Functional English Grammar:
An Introduction for Second Language Teachers
TRUONG VAN ANH
Sai Gon Univerity
Unit 8
Textual function: Theme and rheme
Experiential meaning is represented by processes, participants and circumstances. Interpersonal meaning is expressed by many resources.
A system of realizing textual meaning organizes these two kinds of meaning to produce clauses and sentences.
In a paragraph, all mistakes have been corrected; however, the text still seems muddled. There are many ways to rearrange
clauses or sentences without changing the meanings.
The cat ate the rat.
The rat was eaten by the cat.
It was the cat that ate the rat.
It was the rat that the cat ate.
What the cat did was ate the rat.
Ate the rat, the cat did.
The cat, it ate the rat.
It was the rat that was eaten by the cat.
It was the cat that the rat was eaten by.
The cat did eat the rat.
The ten versions differ from each other and from the original clause in the textual meaning in the way where the same experiential and interpersonal meanings have been organized as a message.
Marked and unmarked word order
The differences in textual meaning among the versions are in that the word order is the most usual or less usual.
The word order which is used as a kind of default word order for declarative clauses are is called unmarked word order. The contrary is called marked word order.
Ex: Thomas stood in the room. (unmarked)
In the room stood Thomas. (Marked)
Theme and Rheme
Theme is the point of departure/jumping-off point of the message in the clause. The remaining is called the rheme.
The cat ate the rat in the kitchen.
The rat was eaten by the cat in the kitchen.
In the kitchen the cat ate the rat.
Marked and unmarked Themes
When theme is the Subject, it is unmarked. Any Themes other than the subject, they are referred to as marked Themes.
In yes-no interrogative mood the Finite is the unmarked Theme. In wh- interrogative mood the wh word is the unmarked Theme.
Ex: Do you need anything?
Where will you go?
In imperative mood, the unmarked Theme is the Predicator.
Ex: Close the door.
unless it is preceded by a Subject.
Ex: You close the door.
Selections of marked Themes
A marked Theme is moved to the front of the clause. It is thematized.
Ex: In 1890 Uncle Ho was born.
The Circumstantial Adjunct in 1890 is thematized.
Ex: This clause I wrote.
The Object of the clause is thematized.
Thematized Objects and Complements
In contrast or in emphasis, Objects or Complements are thematized when they are put in the front.
Ex: Most of the clauses are extracted from the novels, but this clause I wrote. (contrast)
Coffee I drank. (emphasis)
A teacher I am and a teacher I will always be.
Strange was the man.
Note: They are called highly marked.
Thematized Circumstantial Adjuncts
In English, thematized Circumstantial Adjuncts are more common than thematized Objects and Complements.
Ex: In this chapter, we study Theme. In the following chapter, we study complex sentences. (Textual meaning) [time]
In 1911, Uncle Ho left Vietnam for the way of national salvation. In 1941, he returned to the country. (the method of development) [time]
In the living-room there are …In the kitchen there are… (the method of development) [place]
There are three kinds of themes:
+ Topical theme: the subject
Ex: Jack is handsome.
They often help us.
+ Interpersonal theme: showing attitude or feeling.
Ex: Wow, you have such a nice dress.
In my opinion, you should study hard.
+ Textual theme: linking the sentences in a text.
Ex: Finally, the toad became a nice prince.
Absolute Themes
Absolute Themes stand outside the clauses in order to provide the framework for interpreting the whole clause.
Ex: The list he thinks he wants to mention the items bought in the supermarket.
Phrases such as as for or concerning begin absolute Themes.
Ex: The car has a nice color and an elegant shape. As for the engine, it can run very smoothly and fast.
Absolute Themes mark a transition to a topic of the next part of the text. (From color and shape to engine).
Themes which may be repeated are called picked-up.
Ex: Those students who I have mentioned have great ability, I will introduce one to you and you will find him excellent.
They always get excellent marks. Concerning their behavior, they are always very good.
Absolute and picked-up Themes are used to reintroduced previous topics.
Learning and teaching Theme-Rheme structures
Thematic organization makes languages different.
In Vietnamese, marked Themes are used commonly.
Ex: Ở trường tôi gặp em. (Emphasis)
Rarely is the Theme the Object.
Ex: Độc lập chúng ta phải giành lấy.
It is noted that if only unmarked themes are used, the text seems flat, monotonous and
sometimes rather childish.
Ex: He stood up. He came to the window. He looked outside. He saw her on the street.
Nonexperiential Themes
When Conjunctive Adjuncts are in the beginning, they may be thematic (textual themes) or nonthematic (they are ignored).
When modal Adjuncts are in the beginning, they are called interpersonal Themes.
Ex: Therefore, they stayed at home and watched TV.
Not surprisingly, he won the match.
A text with too many thematized Conjunctive Adjuncts can seem pedantic and ponderous.
Ex: He learns very well. However, he is ugly. Thus, nobody loves him. In addition, he is poor.
Exercise: Analyze the theme and rheme:
1. Ouch, you step on my foot.
2. The bamboo survived the storm.
3. On the chest the baby sucks milk.
4. Today it is nice.
5. A bee bites her cheek.
Theme
Subject Before subject
Feeling, attitude Linking others
Topical Interpersonal Textual
Exercise: Are the underlined themes marked or unmarked?
1. Ouch, you step on my foot.
2. The bamboo survived the storm.
3. On the chest the baby sucks milk.
4. Today it is nice.
5. A bee bites her cheek.
+ Marked: /ma:kt/
- Abnormal places
- Before subjects.
Exercise: What kinds of Themes are the underlined units? Circle the correct choice.
1. Poor Jim, he must be out of his mind.
a. Absolute Theme b. Picked up Theme c. Unmarked Theme
2. Jane, I’m truly sorry it didn’t work out.
a. Textual Theme b. Interpersonal Theme c. Experiential Theme
3. Few are those who live to be seventy.
a. Unmarked Theme b Marked Theme c. Non-experiential Theme
4. As for dessert, we have ice-cream, fruit, and cake.
a. Absolute Theme b. Picked up Theme c. Unmarked Theme
5. The key to the most difficult question seems wrong.
a. Unmarked Theme b Marked Theme c. Non-experiential Theme
Information focus
The Focus is the culmination of the new information. It is the tonics (tonic syllables). Other information is called given information.
TONE GROUP 1 TONE GROUP 2
Ex: Jack took some f Tablets // and felt FINE.
The tonics may be different according to the speaker’s intention.
Ex: We take Jack to the REStaurant.
We take JACK to the restaurant.
WE take Jack to the restaurant.
Other ways of organizing the message
Theme and the Focus are two important parts of organizing the message of a clause. However, voice selection, existential clauses, and clefting are other options for organizing the message.
Voice selection
ACTOR DIRECT OBJECT
Ex: Jack bought the pen.
GOAL PREP. OBJECT
The pen was bought by Jack.
In the selection of active voice the Focus of information is the Actor.
In the selection of passive voice, the speaker or writer thematizes participants such as Goals, Recipients, and Phenomena. The new information is the Theme.
In the selection of passive voice, the Theme may not be switched.
Ex: He stood in front of me and was hit by her.
We use the passive when the person or thing that performs the action is unimportant. The clauses become Agentless, Actorless, Senserless, etc.
Learning and teaching passive voice
Some languages thematize constituents more freely than English.
Ex: Nước nấu rồi.
*Water boils already
“The water has already been boiled.”
The Subject/Actor may be present.
Ex: Nước mẹ nấu rồi.
*Water mother boils already
“The water mother has already boiled.”
In Russian the Actor may be shifted to the end of the clause without any change in the voice of the verb.
Ex: Я люблю тебя. (I love you)
тебя люблю Я. (*You love I)
Traditionally, teaching passive voice is simply a transformation of active voice.
Ex: Kathy waters the flowers.
The flowers are watered by Kathy.
Existential clauses
In the structures “there is/are”, the Theme is there or a Circumstantial Adjunct, while the Existent appears in the Rheme and is the unmarked Focus of information.
EXISTENT/FOCUS
Ex: There are many books in the library.
The Existent may be the Theme.
Ex: Many books are in the library.
Clefting
There are two types of clefting: it cleft and wh- cleft.
It Clefts
Noncleft: We saw Jack in the market.
Cleft: It is in the market that we saw Jack.
The focus is after the linking verb. In the above clause the Circumstantial Adjunct is focused on. However, other constituents are the Focus.
Cleft: It is Jack that we saw in the market.
Wh- Clefts
Wh- clefts are realized by wh-clauses.
Noncleft: We saw Jack in the market.
Cleft: Where we saw Jack is in the market.
Commonly, the Identified/wh- clause comes first (the Theme); however, the order can be reversed.
Noncleft: I will tell you the story of Lan and Diep.
Cleft: What I will tell you is the story of Lan and Diep.
Cleft: The story of Lan and Diep is what I will tell you.
Like it- clefts, wh- clefts often involve contrast.
Ex: What the beggar wants is not food but money.
Learning and teaching Clefts
There are many ways to emphasize the constituents in the clauses. Clefts are one of them.
In writing or speaking, clefts help focus on the important information.
Unit 8
Textual function: Theme and rheme
Experiential meaning is represented by processes, participants and circumstances. Interpersonal meaning is expressed by many resources.
A system of realizing textual meaning organizes these two kinds of meaning to produce clauses and sentences.
In a paragraph, all mistakes have been corrected; however, the text still seems muddled. There are many ways to rearrange
Adv Adv NP + VP
Subject
Theme Theme Theme Rheme
Interpersonal Textual Topical
Interpersonal: attitude, feeling, mood
Textual: Linking the current sentence with the previous or following sentences.
clauses or sentences without changing the meanings.
The cat ate the rat.
The rat was eaten by the cat.
It was the cat that ate the rat.
It was the rat that the cat ate.
What the cat did was ate the rat.
Ate the rat, the cat did.
The cat, it ate the rat.
It was the rat that was eaten by the cat.
It was the cat that the rat was eaten by.
The cat did eat the rat.
The ten versions differ from each other and from the original clause in the textual meaning in the way where the same experiential and interpersonal meanings have been organized as a message.
Marked and unmarked word order
The differences in textual meaning among the versions are in that the word order is the most usual or less usual.
The word order which is used as a kind of default word order for declarative clauses are is called unmarked word order. The contrary is called marked word order.
Ex: Thomas stood in the room. (unmarked)
In the room stood Thomas. (Marked)
Theme and Rheme
Theme is the point of departure/jumping-off point of the message in the clause. The remaining is called the rheme.
The cat ate the rat in the kitchen.
The rat was eaten by the cat in the kitchen.
In the kitchen the cat ate the rat.
Marked and unmarked Themes
When theme is the Subject, it is unmarked. Any Themes other than the subject, they are referred to as marked Themes.
In yes-no interrogative mood the Finite is the unmarked Theme. In wh- interrogative mood the wh word is the unmarked Theme.
Ex: Do you need anything?
Where will you go?
In imperative mood, the unmarked Theme is the Predicator.
Ex: Close the door.
unless it is preceded by a Subject.
Ex: You close the door.
Selections of marked Themes
A marked Theme is moved to the front of the clause. It is thematized.
Ex: In 1890 Uncle Ho was born.
The Circumstantial Adjunct in 1890 is thematized.
Ex: This clause I wrote.
The Object of the clause is thematized.
Thematized Objects and Complements
In contrast or in emphasis, Objects or Complements are thematized when they are put in the front.
Ex: Most of the clauses are extracted from the novels, but this clause I wrote. (contrast)
Coffee I drank. (emphasis)
A teacher I am and a teacher I will always be.
Strange was the man.
Note: They are called highly marked.
Thematized Circumstantial Adjuncts
In English, thematized Circumstantial Adjuncts are more common than thematized Objects and Complements.
Ex: In this chapter, we study Theme. In the following chapter, we study complex sentences. (Textual meaning) [time]
In 1911, Uncle Ho left Vietnam for the way of national salvation. In 1941, he returned to the country. (the method of development) [time]
In the living-room there are …In the kitchen there are… (the method of development) [place]
There are three kinds of themes:
+ Topical theme: the subject
Ex: Jack is handsome.
They often help us.
+ Interpersonal theme: showing attitude or feeling.
Ex: Wow, you have such a nice dress.
In my opinion, you should study hard.
+ Textual theme: linking the sentences in a text.
Ex: Finally, the toad became a nice prince.
Absolute Themes
Absolute Themes stand outside the clauses in order to provide the framework for interpreting the whole clause.
Ex: The list he thinks he wants to mention the items bought in the supermarket.
Phrases such as as for or concerning begin absolute Themes.
Ex: The car has a nice color and an elegant shape. As for the engine, it can run very smoothly and fast.
Absolute Themes mark a transition to a topic of the next part of the text. (From color and shape to engine).
Themes which may be repeated are called picked-up.
Ex: Those students who I have mentioned have great ability, I will introduce one to you and you will find him excellent.
They always get excellent marks. Concerning their behavior, they are always very good.
Absolute and picked-up Themes are used to reintroduced previous topics.
Learning and teaching Theme-Rheme structures
Thematic organization makes languages different.
In Vietnamese, marked Themes are used commonly.
Ex: Ở trường tôi gặp em. (Emphasis)
Rarely is the Theme the Object.
Ex: Độc lập chúng ta phải giành lấy.
It is noted that if only unmarked themes are used, the text seems flat, monotonous and
sometimes rather childish.
Ex: He stood up. He came to the window. He looked outside. He saw her on the street.
Nonexperiential Themes
When Conjunctive Adjuncts are in the beginning, they may be thematic (textual themes) or nonthematic (they are ignored).
When modal Adjuncts are in the beginning, they are called interpersonal Themes.
Ex: Therefore, they stayed at home and watched TV.
Not surprisingly, he won the match.
A text with too many thematized Conjunctive Adjuncts can seem pedantic and ponderous.
Ex: He learns very well. However, he is ugly. Thus, nobody loves him. In addition, he is poor.
Exercise: Analyze the theme and rheme:
1. Ouch, you step on my foot.
2. The bamboo survived the storm.
3. On the chest the baby sucks milk.
4. Today it is nice.
5. A bee bites her cheek.
Theme
Subject Before subject
Feeling, attitude Linking others
Topical Interpersonal Textual
Exercise: Are the underlined themes marked or unmarked?
1. Ouch, you step on my foot.
2. The bamboo survived the storm.
3. On the chest the baby sucks milk.
4. Today it is nice.
5. A bee bites her cheek.
+ Marked: /ma:kt/
- Abnormal places
- Before subjects.
Exercise: What kinds of Themes are the underlined units? Circle the correct choice.
1. Poor Jim, he must be out of his mind.
a. Absolute Theme b. Picked up Theme c. Unmarked Theme
2. Jane, I’m truly sorry it didn’t work out.
a. Textual Theme b. Interpersonal Theme c. Experiential Theme
3. Few are those who live to be seventy.
a. Unmarked Theme b Marked Theme c. Non-experiential Theme
4. As for dessert, we have ice-cream, fruit, and cake.
a. Absolute Theme b. Picked up Theme c. Unmarked Theme
5. The key to the most difficult question seems wrong.
a. Unmarked Theme b Marked Theme c. Non-experiential Theme
Information focus
The Focus is the culmination of the new information. It is the tonics (tonic syllables). Other information is called given information.
TONE GROUP 1 TONE GROUP 2
Ex: Jack took some f Tablets // and felt FINE.
The tonics may be different according to the speaker’s intention.
Ex: We take Jack to the REStaurant.
We take JACK to the restaurant.
WE take Jack to the restaurant.
Other ways of organizing the message
Theme and the Focus are two important parts of organizing the message of a clause. However, voice selection, existential clauses, and clefting are other options for organizing the message.
Voice selection
ACTOR DIRECT OBJECT
Ex: Jack bought the pen.
GOAL PREP. OBJECT
The pen was bought by Jack.
In the selection of active voice the Focus of information is the Actor.
In the selection of passive voice, the speaker or writer thematizes participants such as Goals, Recipients, and Phenomena. The new information is the Theme.
In the selection of passive voice, the Theme may not be switched.
Ex: He stood in front of me and was hit by her.
We use the passive when the person or thing that performs the action is unimportant. The clauses become Agentless, Actorless, Senserless, etc.
Learning and teaching passive voice
Some languages thematize constituents more freely than English.
Ex: Nước nấu rồi.
*Water boils already
“The water has already been boiled.”
The Subject/Actor may be present.
Ex: Nước mẹ nấu rồi.
*Water mother boils already
“The water mother has already boiled.”
In Russian the Actor may be shifted to the end of the clause without any change in the voice of the verb.
Ex: Я люблю тебя. (I love you)
тебя люблю Я. (*You love I)
Traditionally, teaching passive voice is simply a transformation of active voice.
Ex: Kathy waters the flowers.
The flowers are watered by Kathy.
Existential clauses
In the structures “there is/are”, the Theme is there or a Circumstantial Adjunct, while the Existent appears in the Rheme and is the unmarked Focus of information.
EXISTENT/FOCUS
Ex: There are many books in the library.
The Existent may be the Theme.
Ex: Many books are in the library.
Clefting
There are two types of clefting: it cleft and wh- cleft.
It Clefts
Noncleft: We saw Jack in the market.
Cleft: It is in the market that we saw Jack.
The focus is after the linking verb. In the above clause the Circumstantial Adjunct is focused on. However, other constituents are the Focus.
Cleft: It is Jack that we saw in the market.
Wh- Clefts
Wh- clefts are realized by wh-clauses.
Noncleft: We saw Jack in the market.
Cleft: Where we saw Jack is in the market.
Commonly, the Identified/wh- clause comes first (the Theme); however, the order can be reversed.
Noncleft: I will tell you the story of Lan and Diep.
Cleft: What I will tell you is the story of Lan and Diep.
Cleft: The story of Lan and Diep is what I will tell you.
Like it- clefts, wh- clefts often involve contrast.
Ex: What the beggar wants is not food but money.
Learning and teaching Clefts
There are many ways to emphasize the constituents in the clauses. Clefts are one of them.
In writing or speaking, clefts help focus on the important information.
Good luck!
nguon VI OLET
