People communicate by conveying their thought on particular structures in clauses. The clauses give information of the speaker or writers‘ idea, so the
function of the clause is as a message. According to Halliday 2014:64, ―in English, as in many other languages, 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‖.
2.2.12 Realization of Textual Meaning
Textual meaning analyses the element of THEME and RHEME. According to Butt et al 1995: 91, ―to analyse and discuss textual meanings we
need a simple and distinct metalanguage: we call the first element THEME and the rest of the clause RHEME.‖
2.2.12.1 Theme
In textual meaning, we can analyze the theme that usually occurs in beginning of a clause, according to Halliday in Eggins 1994:2
75,‖the definition of Theme as given by that is the element which serves as ―the starting point for
the message: it is what the clause is going on to be about‖.
There are three types of Theme; those are Ideational Theme or Topical Theme, Textual Theme, and Interpersonal Theme. They will be briefly explained
in following below. 2.2.12.1.1
Ideational Theme or Topical Theme According to Gerot and Wignell 1994: 104, ―The ideational or
Topical Theme is usually but not always the first nominal group in the clause.... In
the unmarked case the Topical Theme is also Subject. A Topical Theme which is not the Subject is called a Marked Topical Theme.‖ For example:
Unmarked Topical Theme
Marked Topical Theme Up the hill
Jack and Jill went. Theme
Rheme
2.2.12.1.2 Textual Theme
There are two types of textual theme; those are Continuity Adjunct and Conjunctive Adjunct. According to Gerot and Wignell 1994:105, ―textual
themes relate the clause to its context. They can be Continuatives andor Conjun
ctive Adjuncts and Conjunctions.‖ According to Eggins 1994: 281: a
Continuity Adjuncts are words which are used in spoken dialogue to indicate that the speaker‘s contribution is somehow related to continuous
with what a previous speaker has said in earlier turn, such as oh, well, yea, and no.
Right, what we need to do today
is revise for our test. Cont.
Topical Rheme
Theme Jack
went up the hill. Theme
Rheme
