2.2.3
Transitivity as Ideational Meaning Making
In SFL, ideational meaning is expressed through Transitivity system. Halliday and Matthiessen 2004: 170 state that ―transitivity
system construes the world of experience into a manageable set of Process Types‖. It means that the experience of the world can be analyzed through
the choice of verb processes in clauses. The Transitivity system employs a set of process type. This set of process type is including material process,
mental process, relational process, behavioural process, verbal process, and existential process. Through those Process Types, Transitivity made
clause as possible as a representation tool that representing the experience of the world, either from external or internal reality. Those types of
process usually depend on three components: the Process itself, the Participants which involved in the process and the Circumstances
associated with the events. The more detailed explanation on each Process Types would be discussed as follows.
1. Material Process
Material process consists of two processes; process of doing and
process of happening. In the process of doing, according to Butt, et. al.
2000: 52, the potential participants that take the roles in this process are 1 the Doer who do the action, called as ACTOR, 2 the Thing that
affected by the action, called as GOAL, 3 the Thing that unaffected by the action or the Thing that be, called as RANGE, and 4 BENEFICIARY. In
this process, when the actor does something it is called ―material Process‖
and the object which gets the effect that could be something or someone is called ―Goal‖. For example:
a. Material processes with Actor
He is taking
a bath Actor
Process: material Goal
b. Material processes with Beneficiary
My husband Built
a house for me
Actor Process: material Goal
Beneficiary: Recipient c.
Material processes with Range Jackson
is climbing the fence
Actor Process: material
Range In the passive sentence, the actor can be expressed or not, depends
on the context. The preposition ―by‖ and ―with‖ are indicating whether the
actor is expressed or not. For example: The wolf
was killed by the hunter
last night Goal
Process: material Actor
Circumstances
In the process of happening, the goal usually cannot be specified.
This process shows something that happens. For example: Her moods
often changes during her period
Actor Process: Material
Circumstances
2. Mental Process
Mental process ―encodes the inner world of cognition, perception, inclination or likingdisliking‖ Butt, et. at., 2000: 55. In short, it is a
process that deals with feeling, thinking and perceiving process. Terms of ―Senser‖ and ―Phenomenon‖ is used in this process for the participants.
Senser is the participant who does the feeling, thinking and perceiving. It ―must be realized by a human or at least conscious participant‖ Butt, et.
at., 2000: 55. ―Phenomenon‖ is an abstract thing or material which is
sensed, thought or perceived. For example: a.
Mental process Jack
does not likes the answer
Senser Process: mental: affect
Phenomenon Harry
Knows the result
Senser Process: mental: cognition
Phenomenon
Jimmy hears
the phone ringing Senser
Process: mental: perception Phenomenon b.
Mental process with projected clause I
thought that we were fine
Senser Process: mental
indirect Projected clause She
wondered ‗Why am I tired?‘
Senser Process: mental
direct Projected clause
3. Relational Process
