Clause as Message

FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR
Clause as Message




Clause as Message
In all languages the clause has the character of a message : it has some form of organization whereby it fits in with,and contributes to the flow of discourse. In English, the clause is organized as a message by having a distinct status assigned to one part of it. One part of the clause is enunciated as the theme ; this then combines with the remainder so that the two parts together constitute a message.
The theme is the element which serves as the point of departure of the message; it is that which locates and orients the clause within its context. The remainder of the message, the part in which the Theme is developed, is called the Rheme. As a message structure,therefore,a clause consists of  a Theme accompanied by a Rheme; and the structure is expressed by the order, the Theme is put first.
Pattern : Theme + Rheme
Example : Goa Gajah + is the ‘the elephant cave’ on the road to Gianyar, a Hindu-Buddhist temple area...

The Theme of a clause is frequently marked off in speech by intonation,being spoken on a separate tone group; this is especially likely when the Theme is either an adverbial group or prepositional phrase or a nominal group not functioning as subject- in other words,where the Theme is anything other than that which is most expected.

Group or Phrase Complexes as Theme; Thematic Equatives
The Theme is one element, which in turn is one nominal group or one preositional phrase. A common variant of this elementary pattern is that in which the Theme consists of two or more groups or phrases forming a single structural element. Any element of clause structure may be represented by a complex of two or more groups or phrases.
Example : The Walrus and the Carpenter    were walking close at hand.
                                      ( Theme)                                    ( Rheme)

One hundred and fifty years ago,on 15 September 1830,the world’s first passenger railway – the Liverpool to Manchester – was opened,an event which was to change the face of civilization.
Here the Theme consists of two phrases forming a phrase complex,ending at 1830.
There is a special thematic  resource whereby different structures are grouped into one Theme + Rheme structure : thematic equatives. In these,all elements of the clause are grouped into two constituents,linked by an ‘equals sign’ realized by verb be :
What the duke gave to my aunt |was,=| that teapot
The example represents tye feature of nominalization,a group of elements in made to function as a nominal group in the clause.
A thematic equative is a clause with a thematic nominalization in it,and expressesthe Theme-Rheme structure so as the Theme can consist of any set of elements. It identifies(specifies) what the Theme is and identifies ( equates ) it with the Rheme.

3. Theme and Mood
Every free clause selects for mood. Some, such as John! and good night!, are minor clauses; they have no thematic structure, and so will be left out of account. The others are major clauses.
A free major clause is either indicative or imperative in mood; if indicative, it is either declarative or interrogative; if interrogative, it is either ‘yes/no’ interrogative or ‘WH-’ interrogative. Examples:
indicative: declarative: Bears eat honey. Bears don’t eat honey.
indicative: interrogative: yes/no Do bears eat honey? Don’t bears eat honey?
indicative: interrogative: WH- What eats honey? What do bears eat?
imperative: Eat! Let’s eat!
a. Theme in declarative clauses.
In a declarative clause, the typical pattern is one in which Theme is conflated with Subject; for example, Little Bo-peep has lost her sheep, where Little Bo-peep is both Subject and Theme We shall refer to the mapping of Theme on to Subject as the unmarked Theme of a declarative clause. The Subject is the element that is chosen as Theme unless there is good reason for choosing something else. Note that this adds a further explanation for the use of a thematic equative in clauses such as you’re the one I blame for this, that’s what they don’t tell us: here, the Theme is Subject, and therefore unmarked, whereas in the non-equativem variants you I blame for this, that they don’t tell us, you and that — not being Subject — are now marked Themes. The effect of this is to add a feature of contrastiveness which the speaker may not require.
A Theme that is something other than the Subject, in a declarative clause, we shall refer to as a marked theme. The most usual form of marked Theme is an adverbial group, for example, today, suddenly, somewhat distractedly, or prepositional phrase, for example at night, in the corner, without any warning functioning as Adjunct in the clause
b. Theme in interrogative clauses.
The typical function of an interrogative clause is to ask a question; and from the speaker’s point of view asking a question is an indication that he wants to be told something. The fact that, in real life, people ask questions for all kinds of reasons does not call into dispute the observation that the basic meaning of a question is a request for an answer. The natural theme of a question, therefore, is ‘what I want to know’.
There are two main types of question: one where what the speaker wants to know is the POLARITY ‘yes or no?’, e.g. Can you keep a secret? Is anyone at home?; the other where what the speaker wants to know is the identity of some element in the content, e.g. Who will you take as your partner? Where has my little dog gone? In both types, the word indicating what the speaker wants to know comes first. Interrogative clauses, therefore, embody the thematic principle in their structural makeup. It is characteristic of an interrogative clause in English that one particular element comes first; and the reason for this is that that element, owing to the very nature of a question, has the status of a Theme. The speaker is not making an instantial choice to put this element first; its occurrence in first position is the regular pattern by which the interrogative is expressed

c.. Theme in imperative clauses.
The basic message of an imperative clause is either ‘I want you to do something’ or ‘I want us (you and me) to do something’. The second type usually begin with let’s, as in let’s go home now; here, let’s is clearly the unmarked choice of Theme. But with the first type, although the ‘you’ can be made explicit as a Theme (e.g. you keep quiet!, meaning ‘as for you, . . .’), this is clearly a marked choice; the more typical form is simply keep quiet, with the verb in thematic position. The function of the verb, in the mood structure (clause as exchange), is that of Predicator; here, therefore, it is the Predicator that is the unmarked Theme The imperative is the only type of clause in which the Predicator (the verb) is regularly found as Theme. This is not impossible in other moods, where the verb may be put in first position precisely to give it thematic status, for example forget in forget it I never shall; but in such clauses it is the most highly marked choice of all.

4. Textual, interpersonal and topical themes
Multiple Themes’occur.
a. [textual] continuative.A continuative is one of a small set of words which signal a move in the discourse: a response, in dialogue, or a new move to the next point if the same speaker is continuing. The usual continuatives are yes no well oh now.
b. [textual] conjunction.A conjunction is a word or group that either links (paratactic) or binds (hypotactic) the clause in which it occurs structurally to another clause. Semantically, it sets up a relationship of expansion or projection;
c. [textual] conjunctive Adjunct (‘discourse Adjunct’). These are adverbial groups or prepositional phrases which relate the clause to the preceding text: they cover roughly the same semantic space as conjunctions (Table 3(4).
d. [interpersonal] Vocative. This is any item, typically (but not necessarily) a personal name, being used to address.
e. [interpersonal] Modal comment Adjunct (Table 3(5)). These express the speaker or writer’s judgement on or attitude to the content of the message.
f. [interpersonal] Finite verbal operator. These are the small set of finite auxiliary verbs construing primary tense or modality; they are the unmarked Theme of yes/no interrogatives.
Of these six categories, the first two, continuatives and conjunctions, are inherently thematic: if they are present in the clause at all, they come at the beginning. The remainder are what we might call characteristically thematic: they are very frequently found in a thematic position (i.e. before the topical Theme), but they also occur in other locations in the clause. The generalization we can make here is that all deictic elements are characteristically thematic; we shall see later that this same principle applies also at group rank, in the verbal and nominal group. This in turn sheds light on the nature of the Theme as a grounding for the clause as message. We suggested earlier that the Theme + Rheme structure is not so much a configuration of clearly bounded constituents as a movement running through the clause; this is one perspective which it is useful to keep in view. At the same time, there is one significant feature which does tend to create a clearly defined boundary between the two, given that the Theme is delineated as suggested here.

The information unit: Given and New
Textual resources to create discourse are of two kinds: structural and cohesive. Grammar provides structural units up to the rank of the clause complex. From there on semantics provides other nonstructural resources for creating links that work equally within or across sentences. These are called collectively ‘cohesion’.
Among structural means we have two systems working: Theme, which construes messages in the form of Theme + Rheme; and Information, which does not belong to the clause but to the information unit, a unit parallel to the clause and the rest of its rank scale. Since it is parallel, it is length-variable and may extend over more than one or less than one clause; in unmarked cases, it is co-extensive.
Information is the tension between what is already known or predictable and what is new or unpredictable. Therefore, the information unit is made up of two functions: the New and the Given. In the idealized form, each unit consists of a Given element followed by a New one, but discourse has to start somewhere, so sometimes we have initiating elements that are completely New.  Also, Given elements tend to be phoric, i.e.: they point to some other element in discourse. So basically information units have a New element plus an optional Given one. This structure is realized naturally, i.e. non-arbitrarily:
Each information unit is realized as a tone which may be falling, rising or mixed, and extends over the whole tone group. In this tone group, a foot carries the main pitch movement, which is known as tonic prominence, a feature that marks the information focus.
The tonic foot defines the culmination of what is New, the end of the New element. Typically, this is the last functional element of the clause, therefore common units are ordered as Given + New.
The unmarked position for New is at the end of the unit, but we may also find Given after the tonic foot, a case that would be called marked information focus. A number of elements in language is inherently Given, such as anaphoric and deictic elements, which can only be retrieved from the situation where they appear. They don’t normally carry information focus, and when they do, it is contrastive:
 – You can go if you like // I’m not going

Given + New and Theme + Rheme
Both the Information and Thematic systems are semantically very closely related. When they are unmarked, the units of both systems are co-extensive with each other, i.e.: the Theme corresponds with Given information and the Rheme with New information. Even though they are related, these systems are not the same thing: the Theme is what the speaker chooses as point of departure, whereas Given is what the hearer knows or has available. Theme + Rheme is speaker-oriented and Given + New is hearer-oriented. Both are, in any case, speaker-selected, which means the speaker relies on a rich verbal and non-verbal environment upon which he or she builds up what is to follow, and this often leads away from the univocal one-to-one relationship of Theme/Given + Rheme/New.

7.  Predicated Themes
Theme predication is a special case of organization of the clause as a message because it involves choices regarding both thematic and informational systems. Any element with a representational function in the clause can be marked off by predication:
 – It was Jane that started it
– It wasn’t the job that was getting me down – It was eight years ago that you gave up smoking
This system identifies one element as exclusive at a point in the clause. Basically it relies on equatives, but it features some differences as well. The cost of marking parts of the clause is that they become strongly foregrounded information. The mapping of New and Theme gives predicated themes this special flavor. Since tonicity is not reflected in writing, predication also helps to make better interpretations; compare the following:
 – John’s father wanted him to give up the violin. His teacher persuaded him to continue.
 – John’s father wanted him to give up the violin. It was his teacher who persuaded him to continue.
8. Theme in bound, minor and elliptical clauses
  Although we have considered free clauses so far, thematic structure also has its place in dependent structures, only the speaker has less freedom to choose Theme. In the case of subordinate clauses and even more so in interrogatives, occurrences of Themes are predetermined. However, if the Theme is fixed by grammar, the next item retains some thematic flavor. Consider “If winter comes”. This clause shows an obligatory, fixed Theme, thus winter can be considered the topical Theme. The significance of these patterns is remarkable because they’re a key to the development of a text. And though main contributions come from free clauses, others need to be taken account of.
Dependent bound clauses
– Finite. Their structural Theme is typically a conjunction followed by a topical Theme:
– [I asked] whether / pigs // have wings
 – [He left] because / his work // was done
If the bound clause begins with a WH-element, it constitutes the topical Theme because it has a function in the transitivity structure:
– [I asked] why / pigs // have no wings
– Non-finite. The scheme may be similar to finite clauses, but many have no structural nor topical Theme, in which case they feature only Rheme: – For / that printer // to work off you machine… – // to avoid delay…
b.  Embedded bound clauses They function inside nominal groups (for example as defining relatives) and  their thematic structure equals that of dependent clauses, so that their contribution to discourse is minimal: – The day the dam broke
c.  Minor clauses They have no mood nor transitivity structure and are typically calls or greetings:
 – Mary!
 – Good night! Their thematic structure is Ø.
d.  Elliptical clauses – Anaphoric ellipsis. Here part of the clause is presupposed from previous utterances, therefore they’re similar to minor clauses:
 – “Yes.”
 – “No.”
– “Of course.”
– Exophoric ellipsis. Here there’s no presupposition from previous material, but from the situation. They have a thematic structure, but it consists of Rheme only:
– Thirsty?  Are you thirsty?
9.  Thematic Interpretation of A Text
Thematic interpretation is a combination of different scripts revolving around a central theme. It emphasizes identifying,analysing and interpreting patterns of meaning (or  “themes”) within qualitative data.






REFERENCE

Halliday, M.K.A. An Introduction to Functional Grammar : Third Edition.2004. Oxford University Press Inc. : USA
E-Journal.stp-bandung.ac.id