A Study on the Meaning and structure of an Default fairy-tale a systemic functional analysis

A Study on the Meaning and structure of an
Default fairy-tale: a systemic functional analysis

Nguyễn Thị Lan

Trường Đại học Ngoại ngữ
Luận văn ThS. Chuyên ngành: Linguistics; Mã số: 60 22 15
Người hướng dẫn: Prof. Dr. Hoang Van Van
Năm bảo vệ: 2011


Abstract: In this thesis I will study the meaning and structure of a chosen -tale as seen
from the systemic functional perspective. Systemic functional grammar is a powerful
analytical tool for analyzing a text with the transitivity system, the mood, the thematic
pattern and the cohesion. Also, a fairy-tale may be very familiar with a lot of people
because they are told so many times when they are just little boys and girls and until they
are mature already; therefore the analysis of the meaning and the structure of a fairy-tale
is useful in some ways.

Keywords: Tiếng Anh; Ngữ nghĩa; Cấu trúc; Ngữ pháp


Content
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationale of the study
There are many different approaches to describe the grammar of a language. One
approach sees grammar as a set of rules which specify all the possible grammatical structures of
the language where grammatical and ungrammatical sentences are distinguished clearly and so,
its main concern is the forms of grammatical structures rather than with their meanings or their
uses in contexts, therefore, the analysis of sentences isn’t connected to real world sources.
Another approach sees language as a system of communication and analyses grammar to

discover by what means it allows speakers and writers to make and exchange meanings. Its main
focus is not a clear distinction between grammatical and ungrammatical forms but on the
appropriateness of a form for a particular communicative purpose in a particular context. In this
approach, the function of structures is not concerned with their constituents and their meanings
in context. Grammarians who are interested in this kind of description is likely to use data from
authentic texts.
The two approaches are clearly different from each other: the former approach refers to
grammatical analysis and it is often called formal while the later one is called functional.
However, they are certainly exclusive.
For me, I find functional grammar very useful and interesting because it offers us an
analytic tool of looking at the whole text. Functional grammar is a complex but comprehensive
model. Although it has been studied by many famous linguists in the world, such as M. A. K.
Halliday (1961, 1967, 1970, 1978, 1985, 1994), it has not been studied much in Vietnam. Up to
now, there have been only two grammarians studying the functional approach: Cao Xuân Hạo
(1991) with the work Tiếng Việt – Sơ thảo ngữ pháp chức năng and Hoàng Văn Vân (2002)
with Ngữ pháp kinh nghiệm của cú Tiếng Việt –Mô tả theo quan điểm chức năng hệ thống.
Being a teacher of English, I want to contribute something to this field. I would like to
choose “A study on the meaning and structure of an English fairy tale: a systemic functional
analysis” for my thesis, using Halliday’s functional grammar as the theoretical framework.
1.2. Aims of the study
This thesis attempts to study the meaning and the structure of an English fairy tale as seen
from the systemic functional perspective.
1.3. Scope of the study
This study does not mention all aspects of meaning and structure of the fairy tale but only
some precious features are discussed. They are the transitivity, the mood, the theme pattern and
the cohesion of the text.
1.4. Methods of the study
The methods used in the study are descriptive and analytic.
Descriptive method is concerned with the description of main areas of functional grammar and
analytic method is concerned with the analysis of the text.

1.5. Design of the study
This thesis is divided into 4 chapters:
- Chapter 1: Introduction – presents the rationale of the study, the aims, the scope, the
methods and the design of the study.
- Chapter 2: Literature Review provides the theoretical background of the study. Its
focus is on introducing important concepts in systemic functional linguistics relevant to
the topic of the study and knowledge surrounding the kind of fairy tales.
- Chapter 3: The meaning and structure of an English fairy tale Cinderella – analyzes the
fairy tale as seen from the systemic functional point of view
- Chapter 4: Conclusion – summarizes the results of the study, suggests some implications
for discourse analysts, students and teachers of discourse analysis and then presents some
suggestions for further research.

REFERENCES
English
1. Bloor, Thomas and Meriel (1995), The Functional Analysis of English. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
2. Brown, G & G. Yule. (1983), Discourse Analysis. Cambridge: CUP.
3. Grimm, J. L. C. & W. C (1993), Grimm’s fairy tales. Herfortshire: Wordsworth Editions
Limited.
4. Halliday, M. A. K, (1994), An introduction to Functional Grammar, Second Edition, London:
Edward Arnold,
5. Halliday, M. A. K., and Hasan (1985), Language, Context and Text: Aspect of Language in
Social-Semiotic Perspective. Geelong, Victoria: Deakin University Press,.
6. Halliday, M. A. K., and Hasan (1976), Cohesion in English, London: Longman.
7. Halliday, M. A. K. (2004), Dâ
̃
n luâ
̣
n ngư

̃
pha
́
p chư
́
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ĐHQGHN.
8. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (1991), Oxford: Oxford University Press.
9. Thompson (1996), Introducing Functional Grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press
10. Jacobs, T. (1967), English Fairy Tales. New York: Dover Publications (an unaltered
republication of the 3
rd
edition by G. B. Putnam’s Sons and David Nitt (1898).
11. Jacobs, T. (1969), English fairy tales and fables. http// w.w.w. English fairy tales and fables
12. Vân, Hoàng Văn (2005c), The Meaning and Structure of a Science Fiction Story: a Systemic
Functional Analysis. Jounal of Science (Foreign Language) No2.Pp.28-45.
13. Vân, Hoàng Văn (2006), Introducing Discourse Analysis. Hanoi: Education Publishing
House.
Vietnamese
1. Cao Xuân Hạo (1991). Tiếng Việt –Sơ thảo ngữ pháp chức năng. Hà Ni: NXB Giáo Dục
2. Đào Tuyết Thảo (2001), Truyện cổ thế giới tinh tuyển. Hà Ni: NXB Thế Giới.
3. Hoàng Văn Vân (2002), Ngữ pháp kinh nghiệm của cú Tiếng Việt –Mô tả theo quan điểm
chức năng hệ thống. Hà Ni: Nhà xuất bản khoa học xã hi.
4. Hữu Ngọc (2001), Truyện Cổ Grim (bản dịch). Hà Ni: NXB Văn học.
5. Nhóm EIF Hanoi (2006), Học tiếng anh qua truyện cổ tích- Learn English through fairy tales.
NXB Thanh Niên.