Reporting strategies in the novel nỗi buồn chiến tranh and its english translated version the sorrow of war by phan thanh hao and frank palmos a systemic functional comparison

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

VŨ THỊ KIM NGÂN

REPORTING STRATEGIES IN THE NOVEL “NỖI BUỒN CHIẾN TRANH”
AND ITS ENGLISH TRANSLATED VERSION “THE SORROW OF WAR”
(TRANSLATED BY PHAN THANH HAO AND EDITED BY FRANK PALMOS):
A SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL COMPARISON

Các chiến lược thông báo trong tiểu thuyết “Nỗi buồn chiến tranh” và trong
bản dịch “The Sorrow of War” của Phan Thanh Hảo và Frank Palmos:
So sánh theo lý thuyết ngữ pháp chức năng hệ thống

M.A. MINOR THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS
CODE: 8220201.01

HA NOI – 2020


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

VŨ THỊ KIM NGÂN
REPORTING STRATEGIES IN THE NOVEL “NỖI BUỒN CHIẾN TRANH”
AND ITS ENGLISH TRANSLATED VERSION “THE SORROW OF WAR”
(TRANSLATED BY PHAN THANH HAO AND EDITED BY FRANK PALMOS):

A SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL COMPARISON

Các chiến lược thông báo trong tiểu thuyết “Nỗi buồn chiến tranh” và trong
bản dịch “The Sorrow of War” của Phan Thanh Hảo và Frank Palmos:
So sánh theo lý thuyết ngữ pháp chức năng hệ thống
M.A. MINOR THESIS

FIELD:

ENGLISH LINGUISTICS

CODE:

8220201.01

SUPERVISOR:

PROF. DR. HOÀNG VĂN VÂN

HA NOI – 2020


DECLARATION
I, Vũ Thị Kim Ngân, hereby declare that this thesis represents my own work
unless otherwise referenced or acknowledged which has not been previously
included in any thesis or dissertation submitted to this or any other institution for
a degree, diploma or other qualifications. Should this declaration be found to be
false, disciplinary action could be taken and penalties imposed in accordance
with the University policy.
Signature

i


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to place on record my heartfelt thanks to my supervisor,
Prof. Dr. Hoàng Văn Vân for reading with refreshing insight, and fine-grained
critical astuteness the various drafts of the thesis. His sophisticated theoretical
mind and contempt for mediocrity has been instructive and inspiring. I am
mostly thankful that he afforded me the autonomy and latitude to think my own
thoughts, and follow my scholarly instincts.
I am also sincerely grateful to all of our generous lecturers at the Faculty
of Postgraduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies,
Vietnam National University, Hanoi, for their encouragement and their patience
in my process of studying here.
Finally, my endearing and enduring gratitude to my family: my parents,
my husband and my new-born daughter who have remained the bedrock of my
scholarly and personal (mis)ad/ventures. My special thanks go to my all
colleagues, my friends for their support during the completion of the thesis.

ii


ABSTRACT
The thesis endeavors to make a contrastive analysis of the novel Nỗi buồn
chiến tranh and its translated version by Phan Thanh Hao and Frank Palmos.
The theoretical framework employed for analysis and comparison of the novel
and its translated version is systemic functional linguistics. The research
findings show that there are some similarities and differences in using reporting
strategies in the source novel and its translated version. Both two versions share

the same aim to report the characters’ locutions and ideas and consist of
reporting thoughts and reporting speeches. However, three main differences in
applying reporting strategies are also found out: in the structure of the clauses in
the complexes, in the uses of reporting verbs and in the appearance of nonlinguistics conventions. By making a comprehensive and detailed study, this
thesis is a meaningful application of systemic function grammar to learning and
teaching translation, and translating.

iii


NOTATIONAL CONVENTIONS
 Boundary markers
|||: clause complex boundary
||: clause boundary
 Types of dependency
α, β, γ, …: Hypotaxis
 Logical-semantic relations:
Projection:
“ : Locution
‘ : Idea
 Others:
1st, 2nd, 3rd: number of clauses with reporting in the text

iv


LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES
Figure 1

Page

11

:

Projection and expansion represented by the conventions

Figure 2

:

of comic strips.
System network of projection

11

Table 1

:

Verbs used to report

14

Table 2

:

Reporting clauses in Vietnamese version and English

18

version
Table 3
Table 4
Table 5

:
:
:

Reported statements in the projection of locution
Reported statements in the projection of idea
The order of clauses in the complexes in ST and TT

26
27
30

Table 6

:

Reporting verbs used in ST and TT

33

v


LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

SFG
SFL
ST
TT

Systemic Functional Grammar
Systemic Functional Linguistics
Source text
Translated text

vi


TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION ............................................................................................... i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................. ii
ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................... iii
NOTATIONAL CONVENTIONS ................................................................. iv
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES ................................................................ v
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................... vi
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .................................................................... 1
1.1. Rational of the study ............................................................................ 1
1.2. Significance of the study ..................................................................... 2
1.3. Aims of the study and research questions ............................................ 2
1.4. Scope of the study ............................................................................... 2
1.5. Methodology ....................................................................................... 3
1.6. Organization of the thesis .................................................................... 3
CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND ....................................... 5
2.1. Overview of research materials ............................................................ 5
2.1.1. The source novel and the translated version .................................. 5

2.1.2. The authors ................................................................................... 6
2.1.2.1. The ST Vietnamese author – Bao Ninh .................................................6
2.1.2.2. The TT translator: Phan Thanh Hao and Frank Palmos .........................6
2.2. Systemic functional grammar and the clause ....................................... 8
2.3. Above the Clause: The Clause Complex ............................................ 10
2.3.1. Reports as a kind of projection .................................................... 11
2.3.1.1. Projection .............................................................................................11
2.3.1.2. Reports.................................................................................................12
2.4. Summary ........................................................................................... 15
CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ....................................... 17
3.1. Research questions ............................................................................ 17
3.2. Research method ............................................................................... 17

vii


3.2.1. Research data .............................................................................. 17
3.2.2. Data collection method ............................................................... 17
3.2.3. Data analysis method .................................................................. 17
3.3. Analytical framework ........................................................................ 21
CHAPTER IV: A CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS OF REPORTING
STRATEGIES IN THE SOURCE NOVEL NỖI BUỒN CHIẾN TRANH
AND ITS TRANSLATED VERSION ........................................................... 23
4.1. Introduction ................................................................................... 23
4.2. The similarities .............................................................................. 25
4.3. The differences .............................................................................. 30
4.3.1. Differences in terms of the structure of clauses in the complex .......30
4.3.2. Differences in terms of using reporting verbs in the ST and TT ......33
4.3.3. Differences in terms of non-linguistic conventions ..........................36
4.4. Summary ...................................................................................................37

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION...................................................................... 39
1. Recapitulation....................................................................................... 39
2. Implications of the study ...................................................................... 40
3. Limitations and suggestions for further study ....................................... 40
REFERENCES ............................................................................................... 41
SOURCES OF DATA ....................................................................................... I
APPENDIX 1 ................................................................................................... II
APPENDIX 2 ......................................................................................... XXXIX

viii


CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
1.1.

Rational of the study

Along with the rapid integration among countries all over the world, there
is an increasingly urgent requirement of sharing a common language to enable
people to reach a more profound understanding of each other. And English is
seen as a global language. It cannot be denied the importance of English in the
current life because it has expressed its central importance in almost aspects of
life: politics, economics, education, laws and even daily activities.
A huge challenge posed to people around the world is the ability of
mastering English as their mother tongue language. As a linguistic learner for
nearly ten years, I find the supreme importance of applying grammar in the
process of learning and studying a new language, English is not out of this
circle. The history of linguistics has witnessed many different grammatical
approaches which attempts to understand how English works. Of all the
grammatical approaches, the theory of systemic functional grammar (SFG)

developed by M.A.K Halliday represents the function of language to interact
with other people in order to establish and maintain the relationship between
them as well as to reflect the writer’s attitude towards the subject matter
(Halliday, 2004). SFG can also be a useful grammatical source “to say sensible
and useful things about any text, spoken or written’ (Halliday, 2004: xv).
Functional grammar seems to be the most successful trends of grammar because
it not only mentions form and meaning of language but also the relationship
between them (Thompson, 1996: 6). There is no “right” or “wrong” in terms of
structure like in functional grammar, but functional grammarians only consider
something “appropriate: or “inappropriate” to achieve high effectiveness in
language (Eggins, 2004: 22).
Amongst the various interesting aspects of SFL, my present thesis focuses
on analyzing a specific phenomenon – reporting strategies which belong to
projection relation between clauses in clause complexes. There are various
reasons for choosing this topic, but translating reports in novels in the approach
of SFG seems to be prominent. Foremost, the source novel Nỗi buồn chiến tranh
is one of the most attractive novels in the war which won the Independent

1


Foreign Fiction Prize. Each bare picture in the war seems to be captured
completely by a talented writer. Secondly, the translated version by Phan Thanh
Hao and Frank Palmos which was listed in Best 50 Translations of 20th Century
by Society of Authors in London in 2010 is highly evaluated. And thirdly, SFG
is an effective tool to explore the differences in the process of translation to
recognize reporting strategies between the source novel and the translated one.
1.2.

Significance of the study

The significance of the study not only lies in the theoretical findings, but
it is expected that it will also emerge as a practical application to translation.
Furthermore, the contrastive analysis of the source and the translated novel is
hoped to be useful in translating and serving as a reference to be employed in
ESL linguistics courses where Halliday’s theory of SFG is introduced.
1.3.

Aims of the study and research questions

The overarching aim of this study is to explore the similarities and
differences in reporting strategies employed by the author of the source
language text (hereafter referred to as ST) Nỗi buồn chiến tranh and the
translator of the target language text (TT) The Sorrow of War, using systemic
functional grammar (SFG) as the analytical framework. To fulfill this aim, three
questions are raised for exploration:
(i) What reporting strategies does the writer employ to construct the
source language text?
(ii) What reporting strategies does the translator employ to construct the
target language text?
(iii) What are the similarities and differences between the source language
text and target language text in terms of reporting strategies?
1.4.

Scope of the study

The study aims to make comparison of using reporting strategies under
SFG theory in a Vietnamese novel and its translated version. In order to make
task manageable in keeping with the aims of the paper, there are some
limitations:

2


- Only issues relating to above the clause, specifically reports as one kind
of projection, are taken into consideration.
- The approach of grammar used to analyze in the paper is Systemic
Functional Grammar developed by M.A.K. Halliday.
- Given the scope of this minor thesis, only Chapter 1 of the original text
(which is 37 pages long) and its corresponding chapter (Chapter 1) of the
translated version (which is 31 pages long) are taken as data for comparison.
1.5.

Methodology

This is a comparative study; hence, the following steps should be taken so
as to make full analysis of the research paper.
Firstly, the ST and the TT are analysed for reporting clause complexes,
using SFG as the analytical framework.
Secondly, the reporting clause complexes in the ST and TT are further
analysed to reveal reporting strategies in the two texts.
Finally, the reporting strategies in the ST and TT are compared to reveal
similarities and differences.
In order to achieve the goals of the study, two successive methods will be
applied for better research results. They are descriptive and analytical. The
general research methodology adopted in the paper is inductive.
1.6.

Organization of the thesis

The thesis is designed in five main chapters.
Chapter I, Introduction, presents the rationale for choosing the topic, the
aims, scope of the study and methods to be applied in the paper and how the
study is designed.
Chapter II, Theoretical background, provides an overview of research
materials including the novel – Vietnamese version and English version and
general information of the author and translators; and the concepts of systemic
functional grammar, in particular, to the examination of the notion of projection,
reports.
Chapter III, Research methodology, shows a guiding framework on which
the research is based on. It consists of research questions, research method and
analytical framework.
3


Chapter IV, provides a detailed description of data analysis. Some
comparisons including the similarities and differences and some interpretations
of the findings of the study are also presented.
Chapter V, Conclusion, gives a summary of the results of the study. It
pays much attention to answering three research questions. The most
importantly, the similarities and differences between the source novel and the
translated version, in terms of reporting strategies are also recapitulated in this
part. Some implications for translating and some suggestions for further study
are mentioned.

4


CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
This chapter presents briefly the ST and its author, TT and its translators

and provides an overview of SFG. To be more specific, it will review
background knowledge on systemic functional grammar and concepts relevant
to the study such as clause complexes, projection and reports. The main content
of this chapter is the notion of reporting.
2.1. Overview of research materials
2.1.1. The source novel and the translated version
As almost an autobiographical story, the novel Nỗi buồn chiến tranh does
not deal with tormenting memories in war with lots of untold sufferings and
deaths but lingers on the human derangement after war. The novel Nỗi buồn
chiến tranh was written by Bao Ninh in 1987 with the first name Thân phận của
tình yêu. It was Bao Ninh’s graduation project at the Nguyen Du Writing
School. The novel soon became a hit on the Vietnamese literary scene and has
later been translated into many languages and published in many regions and
countries. Many of them was translated from Palmos English version, three
others were directly translated from the Vietnamese including the French
version by Phan Huy Đường in 2004, the Japanese version by Okawa Hitoshi in
1999 and the Chinese one by Xia Lu in 2019. The novel has gained lots of
awards: The Vietnam Writers’ Association Award in 1991, the 2016 Shim Hun
Literary Award in South Korea, the 2011 Asia Literature Award from Nihon
Keizai Shimbun in Japan, as well as the 2018 Asia Literature Award. It also won
the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize - a British literary award. It is recognized
as “the most touching novel about the war in Vietnam”, “the biggest
achievement of Vietnam’s reformed literature”, and “touching the hearts of
humans”. In this thesis, the chosen English version is translated by Phan Thanh
Hao and edited by Frank Palmos - an Australian journalist. It was published in
2004 under the title The Sorrow of War. It is considered as the best translation of
all.
In The Sorrow of War, North Vietnam’s most famous living writer – an
ex-soldier himself – transmogrifies, with passion and honesty, his nation’s
conflict with South Vietnam and with the United States into a timeless elegy. Its

singularity is this “The pain of the Vietnam conflict has been told and retold in
5


the West. A few propaganda films apart, North Vietnam has remained silent.
Until now” (The Economist).
The Sorrow of War – by turns bleak and poetic, pellucid and cunning –
opens with Kien, an infantry cadre form Hanoi, engaged in the grim business of
retrieving and burying the dead at the scene of one of the bloodiest battles of the
war. From here, the novel ranges back to Kien’s youth and the pains of
adolescent love and moves forward to his attempts, as a struggling writer in
postwar Hanoi, to come to grips with the savageries he has witnessed, to make
sense of death, love, and loss and of his own survival.
2.1.2. The authors
2.1.2.1. The ST Vietnamese author – Bao Ninh
Bao Ninh, the real name is Hoàng Ấu Phương who was born on 18th
October, 1952 in Nghe An, is a Vietnamese novelist, essayist and writer of short
stories. He is best known for his first novel, published in English as The Sorrow
of War. When he was seventeen years old, he joined the war and served in the
Glorious 27th Youth Brigade. Of the five hundred who went to war with the
brigade in 1969, Ninh was one of ten who survived. The memory of fierce
battles and the fear of Vietnamese soldiers during the war appearing in his
imagination were described: “While the bombs were falling, only a stone
wouldn’t be terrified. If the Americans noticed movement in the forest, they
would eliminate the forest. Who knows how much money was spent? American
taxpayers’ money. If a cluster of napalm bombs were dropped, the jungle would
turn into a sea of fire. Can you imagine a sea of fire?”
Although the readers just know Bao Ninh as the author of “The Sorrow of
War”, he also has some works in other literary fields: a collection of short
stories Camp of Seven Dwarves in 1987, a short story "A Marker on the Side of

the Boat” (Khắc dấu mạn thuyền).
2.1.2.2. The TT translator: Phan Thanh Hao and Frank Palmos
Phan Thanh Hao, who was born in 1950, is well - known as a translator
with the works of various genres: historical fiction, war fiction, war stories,
action and adventure fiction, personal narratives, biographies. In her career until
now, there are totally 17 works in 50 publications in 3 languages and 2,157
library holdings. Phan Thanh Hao is a woman translator who has a grand
passion for wars in Vietnam, for Vietnamese women soldiers’ life in war and
post-war. Some of her widely translated works include The Sorrow of War (12
6


editions published between 1993 and 2018 in English), Even the women must
fight (by Karen Turner-Gottschang with 6 editions published between 1998 and
1999 in English), Behind the red mist (by Hồ Anh Thái with 2 editions
published between 1998 and 2007 in English), Against the flood (by Ma Văn
Kháng with 4 editions published in 2000 in English), Hidden warriors: women
on the Ho Chi Minh Trail (1 edition published in 2004 in English). Becoming
one of fifty Best Translations of the 20th Century, The Sorrow of War is seen as
a highlight in her career. The translated novel is also broastcast as serial over
Vietnam National Radio from 1990 to 1991. The Sorrow of War is also the first
book introduced to American readers. Apart from working as a translator, Phan
Thanh Hao is also known as one of the largest contributor to introducing
Vietnamese literature into the USA. She, along with four Vietnamese authors
including Hồ Anh Thái, Lê Minh Khuê, Nguyễn Quang Thiều and Nguyễn
Nguyệt Cầm, in the 1990s, together brings Vietnamese literature works to
America. In 2003, Phan Thanh Hao, Wayne Karlin, Hồ Anh Thái and Lê Minh
Khuê published a Vietnamese literary collection with 50 excellent translated short
stories, named Love after war (Tình yêu thời hậu chiến) which is recognized as
one of the 100 best books of 2003 by The Annals of San Francisco.

Frank Palmos, who works as a journalist, author, and translator, is wellknown for his work in South East Asia. After graduated from Journalism and
Indonesian Studies from University of Melbourne, he was appointed at 24 years
of age Australia's youngest Foreign Correspondent to South East Asia in 1964.
He founded the first foreign newspaper bureau in the Republic of Indonesia in
Jakarta (non-wire service) and served as its bureau chief for the Sydney Morning
Herald-Sun groups, which represented ten Australian and numerous overseas
daily newspapers. He was the Dean of Foreign Correspondents, Co-Founder and
President of the Djakarta Foreign Correspondents Club from 1965 to 1969. In
addition, he is known as a special writer for The New York Time, Washington
Post, The Economist, London, the Groene Amsterdammer, Vrij Nederland.
During the period from 1964 to 1966, he was an honorary and simultaneous
translator to first Indonesian President Sukarno and political party leaders
During the Vietnam War from 1965 to 1968, Palmos served as a war
correspondent. He was the sole survivor of a Viet Cong ambush of five western
war correspondents in Cholon on 5 May 1968 during the second Tet Offensive.
He documented his missions, the ambush and two-year investigative search

7


reports between 1988 - 1990 in his autobiography, called “Ridding the Devils”.
Later, Palmos served as a foundation trustee for the Indochina Media Memorial
Foundation and was a contributor to the book ‘Requiem’ (Random House, 1997)
edited by Horst Faas and Tim Page, as a memorial to 135 photographers and
correspondents killed in the Indochina Wars ending in 1975. To be highly
assessed in his career, Frank Palmos wins numerous awards in many fields of art
and literary. In 1971-1972, he gained The Australian Winston Churchill Fellow
for Pioneering Journalism in Asia. Then, he was Television Journalism Logie
winner 1974 with Current Affair Channel 9 team, coverages included Cyclone
Tracy (Camera: Kevin Wiggins) and four highlight films. Executive Producer

Michael Schildberger (1938-2010), Producer Graham Coddington, co-Reporter
John Hounslow (1946-2010), Research Andrea Lee-Steere, GTV9 Studios,
Richmond, Victoria.
2.2. Systemic functional grammar and the clause
Systemic functional grammar is a grammatical model developed by
M.A.K Halliday and Matthiessen (2004). In their book, the authors explained
that their grammar is called functional because “the conceptual framework on
which it is based is a functional one rather than a formal one. It is functional in
three distinct although closely related senses: in its representation (1) of texts,
(2) of the system, and (3) of the elements of linguistics structures”. According to
Halliday, language is functional in sense that it is designed to account for how
language is used and language has evolved to satisfy human needs. Therefore,
the fundamental components of meaning in language are functional components
and each element in a language is explained by reference to its function in the
total linguistic system. Halliday’s grammar model is also called systemic
because he developed the detailed system networks named mood type for many
areas of English grammar. The theory shows that language performs three main
functions which are called metafunctions:
- The ideational function is to organize speaker’s or writer’ experience of
the real world, including the inner world of his own consciousness.
- The interpersonal function is to indicate, establish or maintain social
relationship between people.
- The textual function is to provide links with language itself and with the
features of the situation in which it is used.
(Hoang Van Van, 2006: 28)

8


Each of these is realized by different set of systems. The first function is

realized through the system of Transitivity which is defined as the grammar of
processes – material, mental, relational, verbal, behavioral, existential; the
participants in the processes and the attendant circumstances. The second
function, interpersonal, is realized through the system of Mood structure. As an
exchange, a clause consists of two components: Mood and Residue. Mood is the
component whose function is to carry the syntactic burden of the exchange and
to carry the argument forward. Mood consists of two elements; Subject and
Finite. Subject is a nominal component while Finite is a verbal component
which has the function of making the proposition finite. The remainder of the
clause is the Residue which consists of three functional components: the
Predicator, the Complement, and the Adjunct. The predicator is realized by a
verbal group. The complement is an element which has the potential of being a
subject and typically realized by a nominal group. The adjunct is often known as
an adverbial group. The third function of language, under Systemic Functional
Grammar perspective, the textual function is realized by the system of Thematic
structure which includes Theme and Rheme. Theme is considered the point of
departure of the message which is coincided with the initial element of the
clause. Theme provides the settings for the remainder of the sentence – Rheme.
Rheme is the remainder of the message in a clause in which Theme is
developed. Rheme provides the additional information added to the starting
point and which is available for subsequent development in the text. Theme may
be realized by a nominal group, prepositional phrase, an adverbial group or even
a clause. Halliday and Matthiessen claim that the three types of meanings
presented in language are not accidental but are necessarily in place because we
need them to perform functions in social life.
Hoang Van Van (2006: 161) states that systemic functional linguistics
owns “a very rich pool of analytical instruments which help researchers tackle
not only phonological but also grammatical (syntax), semantic and discoursal
problems of a text”. This theory encompasses all levels of language: phonology,
lexico-grammar, semantics and context of situation where language occurs. In

terms of phonology, it studies the resources of intonation, rhythm, and syllabic
and phonemic articulation. Lexico-grammar includes lexis or vocabulary and
grammar in a unified system. Semantics is concerned with the system of
meaning. Unlike other grammatical theories, this theory develops a model for
9


contextual analysis which consists of three components or parameters: field,
tenor and mode.
From the point of view of functional grammarians, in any kinds of
language, there exists the notion “rank scale” which relates to “constituency”
“whereby larger units are made up out of smaller ones”; however, it differs from
this language to others. In English grammar, the rank scale is described as
below:
2.3. Above the Clause: The Clause Complex
Morpheme

Word

Phrase/ Group

Clause

A clause is seen as the highest unit in the rank scale. From Halliday’s
theory, a clause simplex can be expanded to form a clause simplexes and clause
complexes. Halliday and Matthiessen (2004) defines a clause simplex includes
only one clause while a clause complex is a combination of “a Head clause and
(o)ther clauses that modifying it”. Traditional grammar sees the notion of a
“clause” as a “sentence”; however, sentence is just “a constituent of writing”,
but a clause complex is a “constituent of grammar” (Halliday and Matthiessen,

2004: 216). The term sentence is used to refer only to the “highest – ranking
graphological unit of punctuation” while “the notion of “clause complex’
enables us to account in full for the grammatical combination of clauses”
(Halliday and Matthiessen, 2004: 371, 372). According to Halliday and
Matthiessen (2004: 373), clauses are interrelated in terms of the degree of
interdependency or taxis and the logico-semantic relationship.
In the scope this thesis, the author will pay attention to only the logicosemantic relation of clauses which includes expansion and projection. While
expansion is the relationship in which the secondary clause expands the primary
clause by elaborating or extending or enhancing it; in projection, the secondary
clause is projected through the primary clause, which instates it as a locution or
an idea.
This basic logico-sematic relation made by the grammar has come to be
reflected in the conventions of comic strips, as illustrated schematically:

10


Figure 1.
Projection and expansion represented by the conventions of comic strips
(Halliday and Matthiessen, 2004: 377)
In the limitation of the thesis, report as a type of projection is the unique
aspect which will be explored to serve the purposes of the study.
2.3.1. Reports as a kind of projection
2.3.1.1. Projection
Being one of two logico-semantic relations among clause complexes,
projection is “not as a direct representation of (non-linguistic) experience but as
a representation of a (linguistic) representation.” (Halliday and Matthiessen,
2004: 441). Instead of expressing their own experience, people, in projection
have an intention to include wording or meaning of an original event. In their
book, Halliday and Matthiessen provide lots of discourse uses of projection.

They are: “to contribute to sources in news reporting, to represent views in
scientific discourse, to construct dialogue in narrative”, “to frame questions in
conversation”. In fact, there are three systems involved in the differentiation of
different kinds of projection: the level of projection (idea vs. locution), the mode
of projection (hypotactic reporting vs. paratactic reporting) and the speech
function (reported proposition vs. projected proposal).
The figure below clarifies the relationship among variants in the network
of projection.

11


Figure 2.
System network of pojection (Halliday and Matthiessen, 2004: 445)
There are three systems involved in the differentiation of three kinds of
projection: (i) the level of projection (idea [mental] vs locution [verbal]); (ii)
mode of projection (reporting [hypotactic] vs quoting [paratactic]) and (iii)
speech function (proposition [statements and questions] vs proposal [offers and
commands]). In the scope of the thesis, I will devote exclusively to exemplifying
reports as a kind of projection.
2.3.1.2. Reports
Language, not all the time, expresses by wording; thinking also creates
language. Hence, a process of thinking in a “mental” clause will serve to project.
The uses of this kind of projecting nexus include the speakers’ thinking in
dialogues, the addressee’s thinking in dialogue, the character’s consciousness in
narrative, the institutional or expert’s opinions and beliefs in news reporting and
scientific discourse and the speaker’s angle in scientific discourse. In nexuses
projecting locutions, nexuses projecting ideas consist of a phenomenon – the
projecting clause – and a metaphenomenon – the ‘content’ of the projecting
clause. It is clarified in this below example:

Some experts believed
that people someday will have their
unique genetic code on smart cards.
The phenomenon – the projecting The meta-phenomenon – the projected
clause
clause which contains ‘content’ of the

12


projecting clause.
(Halliday and Matthiessen, 2004: 449)
The difference between quoting and reporting is that in reporting, the
projecting clause is a “mental” process clause, more specifically one of
cognition, rather than a “verbal” one and the projected clause represents a
meaning rather than a wording. Halliday and Matthiessen (2004: 452, 453) also
present the difference between hypotactic projection (reporting) that preserves
the deictic orientation of the projecting clause, which is that of the speaker;
whereas in paratactic projection (quoting) the deixis shifts and takes on the
orientation of the Sayer. And while paratactic projection can represent any
dialogue features of what was said, hypotactic projection cannot. It is obvious
that we use language not only to talk but also to think, hence, hypotactic
projection is the most typical applied to mental process with two sub-types: (1)
cognition and (2) desideration.
(1) Cognition
|||Do you know || where the scissors are? |||
α
‘β
(2) Desideration
|||I want || him to go out. |||

α
‘β
For coginiton hypotactic projection (report) is applied in both (a) like type and
(b) please type, two ways to express mental process withput changing the active
voice of clauses. For example:
(a) Like type
|||I notice || that Eve’s disloyalty and ingratitude must be contagious! |||
α
(b) Please type

‘β

|||It strikes me || that Eve’s disloyalty and ingratitude must be contagious! |||
α
‘β
(Halliday and Matthiessen, 2004: 449)
Besides mental process, hypotactic projection is employed in verbal process.
In verbal process, the speaker does not report the gist of what was said, so the
wording may be quite different from the original (Halliday and Matthiessen,
2004: 454). As they emphasize, when the statements, questions, offers or

13


commands are projected, their speech functions may be obscured and is
therefore explicit in the reporting verbs.
In hypotactic projection, apart from some general reporting verbs employed,
there are also some verbs for elaborated speech functions which are listed in the
following table.
Table 1.

Verbs used to report (Halliday and Matthiessen, 2004: 450)
Proposition

Proposal

Statement
[indirect
declarative

Question
[indirect
interrogative

[perfective
non-finite
clause, or

clause:
(that)…]

clause:
whether/ if;

modulated
indirect

who, which,
when…]

declarative

clause]

perceptive
cognitive

‘like’ type

believe, guess, wonder,
think, know,
doubt;
image, doubt, consider; find
remember,

-

out, ascertain,

forget, dream, check;
predict
determine,
judge;
predict, know,
remember

desiderative

“please” type

Strike, occur
to

‘like’ type

-

-

want, would
like, wish,
intend, plan
for, hope for

emotive

-

-

14

-


The table gives two different sets of verbs which are associated with two
types of a projected clause: an indirect statement or an indirect question. In a
statement, it is fixed with respect to the polarity and the elements of transitivity
(realized by an indirect declarative clause introduced by that). However, in a
question, it is open with respect the polarity (realized by an indirect yes/no
interrogative clause introduced by whether or if) or one or more of the elements
of transitivity (realized by an indirect wh- interrogative clause introduced by

who, which, when, where, etc.). As a result, mental clauses representing an
‘undecided’ state of mind are used to project indirect questions. These include
clauses of wondering and doubting, finding out and checking, and contemplating
which are characterized by special lexical verbs such as wonder, ascertain. They
may also include uncertainty clauses which are represented grammatically by a
feature of negative polarity or interrogative mood, or by projection or expansion
within the verbal group serving as Process, or by perfective aspect in a purpose
clause.
A projected phenomenon as a meaning is still a phenomenon of language
which is referred as a ‘metaphenomenon’, but it is presented at a level of
semantic, not of lexicogrammatical. This phenomenon has already been
‘processed’ by the linguistic system – it is a phenomenon of experience that has
been construed as a meaning; but processed only once, not twice as in the case
of a wording, where a phenomenon of experience is construed first as a meaning
and then in turn as a wording.
In short, in reporting, there exist two unequal status clauses. This can be
applied for both mental and verbal process.
2.4. Summary
The chapter has provided some general information about the novel, the
translated version, the author and the translators. More importantly, the concepts
of SFG which can serve as the theoretical framework for the thesis are also
supplied.
The novel Nỗi buồn chiến tranh is recognized as the most touching novel
about the war in Vietnam which wins lots of awards in Vietnam, and in the
world as well: The Vietnam Writers’ Association Award in 1991, the 2016 Shim
Hun Literary Award in South Korea, the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize - a
British literary award. The Sorrow of War, written in the stream of
15