Using Transitivity System in Analysing Arabic Literary Texts

Abstract

Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) is a theory for describing language in functional rather than formal terms. It is a theory of language centred on the notion of language functions. It is an approach to language developed mainly by M. A. K. Halliday during the 1960s. Halliday (1967: 8) showed that the internal organization of language was functional in nature, being organized into three metafunctions: ideational, interpersonal and textual. Each of these metafunctions is about a different aspect of the world and is concerned with a different mode of meaning of clauses. Ideational metafunction is concerned with the grammatical resources for our experience of the world around us and inside us. It is reflected in the transitivity system. Interpersonal metafunction, however, is concerned with the interaction between the speaker(s) and addressee(s). Mood is the system that organizes the various interpersonal relationships among participants in a special environment. Finally, textual metafunction enables the speaker or writer to construct texts of discourse that are relevant; and enables the listener or the reader to distinguish a text from a random set of sentences (Halliday, 1970: 143). The textual system is Theme, which is the resource for setting up context for a clause by choosing a local point of departure (Matthiessen and Halliday, 1997: 13).This paper explores the relationship between linguistics and literature which have been so long two separate subjects. The problems is how to provide a common ground for these two disciplines in order to be met. The paper is an attempt to make Halliday’s transitivity system accessible to those who want to analyse Arabic literary texts. This paper also aims at discussing the process type and functions of participants involved in the text in order to examine the Arabic text from a semantico-grammatical viewpoint