TRANSITIVITY AND ITS REALIZATION IN THE SHORT STORY “THE NIGHTINGALE AND THE ROSE” BY OSCAR WILDE FROM SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR PERSPECTIVE

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN QUỲNH TRANG TRANSITIVITY AND ITS REALIZATION IN THE SHORT STORY “THE NIGHTINGALE AND THE ROSE” BY OSCAR WILDE FROM SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR PERSPECTIVE (Chuyển tác thể truyện ngắn “The Nightingale and the Rose” Oscar Wilde góc độ ngữ pháp chức hệ thống) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English linguistics Code: 60220201 Hanoi – 2014 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN QUỲNH TRANG TRANSITIVITY AND ITS REALIZATION IN THE SHORT STORY “THE NIGHTINGALE AND THE ROSE” BY OSCAR WILDE FROM SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR PERSPECTIVE (Chuyển tác thể truyện ngắn “The Nightingale and the Rose” Oscar Wilde góc độ ngữ pháp chức hệ thống) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English linguistics Code: 60220201 Supervisor: Prof Dr Hoàng Văn Vân Hanoi – 2014 DECLARATION A thesis submitted for the partial fulfillment of degree of Master of Art in English Linguistics Vietnam National University, Hanoi University of Language and International Studies Faculty of Postgraduate Studies I declare that this thesis hereby is the presentation of my original work Wherever contributions of others are involved, every effort is made to indicate this clearly, with due reference to the literature, and acknowledgement of collaborative research and discussions The work was done under the guidance of Professor Hoang Van Van, at the University of Language and International Studies, Hanoi Hanoi, September 2014 Nguyễn Quỳnh Trang i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study has, in many senses, been accomplished with the help and encouragement of many people Therefore, I hereby would like to express my appreciation to all of them First and foremost, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Prof Dr Hoang Van Van, for his invaluable inspiration, assistance and guidance during the time I tried to complete this thesis My sincere thanks go to all my teachers at University of Languages and International Studies (ULIS) for their enthusiastic lectures during this M.A program I also thank Assoc Dr Le Hung Tien and the staff members of the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies for their enthusiastic support Last but not least, I also owe my family, my friends and my classmates for their whole-hearted support and encouragement in bringing this study to a success ii ABSTRACT This study offers an analysis of the transitivity system used in the short story “The Nightingale and the Rose” by Oscar Wilde using Halliday's systemic functional grammar as the theoretical framework The main goals are to explore systemic functional grammar concepts and to use them as the framework for the analysis and discussion of the story It also conducts an analysis of how Oscar Wilde uses the different types of process and the attending circumstances in his story The emerging patterns will be summarized to reveal the experiential meanings of the short story; some educational implications will be made and some suggestions will be offered for further studies iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration………………………………………………………………………….….i Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………ii Abstract…………………………………………………………………………… iii Table of contents…………………………………………………………………… iv List of tables………………………………………………………………………… vi Abbreviations……………………………………… ………………………….……vi PART A: INTRODUCTION……………………………………………….…………1 Rational of the study … Aim and objectives of the study ………………………………………………… 3 Scope of the study … .3 Methods of the study……………………………………………………………… Design of the study………………………………………………………………… PART B: DEVELOPMENT……………………………………………………….….5 CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND………………………………….5 1.1 An overview of systemic functional grammar ………………………………… 1.2 The theory on transitivity……………………………………………….………….7 1.3 The transitivity system……………………………………………………….…….8 1.3.1 Material process……….………………………………………….………9 1.3.2 Mental process…………….……………………………………….….….9 1.3.3 Relational process………….……………………………………… … 10 1.3.4 Behavioral process………………………….………… ………………11 iv 1.3.5 Verbal process……………………………….……………… ……… 12 1.3.6 Existential process……………………………………………………….12 1.3.7 Other participant functions…………… …………………….…………12 1.3.8 Circumstances……….………………………………………………… 13 1.4 Summary………………………………………………………………………….14 CHAPTER 2: TRANSITIVITY AND ITS REALIZATION IN THE SHORT STORY “THE NIGHTINGALE AND THE ROSE”…….……………………… 15 2.1 The context of the chosen text……………………………….………………… 15 2.2 The analysis of the story into clauses ………………………………………… 16 2.3 The transitivity analysis of the short story “The Nightingale and the Rose”… 17 2.3.1 The transitivity pattern of the text…………………………………… 17 2.3.2 Circumstances used in the text………………………………………… 20 2.4 Summary………………………………………………………………………….22 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION …………………… ……… … 23 3.1 Findings………………………………………………………………………… 23 3.2 Discussion……………………………………………………………………… 25 3.2.1 The first part of the story……………………………….………………25 3.2.2 The second part of the story……………………………………………29 3.2.3 The third part of the story………………………………………………32 3.2.4 The fourth part of the story……….…………………………………….34 3.3 Summary…………………………………….……………………………………35 PART C: CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………36 v Summary……………………………………………………………………………36 Limitations of the study…………………………………………………………….37 Implications…………………………………………………………………………37 Suggestions for further studies……………………………………… ……………38 REFERENCES…… ……………………………………………………………… 39 APPENDICES……………………………………………………………………… I Appendix 1: The clause analysis of the text………….……………………………….I Appendix 2: The analysis of the text in terms of transitivity……………………… IX vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Process types in English…………………………………………………….9 Table 2: Types of circumstance elements…………………………… …………….14 Table 3: Frequency of process types in the story………………… ……………….24 ABBRIVIATIONS Circ: Circumstance Pheno: Phenomenon SFG: Systemic functional grammar Accom: Accompaniment vii PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale Of all possible human qualities, the one that wields the most power is the ability to use, understand and communicate effectively through language A proficient use of language allows us to communicate an exact idea from one person to another person or group of people We can use language to let others know how we feel, what we need, and even ask questions Clearly, language cannot be separated from human life Being aware of the importance of language, many well-known linguists have studied the way the language is structured We usually call this grammar There are many ways of describing the grammar of language If pre-twentieth centuries approach represents traditional grammar, most twentieth-century approaches are varieties of formal grammar and functional grammar The main thing that traditional grammar set out to teach was the parts of speech, or word classes: noun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction and so on (Cope, 1993) However, according to Christie (1981), it will be a “jail” when teaching traditional grammar for the students, because the teachers will be bound to teaching language structure without any reference to the learning context (cited in Cope, 1993) Like traditional grammar, formal grammar specifies all the possible grammatical structures of a language It viewed grammar as set of rules and focused on forms of grammatical structures and their relationships to one another Through this period of teaching both types of grammar, some linguists were thinking to generate one more developed grammar which is systemic functional grammar (Halliday et al, cited in Cope, 1993) Many approaches to linguistics focus entirely on the purely structural characteristics of language, and ignore the possible functions of language Thus, functional grammar appeared as a means for seeking and solving problems such as using words “in context” (Halliday, 2004) Functional grammar offers us an analytical (180) TRAN (181) TRAN (182) TRAN and his lips Carrier are Process: relational and his breath Carrier The Student Behaver sweet Attribute as honey, Circ: Comparison is Process: relational like frankincense,” Attribute: Comparision (183) from the grass, and listened, Circ: Location Process: behavioural looked up Process: behavioural (184) but he Sener TRAN (185) what Verbiage TRAN (186) for TRAN (187) TRAN (188) that Goal But TRAN (190) for TRAN (191) TRAN (192) TRAN the Nightingale Sayer he Senser who Actor "Sing Process: material only was saying Process: verbal knew Process: mental to him Receiver the things Phenomenon are written down Process: material the Oak-tree Sener he Carrier could not understand Process: mental in books Circ: Location (189) understood, and felt Process: mental Process: mental was Process: relational had built Process: material me Receiver very fond of the little Nightingale Attribute her nest Goal one last song,” Goal XXVI sad, Pheno in his branches Circ: Location (193) he whispered; Sayer Process: verbal (194) “I Carrier TRAN (195) TRAN (196) shall feel Process: relational when Circ: Location you Carrier So the Nightingale Behaver and her voice Carrier TRAN (197) TRAN are Process: relational sang Process: behavioural was Process: relational very lonely Attribute gone.” Attribute to the Oak-tree, Receiver like water bubbling from a silver jar Attribute: Comparision (198) TRAN (199) When Circ: Location the Student TRAN Actor got up, Process: material and she Actor (200) pulled Process: material (201) had finished Process: material a note-book and a lead-pencil Goal her song Goal out of his pocket Circ: Location (202) “She has form,” he said to himself, TRAN Possessor Process: Possessed Sayer Process: Receiver relational verbal (203) as he walked away through the grove TRAN Actor Process: material Circ: Location (204) "that cannot be denied to her; TRAN Goal Process: material Recipient (205) but has she got feeling? TRAN Possessor Possessed Process: relational XXVII (206) TRAN (207) I Carrier In fact, TRAN (208) TRAN (209) she Carrier am Process: relational she Carrier afraid not Attribute is Process: relational is Process: relational like most artists; Attribute all style, without any sincerity Attribute She would not sacrifice herself for others TRAN Actor Process: material Goal Circ: Cause (210) She thinks merely of music, TRAN Senser Process: mental Circ: Manner Phenomenon (211) (212) and everybody knows that the arts are selfish TRAN Senser Process: Carrier Process: Attribute mental relational (213) (214) Still, it must be that she has some in her admitted beautiful voice notes TRAN Goal Process: Possessor Process: Possessed Circ: material relational Location (215) What a pity it is TRAN Attribute Carrier Process: relational (216) (217) that they not anything or any practical mean good." TRAN Identified Process: Identifier Process: Goal relational material (218) (219) And he went into his room, and lay down on his little XXVIII TRAN Actor Process: material Circ: Location Process: Material pallet-bed, Circ: Location (220) and began to think of Process: material TRAN (221) and after a time, Circ: Extent TRAN (222) And TRAN (223) TRAN (224) and TRAN (225) TRAN he Carrier when the Moon Circ: Location Actor the Nightingale Actor fell Process: relational shone Process: material flew Process: material set Process: material All night long Circ: Extent his love; Goal her breast Goal in the heavens Circ: Location to the Rose-tree, Circ: Location against the thorn, Circ: Location she sang with her breast against the thorn, Behaver Process: behavioural Circ: Accom (226) TRAN asleep Attribute and the cold crystal Moon Behaver Circ: Location (227) and listened Process: behavioural leaned down Process: behavioural (228) TRAN (229) All night long Circ: Extent and TRAN the thorn Actor she Behaver went Process: material sang Process: behavioural deeper and deeper Circ: Manner XXIX into her breast, Circ: Location (230) and TRAN (231) She her life-blood Actor ebbed Process: material sang first TRAN Actor Process: material (232) And on the top-most spray of the Rose-tree TRAN Circ: Location away from her Circ: Location of the birth of love Goal there blossomed Process: Existential in the heart of a boy and a girl Circ: Location a marvellous rose, Existent (233) petal following petal, as TRAN (234) Pale TRAN Attribute (235) at the mist first, that as TRAN Actor song Actor followed Process: material was Process: relational hangs over the river pale Process: material Circ: Location song Goal it, Carrier as the feet of the morning, and silver as the wings of the dawn Circ: Comparison (236) As the shadow of a rose in a mirror of silver, as the shadow of a rose in a water-pool, TRAN Circ: Comparison so was Attribute Process: relational the rose, Carrier (237) TRAN that Actor blossomed Process: material XXX on the topmost spray of the Tree Circ: Location (238), (252) But TRAN (239),(253) the Tree Behaver to press Process: material TRAN (240), (254) “Press TRAN Process: material (242), (256) “or TRAN (244), (258) So TRAN cried Process: behavioural the Day Actor closer Circ: Manner closer, to the Nightingale Receiver against the thorn Circ: Location (241), (255) cried the Tree, little Nightingale," Circ: Actor Process: Behaver Manner behavioural (243), (257) will come before the rose is finished.” Process: material Goal Process: material the Nightingale pressed Actor Process: material closer Circ: Manner against the thorn, Circ: Location (245) and TRAN (246) for louder and louder Attribute grew Process: relational sang of the birth of passion Actor TRAN she Process: material Goal her song, Carrier in the soul of a man and a maid Circ: Location (247) And TRAN a delicate flush of pink came into Carrier Process: relational XXXI the leaves of like the flush in the the rose, face of the bridegroom Attribute Circ: Comparison (248) when he kisses the lips of the bride TRAN Circ: Location Actor Process: material Goal (249) But the thorn had not yet reached her heart, TRAN Actor Process: material Goal (250) so the rose's heart remained white, TRAN Identified Process: relational Identifier (251) for only a Nightingale's can crimson the heart of a heart's-blood rose TRAN Actor Process: material Goal (259) and the thorn touched her heart, TRAN Actor Process: material Goal (260) and a fierce pang of pain shot through her TRAN Actor Process: material Circ: Location (261) Bitter, bitter was the pain, TRAN Attribute Process: relational Carrier (262) and wilder and wilder grew her song, TRAN Attribute Process: relational Carrier (263) for she sang of the Love TRAN Actor Process: material Goal (264) that is perfected by Death, TRAN Goal Process: material Actor (265) of the Love that dies not in the tomb TRAN Actor Process: material Circ: Location XXXII (266) And TRAN the marvellous rose Carrier became crimson, Process: relational Attribute like the rose of the eastern sky Circ: Comparison (267) Crimson was the girdle of petals, TRAN Attribute Process: relational Carrier (268) and crimson as a ruby was the heart TRAN Attribute Circ: Comparison Process: relational Carrier (269) But the Nightingale's voice grew fainter, TRAN Carrier Process: relational Attribute (270) and her little wings began to beat, TRAN Actor Process: material (271) and a film came over her eyes TRAN Actor Process: material Circ: Location (272) Fainter and fainter grew her song, TRAN Attribute Process: relational Carrier (273) (274) and she felt something choking her in her throat TRAN Senser Process: Pheno Process: Goal Circ: mental material Location (275) Then she gave one last burst of music TRAN Circ: Location Actor Process: material Receiver Goal (276) (277) The white heard it, and she forgot the Moon dawn, XXXIII TRAN Senser Process: mental Pheno Senser Process: Pheno mental (278) and lingered on Process: material TRAN (279) in the sky Circ: Location The red rose Senser TRAN (280) heard Process: mental and it Actor and opened Process: material TRAN trembled Process: material all over Circ: Extent it Phenomenon with ecstasy, Circ: Manner (281) TRAN (282) Echo TRAN Actor bore Process: material its petals Goal it Goal to the cold morning air Circ: Location to her purple cavern Circ: Location in the hills, Circ: Location (283) and woke Process: material TRAN (284) TRAN (285) It Actor and TRAN (286) TRAN (288) TRAN they Actor floated Process: material from their dreams Circ: Location through the reeds of the river, Circ: Location carried Process: material "Look, look!" Process: behavioural “the rose Goal the sleeping shepherds Goal its message Goal (287) to the sea Circ: Location cried Process: behavioural is finished Process: material XXXIV now”; Circ: Location the Tree, Behaver (289) but the Nightingale Sayer TRAN (290) for she TRAN made Process: verbal was lying Behaver dead Process: behavioural Circ: Manner in the long grass, Circ: Location no answer, Verbiage with the thorn in her heart Circ: Accom Circ: Location (291) And at noon Circ: Location TRAN the Student Actor opened Process: Material his window Goal (292) and looked Process: Material TRAN (293) "Why, what a wonderful piece of luck!" TRAN (296) TRAN “here Circ: Location I Senser cried; Process: behavioural is Process: existential have never seen Process: mental It Carrier he Behaver TRAN (294) TRAN (295) out Circ: Location is Process: relational a red rose! Existent any rose Pheno like it in all my life Circ:Comparison Circ: Extent (297) so beautiful that I am sure Attribute Carrier Process: Attribute relational (298) TRAN it Possessor has Process: relational XXXV a long Latin name" Possessed (299) and TRAN (301) TRAN (302) he Actor leaned down Process: material Then Circ: Location and run up TRAN Process: material he Actor and (300) plucked Process: material put on Process: material to the Professor‟s house Circ: Location it Goal his hat, Goal with the rose in his hand Circ: Circ: Location Accompaniment (303) TRAN (304) TRAN (305) The daughter of the Professor Behaver winding Process: material and TRAN (306) TRAN (308) TRAN was sitting Process: behavioural blue silk Goal in the doorway Circ: Location on a reel, Circ: Location her little dog was lying Behaver Process: behavioural at her feet Circ: Location (307) “You said that you would dance with me Sayer Process: Behaver Process: Circ: verbal behavioural Accompaniment (309) if I brought you a red cried the rose,” Student Actor Process: Receiver Goal Process: Behaver material behavioural (310) “Here TRAN Circ: Location is Process: existential the reddest rose Existent XXXVI in all the world Circ: Extent (311) You will wear it to-night next your heart, TRAN Actor Process: Goal Circ: Location Circ: Location material (312) and as we dance together TRAN Behaver Process: behavioural Circ: Accompaniment (313) (314) it will tell you how I love you.” TRAN Sayer Process: Receiver Circ: Senser Process: Pheno verbal Manner mental (315) (316) But the girl frowned “I am afraid TRAN Actor Process: Carrier Process: Attribute material relational (317) (318) it will not go my dress,” she answered; with TRAN Carrier Process: Attribute Sayer Process: relational verbal (319) "and, the Chamberlain's has sent me some real besides, nephew jewels, TRAN Actor Process: Receiver Goal material (320) (321) and everybody knows that jewels cost far more than flowers." TRAN Senser Process: Carrier Process: Attribute mental relational (322) “Well, upon my word, you are very ungrateful," TRAN Carrier Process: relational Attribute (323) said the Student angrily; XXXVII TRAN (324) Process: verbal and TRAN (325) he Actor Sayer threw Process: material Circ: Manner the rose Goal into the street, Circ: Location where it fell into the gutter, TRAN Circ: Location Actor Process: material Circ: Location (326) and a cart-wheel went over it TRAN Actor Process: material Goal (327) "Ungrateful!" said the girl TRAN Process: verbal Sayer (328) “I tell you what, TRAN Sayer Process: verbal Receiver Verbiage (329) you are very rude; TRAN Carrier Process: relational Attribute (330) after all who are you? Only a Student TRAN Identified Process: relational Identifier (331) Why, I don‟t believe TRAN Circ: Cause Senser Process: mental (332) you have even got silver buckles to your shoes TRAN Possessor Process: relational Possessed Circ: Location (333) as the Chamberlain's nephew has”; TRAN Possessor Process: relational (334) (335) and she got up from her and went into the house chair TRAN Actor Process: Circ: Process: Circ: Location XXXVIII material Location material (337) Love is” said the Student Carrier Process: relational Process: verbal Sayer (336) “What a silly thing TRAN Attribute (338) as he Actor TRAN (339) “It TRAN Carrier (340) for TRAN (341) “It TRAN (343) walked away Process: material is Process: relational it Carrier not half as useful as Logic, Attribute does not prove Process: relational is always telling Sayer and Process: verbal making TRAN one of things Verbiage anything, Attribute (342) that are not going to happen, Actor Process: material one believe Senser Process: mental things Phenomenon (344) TRAN (345) that Carrier In fact, TRAN (346) and, as TRAN are Process: relational it Carrier in this age Circ: Location not true Attribute is Process: relational to be practical Carrier XXXIX quite unpractical, Attribute is Process: relational everything, Attribute (347) I shall go back to Philosophy Circ: Location (348) and study Metaphysics." TRAN Actor Process: Circ: Process: Goal material Location material (349) So he returned to his room TRAN Actor Process: material Circ: Location (350) (351) and pulled out a great dusty book, and began to read TRAN Process: material Goal Process: material XL ... LANGUAGE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN QUỲNH TRANG TRANSITIVITY AND ITS REALIZATION IN THE SHORT STORY ? ?THE NIGHTINGALE AND THE ROSE” BY OSCAR WILDE FROM SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL. .. aspects of functional grammar but limits itself to one aspect: transitivity and its realization in the short story ? ?The Nightingale and the Rose” by Oscar Wilde Methods of the Study The study is carried... through the transitivity analysis 14 CHAPTER 2: TRANSITIVITY ANALYSIS OF THE SHORT STORY ? ?THE NIGHTINGALE AND THE ROSE” In this chapter, I will analyze the story ? ?The Nightingale and the Rose” in terms