsand explores female desires and needs in her work Besides, the analysis showsthat through female sexuality women can expand their self, agency and socialstatus.
Intermsofjournalaspect,Iwamoto(1995)hasappliedTransitivitysysteminth eanalysisofWartimeReporting.Iwamotofoundlanguagestructures can be exercised based on transitivity analysis by language users todepict Japan as a Patient in order to respond to social demand Transitivityanalysis in Re- reading the Media was also conducted by Manan (2001) inAStylistic Analysis of Malaysian Media Coverage of Anwar and the ReformasiMovement She proved how language use in media constructs social realitythat the choice of language used on media impacts on the way the readersreceive the information.O n e e x a m p l e w a s g i v e n i n t h i s s t u d y i s t h a t t h e choice of Actor in material process explores that Anwar is portrayed as notonly the more powerful entity but also a “perpetrator” of crimes Transitivitywas also utilized by Opara (2012) in order to observe narrative discourse Sheconcluded that we can describe a character through language choice by usingtransitivity analysis Transitivity analysisalsobecomesthe bridgetofindThemes which the maker chose From the research, it is concluded that theThemeschosenbyEmechetaaredominatedbypositivecharacter.
As for political discourses, Chen (2008) conducted a transitivity analysison President Bush's inaugural address in 2005a n d f o u n d t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n o f the six processes Wang (2009) analyzed the different kinds of processes fromthe perspective of transitivity in Obama's inaugural address in 2008 Li (2010)conductedatransitivityanalysisonFranklinD.RooseventandBarackObama's inaugural addresses InJakarta,Arina
Isti‟anah(2014)e x p l o r e d howtransitivitymodelwasusedinfourselectedOpi nionsaboutJakartaGovernor election Zhao and Zhang (2017) studied transitivity analysis ofAmericanPresident Donald J Trump‟s Inaugural Address The study showedthedifferentfunctionsofeachprocess.PresidentTrumpfrequentlyusedmateri alp r o c e s s e s t o p a i n t a b l e a k p i c t u r e o f A m e r i c a a n d t o d e s c r i b e n e w actions the government would take He also used relational processes to layoutanewvisionforAmerica.Balog(2019)alsoappliedHalliday‟sframework, particularly, transitivity model in privilege speeches of SenatorMiriam Defensor- Santiago Using Halliday‟s (1994) transitivity model, thisstudy aimed to analyze how Sen Miriam Defensor-Santiago used transitivityprocessestomanifestsocialproblems,inequalities,andpowerabuseind elivering her privilege speeches Findings revealed that Senator Defensor- Santiago frequently employed material processes, followed by relational andverbal processes She used material processes to emphasize the actions ofpeopleinvolvedinillegalactivities,discriminationofwomenintheworkforce,an dsolutionstocertainproblems.Furthermore,relationalprocesseswereutilizedtoex plainsomeconcepts,attacksomeone‟scredibilityand character, and express the state of affairs of the country and women insociety Senator Defensor-Santiago also used verbal processes to strengthenherclaims regardingsomeissuesdiscussedinherprivilegespeeches. Thedifferentdatainthepreviousstudiesaboverepresentsimilarfindings: transitivity is applicable to uncover various kinds of data It can beapplied for not only texts but also speeches Transitivity analysis can explainwhy certain linguistic features are chosen Compared to the previous studiesabove,thisresearchattemptstoobservedissimilardata.Thisisw h a t proce sses and circumstances mean by American politicians in their speecheson COVID - 19 The analysis is important to conduct since people pay muchattention to this pandemic, to the way how it develops, how to control and getover it By doing so, we can see the role of each process and circumstance inthe data and how American politicians construct their point of view about thispandemic or what they really want the listeners to do in order to get rid of thisdangerouspandemic.
Insummary,thischapterpresentsthetheoreticalbasicconceptsinSystemic Functional Grammar that are relevant to the purposes of the study.Besides, this chapter is also concerned with a brief overview of previousstudiesrelating to the mentionedtheories.
Thischapterdepictswhichresearchmethodswereapplied,howt o collect and analyze data to answer the research questions and achieve theresearch objectives.B e s i d e s , t h e r e l i a b i l i t y a n d v a l i d i t y o f t h e r e s e a r c h a r e also mentioned inthis chapter.
This study was conducted by using qualitative and quantitative methods.Firstly, qualitative method was used to identify, describe, and interpret allelements involved in transitivity system Besides, quantitative analysis wasappliedtohelptheresearchersynthesizetheoccurrencefrequencyofprocesses and circumstances Along with the two main methods, descriptivemethodwasalsoemployedtodescribeprocesstypeandcircumstances. Moreover, this study appliedAnalyticand Syntheticmethodsto identify,isolate certain parts to focus on, and draw out the conclusion of the wholeresearch.
COVID - 19 To reach the aim, about different 20 speeches were gatheredfromofficialwebsites.
The first source chosen ishttps://www.who.int/ This study is aboutCOVID 19 and WHO is the organization representing for world‟s health.Thus,theinformationsuppliedbyhttps://www.who.int/ isc o m p l e t e l y suitable.
ThenextsourcetogetAmericanpoliticians‟speechesishttps:// www.whitehouse.gov/ ThisistheofficialwebsiteoftheWhiteHouse and is owned by United States government It provides information about thePresident,theVicePresident and speechesbyHouseWhiteofficials.
Moreover, the study also used speeches of American politicians fromhttps://www.paho.org/en/media/ This website is of the Pan American HealthOrganizationfoundedin1902.Theinformationfromthissiteissurelyofficial. The other source from which data was collected is CNBC Television.This is the big and prestige media channel of the world that supplies allinformation in all aspects, such as economy, health, tourism, trade, culture,and politics.
Therefore, the sources to collect data are strongly reliable and official.Thelinksto indicatethesesourcesofdatawereputin theAppendix.
The data was analyzed in terms of experiential meanings through thefollowingsteps:
First, the texts were divided into clause complexes, and coded as C…S… in which C stands for clause complex and S stands for speech So, C5S6meansclause complex5 in speech6.
Then, all the major clauses were analyzed in terms of transitivity- including Participants, Processes and Circumstances, in lines with Halliday
Next, the frequency of occurrence of Processes and Circumstances wassummarized into tables and charts which are discussed and illustrated withexamplesfromthe data.
- Closely reviewing previous studies which are relevant to the presentstudy;
- Collectingandcoding20Americanpoliticians‟speechesonCOVID-19 fromhttps://www.who.int/,https://www.whitehouse.gov/,https://www.paho.org/ en/media/ ,andCNBC TV;
- Analyzing clauses qualitatively to find out processes andcircumstances;
- Explaining the experiential meanings of American politicians‟speechesonCOVID -19 byqualitative method;
- Presentinga n d d i s c u s s i n g t h e f i n d i n g s f r o m t h e a n a l y s i s w i t h illustrationsextracted fromthedatato draw conclusions;
In terms of reliability, the sources of data were all collected from theofficial websites consisting of https://www.who.int/,https://www.whitehouse.gov/,https://www.paho.org/ en/media/ ,andCNBCTV Besides, the theory of Systemic Functional Grammar by Halliday andMatthiessen‟s(2004)wasappliedas thefundamentalframeworkforthisstudy Therefore, the data and the theoretical background of the research arehighlyreliableinquality.
Furthermore, regarding validity, this study strictly followed the researchdesign.Theprocedureofthestudywasscientificallyconductedwithth edata collection,dataanalysis,andstatisticsresultinginlogicalandpracticalconclusions. Moreover, the study employedqualitative andq u a n t i t a t i v e a s two main methods, as well as the supporting methods like analytic, synthetic,and descriptive methods, which were proved to be highly efficient in manylinguisticstudies.
From all above reasons, the study is totally considered as a reliable andvalidoneinall aspects.
To sum up, this chapter presents different methods used in the studywhicharequalitative,quantitative,descriptive,syntheticanda n a l y t i c m ethods.Besides,thedatac o l l e c t i o n , d a t a a n a l y s i s a n d r e s e a r c h p rocedures,r e l i a b i l i t y a n d v a l i d i t y o f t h e r e s e a r c h a r e a l s o d e s c r i b e d
This chapter presents the findings according to the research questions.First, the processes in the speeches investigated from the SystemicFunctionalGrammar perspective are presented Then, the circumstances are described.Thequantitativeanalysisindicatesthenumberofdifferentprocessesand circumstances appearing in the data The qualitative interpretation will revealtheexperientialmeaning ofthespeeches.
Processes
Materialprocesses
Figure 4.1 clearly shows that the proportion of material processes is thehighestamongthesixprocesstypeswith39,36%.Thismeansthatthespeechesm ainlyfocusontheactivitiesandhappeningevents,mostlyconcerning the measurestocopewith thepandemic.
Material process is the process of doing and happening According toHalliday (1994), this kind of process expresses the notion that some entitydoessomethingwhichmaybedonetosomeotherentity.Twoinherentparticip ants involving in this process areActorandGoal Theactoris anobligatoryelement and it expressesthedoeroftheprocess.
TheActorin these speeches is usually the pronouns which refer to thespeaker, the hearers, and the whole community It means that the speakerswant to focus the responsibility of each person as well as the whole world inthebattleagainstCOVID19.However,thegoalisvariousbecausethepurpose of the speakers is different Besides, the verbs used in this type ofprocess are really strong, which shows the urgent situation of the dangerouspandemic and also aims to make people need to do something to stop it. Thiscanbeshowedbythestrongverbsastest,isolate,stop,fight,contribute…
In these 20 collected speeches from American politicians on COVID 19,numerous clauses just consist ofthe actorandthe process.Some examplesbelowcan help giveaclearpicture.
In this example,“you”is the actor of the material process The verbs“test”and“isolate”express the action that the actor in this clause must do.Theverbsshowthe“doing”and“happening”soitissurelymaterialprocess.
Byusingthismaterialprocess,thespeakerinvolvedthecommunity(thepeople)intheC OVID-prevention actionoftestingandisolating.
Besides, there are a number of examples which consist of fully 3 parts ofmaterial process:the Actor, the verb showingthe process, andt h e
The main clause of this sentence illustrates clearlythe material process,showing the experience of the speaker about what action the government orauthoritiesmusttaketopreventthespreadofthepandemic.Thisclauseconsists of three parts:the Actor, the process, andthe goal The pronoun“you”plays theroleoftheactor.“stop”istheverbthatillustratest h e material process.Thelastpart “thispandemic”isthegoalofthisprocess.
Here is one more example of the material process consisting three mainelements.
Both the patients and their care-givers should wear a medical maskwhentheyare together inthe sameroom.[C27S1]
Boththepatients and their care- givers shouldwear amedical mask when theyare together in thesameroom.
Actor Pro.:Material Goal Circumstance
Themainclauseofthissentenceillustratesthematerialprocessobviously.“Th e patients and their care-givers”is the actor of the process.“wear”is the verb showing the “ doing” of the process “a medical mask”istherangeoftheaction“wear”andof thedoer,actor,“thepatients andtheir care- givers”.By using this material process, the speaker wants to emphasizethe action of wearing medical masks to protect each individual as well as thewholecommunityin theconquestofCOVID19.
Material processescan be expressed in both active and passive form inclauses Thesetwoformsare allfoundincollected data.Ingeneral,thepassive type may result from the suppression ofthe actor; that is,the actormaynot appearexplicitlyintheclause Below isan example:
Every day, more tests are being produced to meet the globaldemand.[C18S1]
Everyday, moretests arebeing produced to meettheglobal demand.
Circumstance Goal Pro.:Material Circumstance
“More tests”is the goal of the action The material process is showed bypassiveform“arebeingproduced”.Inthisexample,thereisnotheactorintheclause.Onem oretime,itcanbeseenclearlytheveryurgentmatteroftesting.
A year ago, we were hit with a virus that was met with silence and spreadunchecked.[C3S2]
Ayearago, we werehit with avirusthatwasmetwith silenceandspreadunchecked.
Circumstance Goal Pro.:Material Actor
Theactoris“avirus”thathit“we”–thegoalofthismaterialprocess.In this clause, speaker means the virus “that was met with silence and spreadunchecked” was really dangerous.Moreover, what the speaker emphasizes isthe receiversof the verb“hit”–“we”.So, the people are theforemostdestination in the devastation of COVID 19 That is why the whole worldneedstojoin handsinthecombat againstthisdeadlyvirus.
Theseaboveexamplesillustratethematerialprocesseswith3 m a i n parts: the actor, the process, and the goal In addition to these two roles of theparticipants, there are other types that may be involved inmaterial process.Another optional participant in material process isBeneficiary, which showsthe people or the things that benefit from the process According to Eggins(1994), it related to some verbs likegive, send, offer, buy, takeand so on.Beneficiaryis divided into two kinds: arecipient(the one to whom somethingis given) andClient(the one for whom something is done) Recipient isillustrated with theexamplesbelow:
Patrick and Chris will giveyousome more detailed information on thelatest advice we are giving the public today- a n d h o w w e e x p e c t t h a t a d v i c e to changeastheoutbreakdevelops.[C10S4]
Chris will give you some more detailed information….
The actor “Patrick and Chris”does the action“will give” the goal“some more detailed information”to thebeneficiary (recipient)“you”.Thisclause confirms that the actor of the action“give”is Pattrick and Chris, and“you”as the listener will benefit from this action by getting“some moredetailedinformation”.
From this evening, I must give the people a very simple instruction - you muststay athome.[C13S5]
The doer “I” takes the action expressingmaterial process“ must give”the goal“a very simple instruction” to“the people”in the country.By usingthismaterial process, the speakers wants to focus that it is the people of thecountry- the hearers- that receive the simple instruction to protect as well ashelpthemselves fromthepandemic.
Furthermore,clientisanoptionaltypeofparticipantbelongingtoBeneficiary. Clientreferstotheoneforwhom somethingisdone.Theexampleof this kindis analyzed as following:
We must do all in our power to secure more doses for all nations in theAmericas.[C32S6]
We mustdo all in ourpowerto securem o r e doses forall nations inthe Americas.
In this instance, the actor “ We” does the action “ must do” the goal
“all”for the client “ all nations” The speaker exposes the responsibility of thegovernment in the pandemic. They are in charge of supplying as many dosesofvaccineaspossiblefor allnationsin America.
Another participant which can be included in thematerial processisRange It is difficult to distinguish betweengoalandrange However, there isakeytomakethemdifferent.Thegoalisanswerforthequestion“Whatdid Xdo?”whiletherangeisnot probefor this question.
There are many examples of the range from the collected data Below isoneofthem:
Fromthebeginningoftimenationsandpeoplehavefacedunforeseenchallengesincl uding largescale and verydangerous health threats.[C6S7]
From thebeginning of time nation sand people havefaced unforeseen challengesincludinglargescal eandvery dangeroushealththreats
Circumstance Actor Pro.:Material Range
Inthisexample, the actor“nations and people”j u s t d o e s t h e a c t i o n “have faced”to the range“unforeseen challenges”.It is treated as the rangebecause it is not affected by the action.The speaker uses this material processtoaffirmagainthethreatthepeopleandthenationshavesufferedup tonow.
In addition, there is a very interesting example with a large number ofmaterial processes going together in a series of actions people must do to stopthepandemic.
close all shops selling non-essential goods, including clothing andelectronic stores and other premises including libraries, playgrounds andoutdoorgyms,and placesof worship;
we will stop all gatherings of more than two people in public– excludingpeopleyoulivewith;
and we‟ll stop all social events, including weddings, baptisms andotherceremonies,but excludingfunerals.
Parks will remain open for exercise but gatherings will be dispersed.[C27-C31S5]
In the above example we can see a list of material process It can be seenclearly that the speaker wants to mention many actions to protect people‟shealth better as well as fight against the attack of the dangerous pandemic.This kind of example shows the reason why the material process takes thehighestproportionofthedata.
Relationalprocesses
With 652 instances, which accounts for 33,11%, the relational processesare the second most frequent process type All the two subtypes of relationalprocesses which areAttribute and Identifyingare found in the text.
Theydescribethesettingsof thepandemic,andtodescribe thepandemic,thepatients, the symptoms, the speakers‟ feelings and/or thankfulness; to inspirepeople onmeaningful actions to save the world, the people in their owncommunities.
While the material process expresses the outer experience and the mentalportrays the inner one, relational process comes in both Relational process istheprocessof“being”and“having”.Itshowspossession,equivalence,attributes.
Itconsists of twosubtypes:AttributeandIdentifyingrelationalprocess.Twoparticipantsbelong ingtoAttributerelationalprocessa r eCarrierandAttribute.Also, there are two participants of Identifying relationalprocess,namelyTokenandValue.
AllsubtypesofRelationalprocesseswerefoundinthecollectedspeeches The first subtype is Attribute relational process concerning with twoparticipants:CarrierandAttribute.Herearesomeexamples.
We ‟re grateful to everyone who hascontributedtotheCOVID- 19
Carrier Pro.:Rel,Attrib Attribute Circumstance
In above example,“we”is treated as Carrier of the process,“are”is theverbe x p r e s s i n g r e l a t i o n a l pro ce ss a n d “ g r a t e f u l ” p l a y s t h e r o l e o f a t t r i b u t e Byusingthisprocess,thespeakertendstoshowhisdeepestgratitud etoeach individualaswellasthewholesocietybytheirdevotionandkindnesscontributingtot hefundandjoininghandstocopewiththedangerouspandemic.
To express the danger of the pandemic, the speaker used this subtype ofrelational process to emphasize how alarming we need to pay attention to thesolutionstoget over it.Forexample:
Carrier Pro.:Rel,Attrib Attribute
In above example,“This”plays the role of theCarrier,“is”is the verbexpressing the relational process, and“a serious disease” is theAttribute. Byusing this example, the speaker wants to emphasize the importance of the factthat people cannot neglect the danger of COVID 19 But the more importantthingthatpeopleneedtofocusisexpressed with belowexamples:
We are all in thisgame.
Carrier Pro.:Rel,attrib Attribute Circumstance
In this example, “We” is thecarrier,“are” is the verb expressing therelational process and “all” is theattribute By using this, speaker wishes toget the combination forces of every people in the nations for one purpose:wipingout COVID 19.
Carrier Pro.:Rel,attrib Attribute
Thisexampleo f A t t r i b u t e r e l a t i o n a l p r o c e s s i s u s e d t o a p p e a l t h e unifying of all nations in the combat against COVID 19 with thecarrier
“therule of this game”, the verb “is” illustrating the process and theattribute“together”.
Even though the solution for the problem has not been clear, Americanpeople still try their best to make their way in this devastating war. And this isillustratedwith thefollowing example.
Findinglight inthedarkness is averyAmerican thing todo.
Carrier Circumstance Pro.:Rel,Attrib Attribute
AnothersubtypeofrelationalprocessisIdentifyingwitht w o participants:T okenandValue There are many examples form the collectedspeechesofthissubtype.Theexamplebelowcanhelptogiveaclearillustra tion that this pandemic is identified not as the problem of a separatecountrybut astheproblemofthewholeworld.
Token Pro.:Rel,Identifying Value
Itcanbeseenobviouslythatrelationalprocessesareusedint h e collected speeches to describe the background as well as the pandemic,thesymptoms,thespeakers‟ gratitude,buttheforemostusingof thispro cessisfor inspiring people to share their responsibilities for the nations in particularand for theworld in general.
Mentalprocesses
Mental processes take up 16,65% of the total processes in the speakers‟speeches,m o s t l y a b o u t t h e s p e a k e r s ‟ t h o u g h t s M e n t a l p r o c e s s e s a r e processes of sensing, construing the world of “ human consciousness”. Theyare related to consciousness, perception, and thoughts with the verbs like know, believe, hear … There are two participants in mental process: SensorandPhenomenon.Mentalprocessconsistsofthreekinds:Perception,Affect ionand Cognition.
Mentalprocessesarefoundincollecteddatatoshowspeakers‟thoughts.Theyareil lustratedinthefollowing examples.
Grandparents haven‟t seen their children or grandchildren. Parentshaven‟tseentheirkids.Kidshaven‟tseentheirfriends.[C47,48,49S2] Grandparents haven‟tseen theirchildrenorgrandchildren.
Inaboveexamples,“Grandparents”,“Parents”,and“Kids”areSenser, the verb“haven‟t seen”expresses the mental process and“ theirchildren”or grandchildren”/” their kids”/ “ their friends”are Phenomenon.This utterance is used to remind people about the damage that COVID 19 hascaused The problem by this pandemic is also illustrated by mental process inotherspeeches.Forexample:
In the past week, we have seen a rapid escalation of cases of COVID- 19.[C2S1]
Inthepastweek, we haveseen arapidescalationof casesof COVID-19.
Circumstance Senser Pro.: Mental Phenomenon
“we”isthesenserofthisprocess.“have seen”istheverbexpressi ngtheprocess.“arapidescalationofcasesofCOVID-
The speaker uses this mental process to describe the dangerous threat, whichspreads silently and quickly However, the most important thing to do is notjustdescribingthepandemicorjustconveyingthepityforwhath a d happened.
So, the next example of mental process is used to press people totaketheurgentactionsinordertosavethenationsinthisalarmingtime.
Int h i s ab ov e e x a m p l e , “We”i st h e se nser ,t he ve rb“ k n o w ” e x p re ss e sthe process and “how to stop this virus”is the phenomenon.By using thisprocess, the speaker wants to confirm that the virus can be controlled becauseweknowhowtostop it.
In short, there are numerous examples of mental processes in thecollecteddata.Theyareutilizedtoexpressmostlythespeakers‟thought,whatthepan demicdestroyed andhowtogetoverit.
Verbalprocesses
With 141 instances of occurrence, verbal processes account for 7,16%.Theyareusedtocallpeople‟sattention,toadvise,tosharethenews,informati onconcerning thepandemic.
Verbal process is the process of saying One participant is involved inverbal process isSayer,human Another participant may be involved in verbalprocess, that is also typically human,Receiver- the participant to whom thesayingisaddressed.Incertaincases,theverbalprocessmaybedirectedat,rathertha naddressedto,anotherparticipant.ThisparticipantiscalledtheTarget
There is another type of participant that may appear in a verbal processapartfromthepeopletalking:themessageitself.Themessagecanb e summarizedinthe formofanominalgroupfunctioningasaparticipantintheprocess.It iscalled theVerbiage
If your friends ask you tomeet, you should say
Byusingthisverbalprocess,speakerwantstoaskpeopleinthenationsto raisetheirawarenessofisolating inordernotto spreadthevirus.
Theverbalprocessisalsousedwiththepurposeofguidingpeopleth ewayto showtheir lovewithotherpeoplein this hard time.
We ask people to express their solidarity by refraining from hoardingessentialitems, including medicines [C45S1]
We ask people to express their solidarity by refrainingfromhoardingessential items, includingmedicines.
Sayer Pro.:verbal Receiver Projected
Existentialprocesses
Existential process is used to express that something exists or happens.This process is normally recognizable by the subject “there” Below are someexamplesfromthe collected speeches.
There is no hiding from the fact that the coronavirus outbreak will presentsignificantchallengesfor thenations, justas itdoesin othercountries [C20S4]
Thereis nohiding from the fact that…
Thisexistentialprocessisused toshowthe existence ofthethreatt hatnot only the nations but also all the world have to suffer Furthermore, thisprocessis also usedto expressthelosscaused bythepandemic.
Themostconcerningat thetimeishowtodealwiththispandemic,s othe speaker uses more than one existential processes to call on the nations tojoininghandstodisputetheconquest ofCOVID19.
Withoutahugenationalefforttohaltthegrowthofthisvirus,therewillcomea moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope; because therewon‟tbeenoughventilators,enoughintensivecarebeds,enoughdoctorsandnurses [C6S5]
Withoutahugenatio nalefforttohalttheg rowthof thisvirus, therewill come amoment whennohealthservi ceintheworld could possiblycope;
Circumstance Pro:Existential Existent Circumstance because therewon‟tbe enoughv e n t i l a t o r s , e n o u g h i n t e n s i v e carebeds,enoughdoctorsandnurses.
Besides, this kind of process is used to announce the number of peoplereceived vaccine.
There‟sbeing55%ofourpopulationreceivingatleastoneshotofthevaccine.[C5S15] There‟s being 55%o f o u r p o p u l a t i o n r e c e i v i n g a t leastoneshotofthevaccine.
Existentialprocess isalsousedtoe x p r e s s c e r t a i n t y f o r t h e b e l i e f o f theimpactonthecommunityt o theeconomyofthecountry.F orexample:
There is every reason to believe thattheeconomicr e b o u n d , w h e n i t c o m e s , canberobust [C37S3]
From the above analyzed examples, it can be seen clearly that existentialprocesses used in the collected data express the existence of the problems thatpeople have faced,suffered andshow outthe solutions to cope with thepandemic.
Behaviouralprocesses
The leastfrequent isBehaviouralprocesswith1 , 8 2 % T h e a u t h o r s rarelytalkabouttheconsciousactivitiesofthec h a r a c t e r s M a n y grammarians argue that Behavioural process is a mix of material process andmental process For example, Matin et al (1997) describe these processes asgrammatically mixed with materialprocess on the one hand and Mental/verbalontheother.Typically,behaviouralprocesseshaveonlyoneparticip ant: theBehaver,who can be only human It is the subject of the verbexpressingt h e p r o c e s s I n s o m e c l a u s e s , t h e r e m a y b e a n o t h e r p a r t i c i p a n t :
The most frequent verb in this group is„cough‟.This kind of process isfound from the collected data to express the thing that people should do topreventtheinfection otherswith thevirus.For example:
Inthisexample,“you”istheBehaverandtheverb“sneezeorcough”expresses thebehavioural process The speaker wants to mention tothe symptoms of the disease, and ask people who have these symptoms to stayhome.Anotheradviceisgiven byusing thiskind ofprocess:
The patient should sleep in a separate bedroom to others and use a differentbathroom.[C28S1]
In above example,behaveris“the patient”,“should sleep”is the verb ofbehaviouralprocess.Byusingthisprocess,thespeakerexpressestheimportanceofthe people‟sawarenessaboutpreventionanddefeatingt h e virusin community.
Circumstances
Location
AsindicatedinTable4.2,thisisthemostcircumstanceelementappearing in the speeches As the dominant circumstance,Locationaccountsfor 46,09%.
Spatial and temporal location has nearly the same percentage ofoccurrence. These numbers signify that the speeches concentrate on situatingevents in time and space The general interrogative of Location are“Where?”and“when?”.
Another option is for patients with mild disease to be isolated and caredfor at home.[C25S1]
Another option is forpatientswithmild disease tobeisolatedandcaredfor athome
Value Pro.:relational Token Cir.:Location
The circumstance used in this example is“at home”expressing locationof place.By using this circumstance, the speaker wants to mention the placewhereinfected peoplehave been saved for.
The patient should sleep in a separate bedroom to others and use adifferentbathroom [C28S1]
Behaver Pro:behavioural Cir.:location
Location in this example is used to express the appropriate place ofisolation to keep the virus on the control with the Circumstance of location:“intheseparatebedroom”.
Besides, the circumstance of location of time is also used in thespeeches.For example:
Every day, more tests are being produced to meet the global demand[C18S1]
Everyday, moretests arebeing produced tomeetthe globaldemand
Cir.:Location Goal Pro.:Material Circumstance
“Every day”in above example illustrates the circumstance of locationabout time This location of time is used to show the frequency of testproductiontomeettheneedsoftheworld.
Manner
TheCircumstantialMannerconstruesthewayinwhichprocessisactualized.There are four subcategories of Manner including Means,Quality,Comparison, and Degree With 21.73%,Manneris the second most frequenttypeinthecorpus.AnumerousexamplesoftheCircumstantialMannercanbe found from the collected data They are used to express the speedy scale ofCOVID 19‟s spread and how the people feel with what has happened Forexample:
But atpresenttherearejustnoeasyoptions.Thewayaheadishard,anditis stilltrue thatmany lives willsadly belost [C38S5]
Manylives will sadly be lost
Carrier Pro.:Relational Cir.: manner
Thiscircumstantialmanner“sadly”inthissentenceexpressestheg riefoftheaction “beinglost”ofpeople‟slives.
Besides,thespeakeralsomentionsstrongactionstocontrolthevirusbyusingt his kind ofcircumstance.Forinstance:
We will continue to use these powers forcefully, proactively, and aggressivelyuntilwe are confidentthatwe aresolidly on the road torecovery
We willcontinue to use these powers forcefully, proactively, andaggressively until….
Actor Pro.:Material Range Cir.: Manner ….
Circumstantial Manner in this example is “forcefully, proactively, andaggressively” This type of circumstance is used to express how strongly thegovernmentusepower in COVID-19timetomakeabetterlife.
Cause
Causetells about why the process happens There are three subtypeswhich construe the cause why the process is actualized includingReason,PurposeandBehalf.
With10, 87%, the thirdranklieswithcircumstancesofcause. Thesubtypesofcausearepresentedintheanalysis.For example:
Now because of all the work we‟ve done, we‟ll have enough vaccinesupplyforalladultsinAmericabytheendof May.[C92S2]
Now because of allthework we‟vedone,
We „ llhave enough vaccine supply for alladult s inA merica by the endof May
Attribute Beneficiary Cir.:loc ation
In above example, subtype reason“because of all the work we‟ve done”is used to express the reason why the nations have enough vaccine supply andmore important thing is that the receivers of all try are the people of thenations.
As a result of the economic dislocations caused by the virus, some essentialfinancialmarketshadbeguntosinkintodysfunction,andmanychannelsthathouse holds, businesses, and state and local governments rely on for credit hadsimplystopped working [C20S3]
As aresultofthe economicdislocation scaused by thevirus, someess entialfina ncialmarkets hadbe guntos ink intodysfun ction and many channelsthat households,busi nesses, andstate and localgovernment srely onfor credit hadsim plystop pedworki ng
“As a result of the economic dislocations caused by the virus”is theCause in this example By using this cause, the speaker mentions to the reasonwhy“somee s s e n t i a l f i n a n c i a l m a r k e t s h a d b e g u n t o s i n k i n t o d y s f u n c t i o n , andmanychannelsthathouseholds,businesses,andstateandlo calgovernmentsrelyonforcredit hadsimplystoppedworking”.
Accompaniment
Accompanimenttells aboutwithorwithout whoorwhatand is can be probedbywhoorwhat else? It is expressed by prepositional phrase such aswith,without, besides, andinstead of Two types of Accompaniment areComitativeandAdditive.
And the more people who are fully vaccinated, the CD [CDC] will continue toprovide guidance on what you can do in the workplace, with friends, and as well astravel.[C108S2]
… And the morepeople who arefully vaccinate, theCD
[CDC] willconti nuetoprov ide guidance onwhatyouca ndo in the workplace, withfri ends, and as wellastrav el
Cir.:LocationInthisexample,thesubtypeofAccompaniment:Comitative“withfriends”is used to remind people what should they do with their friends orwhentheytravel.
Matter
Mattertells about what and with reference to what The interrogativeform for it iswhat about? Accounting for 5,95% in the collected speecheswith86instances occurrence,matteris usedtoexplainm o r e i n f o r m a t i o n aboutbackground ofCOVID19.For example:
Tonight I want to speak with you about our nation‟s unprecedented responseto the coronavirus outbreak that started in China and is now spreading throughouttheworld [C1S7]
Tonight I wantt o speak with you about our nation‟sunpreced entedresponse to thecoronavirusoutbre ak thatsta rted inChina and…
UsingwithCircumstantialelementofmatter“aboutournation‟sunprecede nted response to the coronavirus outbreak” ,the speaker wants toemphasize the amazing solution that the nations response to fight against thedangerousvirus.
Extent
With 67 instances of occurrence,extentaccounts for 4,64% They areused to call people‟s attention, to share the news, information concerning thepandemic.
Extent construes the extent of the unfolding of the process in space andtime:the distance in space over which the purpose unfolds or the duration intime during which the process unfolds Examples about extent found in thecollecteddataareasfollowing:
These measures should continue for at least two weeks after symptomsdisappear.[C31S1]
Thesemeasures shouldcontinue forat least two weeks aftersymptoms disappear.
Actor Pro: Material Cir:Extent Circumstance
“for at leasttwoweeks”isthe phraseexpressingtheextent inthisexample It is the answer for the question“how long?” This extent is used togive advice on how long the patient should maintain the measures for thediseasee v e n t h o u g h t h e r e a r e n o t th esymptoms a n y m o r e T h e p a n d e m i c i s reallydangerousandallpeoplecannotignorethedangerithasbroughtto.
The extent used in this following example emphasizes the period of timefrom the past up to now that the virus has destroyed the people‟ health and thedifficultyof howtodeal with.
Sofar,wehaveseenepidemicsincountrieswithadvancedhealthsystems.Bute venthey havestruggled to cope.[C38S1]
Cir:Extent Senser Pro:Mental Phenomenon
“So far”in the example illustrates the time from the past to the presentthat COVID 19 has appeared, spread out and caused many troubles to thepeople‟lives.
Role
Rolefallsintotwogroups.TheyareGuise(“be”)andProduct(“become”).Guise answers the questionwhat as?and construes the meaning of “be”(attribute or identity) in the form of circumstance Product corresponds to thequestionwhatinto? andconstruesthemeaningof“become”.
With 14 instances of occurrence,roleaccounts for 0,97 % Here is anexampleof this circumstantialelement.
The critical task of delivering financial support directly to those most affectedfalls to elected officials, who use their powers of taxation and spending to makedecisionsaboutwherewe,asasociety,shoulddirectourcollectiveresources
Where we, asasociety, shoulddirect ourcollective resources.
… Actor Cir.: Role Pro.:material Goal
“ as a society”is the Role in this example By using this Role, thespeakerwantstoexpressthestrengthofunionofall peoplein thenations.
Angle
AngleisrelatedtotheSayerofVerbalprocess,withthesenseof“as….says”.Be sides, it is also related to theSenserofmental process, withthe sense of“as… thinks” There are two subtypes of this circumstantialelement includingSourceandViewpoint With 13 instances of occurrence,Angleaccount for 0,89%.
This circumstantial element of Angle can be found from the collecteddata to express more details about the Source and the Viewpoint from whatspeakersays.
And it will cut child poverty in this country in half, according to the experts [C188S2]
And it willcut child poverty in this country inhalf, accordingt o theexperts
The Angle “according to the experts” in this example is used to tell moreaboutthesourceoftheinformation given before.
Contingency
Contingencyexpressesanelementonwhichtheactualizationoftheprocess depends on what It consists of 3 subtypes, including:Condition,Concession,andDefault With only 1 instance of occurrence,
Without a huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus, there willcome a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope; becausethere won‟t be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors andnurses.[C6S5]
Withoutahugenationale ffortt o haltt h e g r o w t h o f thisvirus, therewill come amoment whennohealthserv iceintheworld could possiblycope;
Cir.:Contingency Pro.:Existential Existent Circumstance
The above utterance consists of the circumstantial contingency
“Withouta huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus” It is used to appreciatetheunion ofthewholenationsinthecombatagainst COVID19.
To sum up, all of the six process types and nine circumstances are foundin the texts analyzed As for processes,Material,
RelationalandMentalareused more often than the others withMaterialranking the first, followed byRelational andMentalrespectively Interestingly, both subtypes ofRelationalprocessesnamelyAttributeandIdentifyingappearintheanalysis.The proportion ofVerbal, BehaviouralandExistentialare far lower than the firstthree mentioned processes; however, they play a significant role in conveyingmeanings in the text Concerning the circumstances, the highest number fallsonlocation, reflecting that the speakers strongly explain or describe the timeand placeoftheevents.
This chapter summarizes the major findings and draws conclusions.Italsoprovidespedagogicalimplications,limitationsandputsforwardssuggestionsfor furtherresearch.
Summaryofthefindings
19.TheexperientialmeaninginthetextswasanalyzedbasedonHalliday&Matthies sen's Systemic Functional Grammar framework The three researchquestions are (1) What kinds of processes and circumstances of clauses areusedinAmericanpoliticians'speeches?
And(3)HowdotheAmericanpoliticiansexperiencetheworldinCOVID-19time? Theanalysisshowsthatallsixtypesofprocessesareusedinthespeeches,namel yMaterial,Relational,Mental,Existential,VerbalandBehavioural, of whichMaterialprocesses achievet h e h i g h e s t p r o p o r t i o n This suggests a strong description of actions and events that the charactersparticipate in.Relational processesare the second most frequent process typeused in the texts in order to describe the settings of the pandemic, its danger,the symptoms, the speakers' gratitude, but the foremostu s i n g o f t h i s p r o c e s s is for inspiring people to share their responsibilities in COVID time.Mentalprocesses make up a small proportion of the data; however, they are importantinrevealingthespeakers'thoughts,feelingsorp e r c e p t i o n s E x i s t e n t i a l , VerbalandBehaviouralprocesses are less common In addition to clarifyingthea c t i o n s , C i r c u m s t a n t i a lL o c a t i o n w h i c he x p r e s s e s i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t t h e time,placethatactivitiesandeventshappenislargelypresentedinthespeeches It is followed by circumstantialManner to present the speedy scaleof COVID 19's spread and how the people feel about what has happened.Besides,Causeranksthirdincollectedspeechestoconstruewhyt h e pr ocesses are actualized Other circumstantial types namelyAccompaniment,Matter,Extent,Role,AngleandContingencyareallusedi nc o l l e c t e d speecheswithasmall proportion.
FromtheaboveanalysisfindingsitcanbeconcludedabouthowAmerican politicians experienced the world in COVID -19 time The highpercentage of material processes shows that these politicians focus on seriouseffects of the pandemic and real actions people must take to surpass the virus.Theyalsofocusondescribingtheseriousnessofthediseasebyusingrelational processesandaskforthepeople‟sawarenessabouttheconsequences it may cause to people‟s health and lifewith mental processes.TheAmericanpoliticiansalsogive very detailedinformationaboutp l a c e , time of the COVID related issues and suggestthe way to cope with thedisease.
Implications
The results of the close analysis have immediate implications as follows.Hopefully,thestudymaysupportresearcherswhofocusonSystemicFunct ionalGrammar,especiallyonexperientialmeaningwithitspowertool- transitivitysystem.
Besides, this study may be beneficial to politicians who deliver speecheswith the ways how to convince the listeners by using appropriate processesand circumstances.
For teachers and learners, this study is hoped to help them recognize theroleoflanguageintimesofdifficulties.Consequently,theycanusethemasa usefulteachingaidtohelplearnersdeveloptheirEnglishasaforeignlanguage.Using as reading and/or listening materials, their proficiency can beimproved,andtheirvocabularyandstructuresresourcecanbeenriched.
Limitationsandsuggestions forfurtherresearch
A clear limitation of this study is that this research focuses on only theexperiential meaning A further limitation is the size of the corpus, which isrelatively small This leads to only tentative conclusions instead of applicablegeneralizations Hopefully, despite the mentioned limitations, this study couldcontribute useful knowledge to English educators and learners of EnglishFunctionalLanguage. Thisstudyhasbroughtupmanyquestionsinneedoffurtherinvestigation.Furt her workneedstobedoneasfollows:
- An investigation into the effect of using these speeches in solving thepractical matters,namelythepandemic.
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19,16March 2020 https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/
2 Remarks by President Biden on the anniversary of the COVID-
19shutdown https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches- remarks/2021/03/11/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the- anniversary-of-the-covid-19-shutdown/
At the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy,
4 Prime Minister's statement on coronavirus (COVID-19) - 9
March2020 https://www.theguardian.com/politics/
5 Prime Minister-Boris Johnson-addressed the nation oncoronavirus. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/
OpeningRemarks,June2,2021 https://www.paho.org/en/media/weekly-press-briefing-covid-19- situation-americas
CNBCTelevision https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrPZBTNjX_o&ts
James S Brady Press Briefing Roomhttps:// www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/
19JamesS.BradyPressBriefing Room https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/
James S Brady Press Briefing Roomhttps:// www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/
11 Gov.GretchenWhitmer‟sspeech onCOVID-19 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubGdNrbrRZY
12 Dr.JanaeKhaldoon‟sspeechonCOVID-19 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubGdNrbrRZY
14 Dr.SrikarReddy‟sspeechonCOVID-19 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubGdNrbrRZY
PresidentandCEO of the MichiganManufacturersAssociationhttps:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubGdNrbrRZY
CNBCTelevision https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4iaUt6dEgU
CommitteeChairCNBCTelevision https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4iaUt6dEgU
CNBCTelevision https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4iaUt6dEgU
19Congresswoman an American politician serving as speaker of the United
CNBCTelevision https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4iaUt6dEgU
Television https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4iaUt6dEgU