GROUP MEMBERS
Muhammad Asif
MET 01143010
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
THE UNIVERSTY OF LAHORE
TOPIC NAME
Style as choice
Introduction
 Choices in style motivate, even if
unconsciously, and these choices have a
profound impact on the way texts are
structured and interpreted.
 The experiential function is an important
marker of style, especially that of narrative
discourse, because it emphasizes the
concept of style as choice.
Transitivity
 This is a system in which The particular
grammatical facility is used for capturing
experience in language.
 This is used in a more expanded semantic
sense than that used in traditional grammars
where it simply serves to identify verbs which
take direct objects.
 this refers to the way meanings are encoded
in the clause and to the way different types of
process are represented in language.
Three components of processes:
(Transitivity)
1. The process itself, which is typically realized
in grammar by the verb phrase.
2. The participant(s) associated with the
process, typically realized by noun phrases.
3. The less importantly for stylistic analysis, the
circumstances associated with the process.
This is typically expressed by prepositional
and adverb phrases (the Adjunct element in
clause structure).
THE SIX TYPES OF
PROCESS
Material Processes
 are simply processes of doing.
 Associated with are two inherent
participant roles which are the Actor, an
obligatory role in the process, and a
Goal, a role which may or may not be
involved in the process.Actor Process Goal
I nipped Daniel.
The washing
machine
broke down.
Mental Processes
 are essentially processes of sensing.
 inhabit and reflect the world of consciousness,
and involves:
 cognition (encoded in verbs such as ‘thinking’ or
‘wondering’)
 reaction (as in ‘liking’ or ‘hating’)
 perception (as in ‘seeing’ or ‘hearing’)
 The two roles associated are the Sensor (the
conscious being that is doing the sensing) and the
Phenomenon (the entity which is sensed, felt,
thought or seen).
Sensor Process Phenomenon
Mary understood the story.
(cognition)
Anil noticed the damp patch.
(perception)
Siobhan detests paté. (reaction)
Behavioral Processes
 a process which represents both the activities of
‘sensing’ and ‘doing’.
 embody physiological actions like ‘breathe’ or
‘cough’, although they sometimes portray these
processes as states of consciousness as in ‘sigh’,
‘cry’ or ‘laugh’. They also represent processes of
consciousness as forms of behaviour, as in ‘stare’,
‘dream’ or ‘worry’.
 The key participant is the Behaver, the conscious
entity who is ‘behaving’:
Behaver Process Circumstance
That student fell asleep in my lecture again.
She frowned at the mess.
Verbalisation
 are processes of ‘saying’
 the participant roles associated are the Sayer
(the producer of the speech), the Receiver (the
entity to which the speech is addressed) and
the Verbiage (that which gets said).
Sayer Process Verbiage
Mary claimed that the story had
been changed.
The minister announced the decision to
parliament.
Relational Processes:
 are processes of ‘being’ in the specific
sense of establishing relationships
between two entities.
 can be expressed in a number of ways.
There is however general agreement
about three main types of relational
process.
 Intensive relational process presents a
relationship of equivalence, an ‘x is y’
connection, between two entities.
Example:
Paula’s presentation was lively.
Joyce is the best Irish writer.
 Possessive relational process plots an ‘x has
y’ type of connection between two entities.
Example:
Peter has a piano.
The Alpha Romeo is Clara’s.
 Circumstantial relational process is where
the circumstantial element becomes
upgraded, so that it fulfills the role of a full
participant in the process : ‘x is at/is in/is on/is
with/ y’ :
Example:
The fête is on all day.
The maid was in the parlour.
The forces of darkness are against you.
The three types come in two modes, yielding six
categories in total
 Attributive : The entity, person or concept being
described is referred to as the Carrier, while the
role of Attribute refers to the quality ascribed to
that Carrier. The Attribute therefore says what the
Carrier is, what the Carrier is like, where the
Carrier is, what it owns and so on
 Identifying: One role is identified through
reference to another such that the two halves of
the clause often refer to the same thing. This
means that unlike attributive processes, all
identifying processes are reversible, (The
Identifier) picks out and defines (the Identified).
Existential Processes
 these processes basically assert that
something exists or happens.
 typically include the word ‘there’ as a dummy
subject, as in ‘There was an assault’ or ‘Has
there been a phone call?’, and they normally
only contain one participant role, the ‘Existent’
(assault/ phone call).
Model of Transitivity
Style as choice

Style as choice

  • 2.
    GROUP MEMBERS Muhammad Asif MET01143010 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH THE UNIVERSTY OF LAHORE
  • 3.
  • 4.
    Introduction  Choices instyle motivate, even if unconsciously, and these choices have a profound impact on the way texts are structured and interpreted.  The experiential function is an important marker of style, especially that of narrative discourse, because it emphasizes the concept of style as choice.
  • 5.
    Transitivity  This isa system in which The particular grammatical facility is used for capturing experience in language.  This is used in a more expanded semantic sense than that used in traditional grammars where it simply serves to identify verbs which take direct objects.  this refers to the way meanings are encoded in the clause and to the way different types of process are represented in language.
  • 6.
    Three components ofprocesses: (Transitivity) 1. The process itself, which is typically realized in grammar by the verb phrase. 2. The participant(s) associated with the process, typically realized by noun phrases. 3. The less importantly for stylistic analysis, the circumstances associated with the process. This is typically expressed by prepositional and adverb phrases (the Adjunct element in clause structure).
  • 7.
    THE SIX TYPESOF PROCESS
  • 8.
    Material Processes  aresimply processes of doing.  Associated with are two inherent participant roles which are the Actor, an obligatory role in the process, and a Goal, a role which may or may not be involved in the process.Actor Process Goal I nipped Daniel. The washing machine broke down.
  • 9.
    Mental Processes  areessentially processes of sensing.  inhabit and reflect the world of consciousness, and involves:  cognition (encoded in verbs such as ‘thinking’ or ‘wondering’)  reaction (as in ‘liking’ or ‘hating’)  perception (as in ‘seeing’ or ‘hearing’)  The two roles associated are the Sensor (the conscious being that is doing the sensing) and the Phenomenon (the entity which is sensed, felt, thought or seen).
  • 10.
    Sensor Process Phenomenon Maryunderstood the story. (cognition) Anil noticed the damp patch. (perception) Siobhan detests paté. (reaction)
  • 11.
    Behavioral Processes  aprocess which represents both the activities of ‘sensing’ and ‘doing’.  embody physiological actions like ‘breathe’ or ‘cough’, although they sometimes portray these processes as states of consciousness as in ‘sigh’, ‘cry’ or ‘laugh’. They also represent processes of consciousness as forms of behaviour, as in ‘stare’, ‘dream’ or ‘worry’.  The key participant is the Behaver, the conscious entity who is ‘behaving’:
  • 12.
    Behaver Process Circumstance Thatstudent fell asleep in my lecture again. She frowned at the mess.
  • 13.
    Verbalisation  are processesof ‘saying’  the participant roles associated are the Sayer (the producer of the speech), the Receiver (the entity to which the speech is addressed) and the Verbiage (that which gets said). Sayer Process Verbiage Mary claimed that the story had been changed. The minister announced the decision to parliament.
  • 14.
    Relational Processes:  areprocesses of ‘being’ in the specific sense of establishing relationships between two entities.  can be expressed in a number of ways. There is however general agreement about three main types of relational process.  Intensive relational process presents a relationship of equivalence, an ‘x is y’ connection, between two entities. Example: Paula’s presentation was lively. Joyce is the best Irish writer.
  • 15.
     Possessive relationalprocess plots an ‘x has y’ type of connection between two entities. Example: Peter has a piano. The Alpha Romeo is Clara’s.  Circumstantial relational process is where the circumstantial element becomes upgraded, so that it fulfills the role of a full participant in the process : ‘x is at/is in/is on/is with/ y’ : Example: The fête is on all day. The maid was in the parlour. The forces of darkness are against you.
  • 16.
    The three typescome in two modes, yielding six categories in total  Attributive : The entity, person or concept being described is referred to as the Carrier, while the role of Attribute refers to the quality ascribed to that Carrier. The Attribute therefore says what the Carrier is, what the Carrier is like, where the Carrier is, what it owns and so on  Identifying: One role is identified through reference to another such that the two halves of the clause often refer to the same thing. This means that unlike attributive processes, all identifying processes are reversible, (The Identifier) picks out and defines (the Identified).
  • 18.
    Existential Processes  theseprocesses basically assert that something exists or happens.  typically include the word ‘there’ as a dummy subject, as in ‘There was an assault’ or ‘Has there been a phone call?’, and they normally only contain one participant role, the ‘Existent’ (assault/ phone call).
  • 19.