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Besides those
theories above, the theories of language acquisition, Vygotsky’s theory of child’s language and thought, and communicative
competence are presented subsequently to support the objectives of this thesis. This thesis aimed at describing the speech functions realization by primary school
learners of English as a foreign language. The complete discussions of each theories above are given in the following subchapters.
2.1 Functionalist Approach to Language
There are many approaches to language, one of them which is used as the consideration of this study is the one proposed by the functionalist labeled as
Systemic Functional SF. SF theory views language as a social semiotic, a resource people use to accomplish their purposes by expressing meanings in
context. Language is a system for making meanings: a semantic system, with other system for encoding the meaning it produces Halliday, 1994:xvii. It is a
systematic resource for expressing meaning in context. Because language is defined as a systematic resource, the organizing principle in linguistic description
is system rather than structure. Related to language as a resource for making and expressing meaning,
Matthiessen 1995:5 says that the overall organization of the linguistic resources of any language in an interaction could be interpreted in orders of abstraction.
Language is organized into semantics, lexicogrammar, and phonology or graphology.
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As it can be seen from figure 2.1 below, in an interaction, people exchange meanings by saying some utterances or writing some sentences, and their
utterances or sentences are realized as sequences of sounds, pitch movements, etc. or as sequences of letters, syllables, etc. So the meanings expressed in the
utterances or sentences are realized by lexicogrammar, and lexicogrammar is realized by phonology, which is a resource for sounding wordings. The sounding
refers to the phonological system in a spoken language. However, it refers to the graphological system in a written language. This process of realization is
understood as the stratification of language.
Figure 2.1 Stratification of Language Adapted from Halliday and Matthiessen 1999:5
Besides the orders of abstraction known as stratification of language, functional linguistics at the same time can explain the organization of language as
functional diversification. With functional diversification, language is a resource
Higher-level cultural meanings
Semantics meaning
Lexicogrammar wording
Phonology sounding
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for the interactants to engage with one another to exchange meanings. This involves 1 enactment of roles and relations, 2 construal of experience, 3
presentation of the meaning created through enactment and construal as information organized into text in context. Matthiessen 1995:19 and Halliday
and Hasan 1985:23 call these three elements respectively as interpersonal, ideational, and textual meanings.
Whereas Martin and Rose 2001:6 state that metafunctions of language in social activity are the Interpersonal metafunction to enact relationships, the
Ideational metafunction to represent experience, and Textual metafunction to organize text. So, the different functions are realized by different pattern of
meanings. As stated by Butt et al. 2001:39 three broad functions of language that
are central to the way the grammar works in the language system are as follows: 1.
Language has a representational function – we use it to encode our experience of the world; it conveys a picture of
reality. Thus it allows us to encode meaning of experience, which realize field of discourse EXPERIENTIAL
MEANING.
2. Language has an interpersonal function – we use it to encode
interaction and show how defensible we find out propositions. Thus it allows us to encode meanings of
attitudes, interaction and relationship, which realize tenor of discourse INTERPERSONAL MEANING.
3. Language has a textual function – we use it to organize our
experiential and interpersonal meanings into a linear and coherent whole. Thus, it allows us to encode meaning of text
development, which realize mode of discourse TEXTUAL MEANING.
In addition, metafunctions are embodied into a clause. “The clause is chosen because it is the grammatical unit in which ‘three distinct structures, each
expressing one kind of semantic organization, are mapped onto one another to
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produce a single wording. The clauses simultaneously encode three strands of meaning; they are ideational, textual, and interpersonal.
According to Gerot and Wignel 1994: 82-92 systemic functional grammar talks about clauses and clause complexes rather than sentences. Clause
can be defined as the largest grammatical units, and a clause complex is two or more clauses logically connected. Further, Gerot and Wignel describe that clauses
can be combined through one of two logico-semantic relations, which are Expansion or Projection. They explain Expansion and Projection as follows:
Expansion links processes by providing additional participant. It involves three types of relationship; they are Elaboration,
Extension, and Enhancement. Elaboration involves four
relationships, they are specifying in greater detail, restatement, exemplification, and comment whereby one clause is presented as
a representation of a previous clause, as in This stew is awful. It’s too salty. Extension extends the meaning of one clause by adding
something new, as in I play a French horn. And my sister plays oboe. While, Enhancement involves circumstantial relationships
where the circumstantial information is coded as a new clause rather than within clause, as in I went to school, after I finished my
breakfast. Projection links clauses by having one process projected through
another either by quoting or reporting. Projection occurs through Mental and Verbal processes.
2.2 Speech Function
