The Discussion of the Ideational Meta-function of Language within the SFG. It is for the 2015 class of M.Phil Session 1 English at UG.

1. ENGL 601:
THE IDEATIONAL META-FUNCTION OF
LANGUAGE —
THE TRANSITIVITY SYSTEM
Prof. I. O. Daniel

2. SFG and the Meta-
Functions
The Grammar identified three metafuntions.
These are:
The ideational
The interactional/interpersonal
The textual

3. The Ideational
The ideational function of language is the experiential level
of language.
It has to do with the representation of experience.
It is the cognitive section of the grammar
It has to do with experiences
These could be material or mental
Process types are fuzzy categories

4. Ideational Function as
Systems
It manifests as the transitivity systems in the
grammar.
It is represented in a connection of systems
as shown below.
It is called the transitivity systems network.

6. Types of Clausal
Representations
It has basically six possible types of representations in the clausal structure
It could be material
It could be mental
It could be relational
It could be existential
It could be verbal
It could be behavioural
These are believed to be continuous, shading into one another.

8. Transitivity as Structure
Transitivity construes the human experience of the
world as process types.
The process types have participants as parts of the
processes
There could also be circumstances that are attendant
on the processes.
In essence, the obligatory element in a transitivity
structure are the participants and the processes
whereas, circumstances are optional

9. The Processes
Processes express the outer and inner
consciousness of the participants.
While the outer experiences are considered
material, the inner are considered mental.
This appears to link SFG with TGG at this
level of the human consciousness of the inner
being.

10. The Processes cont’d
Processes are defined by the main verb of the clause.
It is thus determined by the type of verb making up the
predicator.
When the verb is a doing one, it is likely to be representing
the material word. This is called a material process.
When the verb is representing the act of knowing or
expressing emotions, it is called a sensing or mental
process.
When the verb expresses a verbalisation of some sort, it s
called a saying verb. It is called a verbal process.

11. The Participants
This has to do the elements that experience the processes.
These are usually nominal groups
It the participant is the doer of an action, it is called the actor
If it is the one that is affected by the action in a material process,
it is called the Goal
If it is the one that verbalised, it is called the sayer
If it is the one that experienced an emotional state, it is called the
Senser

12. The Circumstance
Circumstances are elements that augment the
process + participant elements in a clausal
representation.
It is usually an optional element.
These tend to adjuncts in form
It could be temporal, spacial or causal.
It is however not usually directly involved in the
process.

13. Forms Realising Elements in the Transitive
Clauses

14. The Transitivity Framework
The framework within which the transitivity systems
operate is basically as follows:
a process unfolding through time
the participants involved in the process
circumstance associated with the process
Note: The process is at the centre of the whole
operation as shown below.

16. The Material Clause
This represents the doing and happening processes
The process could be transitive or intransitive, depending
on the outcome of the process. If the process terminates
with the actor, it is intransitive but if goes on to affect
another participant, it becomes transitive.
The participant could be the actor or goal, depending on
the process type.
If the process terminates with the actor, it is called a
happening; if it extends to another element, it is called a
doing.

17. Examples of the Material
Processes
The Vice
Chancellor came.
I slept very well.
Tade took the book
yesterday.
Analyse these

18. The Mental Clause
This involved the act of sensing.
It essentially has to do with the inner world of experience.
The participant is usually called a Senser.
The Senser is usually human.
The process is followed by a Phenomenon, which impinges on the
Senser’s consciousness.
This what is felt, sensed, perceived, wanted, thought
Mental clauses can project ideas

19. Examples of Mental
ClausesI love doing my homework
a lot.
She likes the boy.
Adjoa hates his guts.
He assumed they have
gone.
I know him very well.
She recognised him
immediately

20. Types of
Sensing
These are the different
elements that are perceived by
the Senser

21. Verbs Denoting Mental Process
Types
These include verbs of
perception, cognition,
desires and emotions

22. Differentiating Material and Mental
Clauses

23. The Relational Clause
This helps to characterise and identify
It has to do with the concept of a state of being.
As such it expresses a state in relation to another element.
It could be an inner element or an outer one.
It operates at the intensive, possessive and circumstantial
levels.
It could be attributive (carrier of the attribute) or identifying
(could be operative or receptive).

24. Examples of Relational
Clauses
Tamale is very
smart.
The house is mine.
The class holds on
Mondays.

25. The Verbal Process
This has to do with the process of verbalisation.
It tends to involve saying out something.
What is said is called Verbiage or Target.
These kinds of clauses answer the question: what did
you say?
It could be quoted text that is verbalised.
It could also be the reporting of a text.

26. Examples of Verbs Serving as Verbal
Process