Functional-Sentence--Perspective

FunctionalSentencePerspective(FSP)1.FunctionalSentencePerspective(FSP)2.Theme&Rheme3.CommunicativeDynamism(CD)2FunctionalSentencePerspectiveDefinitionFunctionalSentencePerspective((FSP)isatheoryoflinguisticanalysiswhichreferstoananalysisofutterances(ortexts)intermsoftheinformationtheycontain.◆PrincipleTheroleofeachutterancepartisevaluatedforitssemanticcontributiontothewhole.◆Note:◆FSPdealsparticularlywiththeeffectofthedistributionofknown(orgiven)informationandnewinformationindiscourse.3Theme&RhemeAsentencecontains:Apointofdeparture(Theme).Agoalofdiscourse(Rheme).4Theme&RhemeTheme:Thepointofdepartureisequallypresenttothespeakerandtothehearer,anditisthegroundonwhichtheymeetandiscalledthetheme.(knowninformation)Rheme:Thegoalofdiscoursepresentstheveryinformationthatistobeimpartedtothehearer,anditscalledtherheme.(newinformation)5Theme&Rheme◆Heboughtabook.(knowninformation)(newinformation)themerheme6Theme&Rheme◆ItisbelievedthatmovementfromtheThemetotheRhemerevealsthemovementoftheminditself.◆Languagemayusedifferentsyntacticstructures,buttheorderofideasremainsbasicallythesame.7Theme&RhemeExample(a)Sallystandsonthetable.subjectpredicatethemerheme(b)OnthetablestandsSally.predicatesubjectthemerhemeFrom(a)and(b),wecanfindthattheSubject-PredicatedistinctionisnotalwaysthesameastheTheme-Rhemecontrast.8CommunicativeDynamism(CD)JanFirbasdevelopedthenotionofcommunicativedynamism,basedonthefactthatlinguisticcommunicationisnotastaticphenomenon,butadynamicone.◆DefinitionCDmeanstomeasuretheamountofinformationanelementcarriesinasentence.9DegreeofCD◆ThedegreeofCDistheeffectcontributedbyalinguisticelement,foritpushesthecommunicationforward.◆Example:Hewascross.Hewascross.◆Note:Allelement-sentence,phrase,word,morpheme-maybesingledoutinordertoestablishasharpcontrast.10DegreeofCD◆Strictlyspeaking,contextualdependenceor◆independenceisdeterminedbythevery◆purposeofthecommunication.◆Example:◆Johnhasgoneuptothewindow.11DegreeofCD◆NormallythesubjectcarriesalowerdegreeofCDthanthefiniteverband/ortheobjectand/oradverbial,providedthateithertheverbortheobjectand/oradverbialdonotdependonthecontext.Example:Amanbrokeintothehouseandstoleallthemoney.Note:Theultimatepurposeofthecommunicationistostatetheactionsandtheirgoals,nottheagent.12DegreeofCD◆Ifthesubjectisaccompaniedbyaverbexpressing“existenceorappearingonthescene”andiscontextuallyindependent,thenthesubjectwillcarrythehighestdegreeofCD.Example:Anoldmanappearedinthewaitingroomatfiveo'clock.13DegreeofCD◆Ifthesubjectiscontextuallydependent,acontextuallyindependentadverbialoftimeorplacebecomesanimportantlocalandtemporalspecification,carryinggreaterdegreeofCDthanboththesubjectandthefiniteverb.Example:Theoldmanwassittinginthewaitingroom.14DegreeofCD◆AcontextuallyindependentinfinitiveofpurposecarriesalowerdegreeofCDinHewenttoPraguetoseehisfriend.butahigherdegreeofCDinInordertoseehisfriend,hewenttoPrague.15DegreeofCD◆Withthedirectandindirectobjects,iftheyarecontextuallyindependent,theonecominglaterwithinthelineararrangementcarriesahigherdegreeofCD.Example:Hegaveaboyanapple.Hegaveanappletoaboy.16MoreExplanation◆JanFirbasdefinedFSPasthedistributionofvariousdegreesofCD.TheinitialelementsofasequencecarrythelowestdegreeofCD,andwitheachstepforward,thedegreeofCDbecomesincrementaltilltheelementthatcarriesthehighest.◆Example:◆Heclosedthedoor.17MoreExplanationExample:Agirlbrokeaglass.Thegirlwassmart.18MoreExplanation◆Non-thematicelementsdonotalwaysdependonthecontext,andnoteverycontextuallyindependentelementisnon-thematic.◆Amanhittheboy.◆ThegirlwenttoAmerica.Thankyou!