The Dual Meaning Potential of Prepositional Grammatical Metaphor in Prose Fiction

Journal of English Language Pedagogy and Practice

مقاله 7، دوره 11، شماره 22، آبان 2018، صفحه 127-140   

نوع مقاله: Research Paper

شناسه دیجیتال (DOI): 10.30495/jal.2018.541069

نویسنده

Yaser Hadidi^*

Department of English, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran

چکیده

From a Systemic Functional perspective, Grammatical Metaphor (GM) as is taken to be a chief driving force in the discourse of different genres, an important adult language machinery for ideational meanings to be semantically cross-mapped and realized through a different form in the stratum of the lexico-grammar, in order to convey changed meanings and tinker with the discursive flow and development of text in real time, mainly through nominalization of adjectives and verbs. Using a number of established works of the English novel as data, this study draws upon the author’s previous model for the categories of GM used in modern prose fiction, with the main focus placed on one of the six categories, Prepositional GM (PGM). PGM figures with a very high frequency in fiction and occurs when a GM is preceded by a preposition. This study finds that the language of prose fiction in English deploys some of these PGMsin either of two different meaning sof the adverbial, varying according to context. Again, as seen to be the hallmark of GM by many, GM is found to open up vast ideational meaning potentials in the semantics stratum, from which the lexico-grammar makes choices according to context and intended meaning. As argued elsewhere in the literature and here, and as backed up by the author’s own experience of the advanced teaching of writing and reading, broadened understanding of GM is a critically important component to writing instruction and its effectiveness, as seen in the large-scale horizons and agendas for effective teaching of English as a Foreign Language in Iran and beyond.

کلیدواژه‌ها

Systemic Functional Linguistics؛ grammatical metaphor؛ prose fiction؛ prepositional grammatical metaphor؛ advanced reading and writing instruction

مراجع

References

Behnam, B., & Kazemian, B. (2013). A Comparative study of ideational grammatical metaphor in scientific and political texts. The Journal of Applied Linguistics and Discourse Analysis, 1(1), 40-70.

Birner, B. & Ward, G. (2006). Information structure and non-canonical syntax. In L. R. Horn & G. Ward, The Handbook of pragmatics (pp. 153-175). London: Blackwell.

Dudley-Evans, T., & St. John, M. (1998). Developments in English for specific purposes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Ellis, R. (1994). The study of second language acquisition. Oxford: Oxford University  Press.

Farahani, A., & Hadidi, Y. (2008). Semogenesisunder scrutiny: Grammatical metaphor in science and modern prose fiction. Iranian Journal of Applied Linguistics (IJAL), 11(2), 51- 85.

Green, G. (2006). Some interactions of pragmatics and grammar. In L. R. Horn & G. Ward, The handbook of pragmatics (pp. 407-427). London: Blackwell.

Hadidi, Y. (2012). Grammatical metaphor in writing tasks of narrative and fiction in advanced EFL learners. Ferdowsi Review, (2)2.

Hadidi, Y. (2016). Comments on non-finite adverbial patterns in English prose fiction: A Simple model for analysis and use. Research in Applied Linguistics (RALs), 7(2), 16-33.

Halliday, M. A. K. (1985). An introduction to functional grammar. London: Arnold.

Halliday, M.A.K. (2005). Some grammatical problems in scientific English. In A. Hewings & M. Hewings, (Eds.), Grammar and context: An advanced resource book (pp. 86-113). London: Continuum.

Halliday, M.A.K., & Matthiessen, C.M.I.M. (1999). Construing experience through meaning: A language-based approach to cognition. London: Continuum.

Halliday, M.A.K., & Matthiessen, C.M.I.M. (2004). An introduction to functional grammar. London: Arnold.

Heyvaert, L. (2003). Nominalization as grammatical metaphor. In A. Simon-Vandenbergen, M. Taverniers & J. L. Ravelli (Eds.), Grammatical metaphor: Views from systemic functional linguistics (pp. 65-101). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

Knowles, M., & Moon, R. (2006). Introducing metaphor. London: Routledge.

Leech, G., & Short, M. (2007). Style in fiction: A linguistic introduction to English   fictional prose. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.

Malinowski, B. (1923). The problem of meaning in primitive languages. New York: Harcourt Brace & World. 

Martin, J. R. (1993). Life as a noun: Arresting the universe in science and humanities. In M.

A. K. Halliday & J. R. Martin (Eds.), Writing science, literary and discourse power (pp. 241- 293). London: Palmer Press.

Martin, J. R. (2001). Language, register and genre. In A. Burns & C. Coffin  (Eds), Analyzing English in a global context. (pp. 140-166). London: Routledge.

Martin, J. R., Matthiessen, M. I. M., & Painter, C. (1997). Working with functional grammar. New York: Arnold.

McCarthy, M., & Carter, R. (1994). Language as discourse: Perspectives for language teaching. Harlow: Longman.

O’Halloran, K. (2003). Intersemiosis in mathematics and science: Grammatical metaphor and semiotic metaphor. In A. Simon-Vandenbergen, M. Taverniers & J. L. Ravelli (Eds.), Grammatical metaphor: Views from systemic functional linguistics (pp. 337-366). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

Rose, D. (1997). Science, technology and technical literacies. In F. Christie & J. R. Martin (eds.), Genres and institutions: Social practices in the workplace and school (pp. 40-72). London: Cassell.

Simon-Vandenbergen, A. (2003). Lexical metaphor and interpersonal meaning. In A. Simon-Vandenbergen, M. Taverniers & J. L. Ravelli (Eds.), Grammatical metaphor: Views from systemic functional linguistics (pp. 223-257). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

Simpson, P. (2004). Stylistics: A resource book for students. London: Routledge.

Susinskiene, S. (2004). Grammatical metaphor in scientific discourse. Linguistics: Germanic and Romance Studies, 54, 76-83.

Thompson, G. (2004). Introducing functional grammar. London: Arnold.

Widdowson, H. G. (2003). Defining issues in English language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.