clause in its who=does=what-to-whom, whowhat=is-whatwho, when, where, why, or how function Gerot Wignell, 2001: 52.
In analysing transitivity system in a clause, it is necessary to describe three aspects of the clause: First, the selection of process. The process choice will be
realized in the verbal group of the clause: Last year Diana gave blood. Second, the selection of participants. Participants will be realized in the nominal groups: Last
year Diana gave blood. Third, the selection of circumstances. Circumstantial meanings are expressed through adverbial groups or prepositional phrases: Last year
Diana gave blood Enggins, 2004: 214.
2.1.2.1 Process and Participant
The transitivity system construes the world of experience into a manageable set of process types Halliday Matthiessen, 2004 : 170. Processes are different
kinds of goings on, which necessarily involve different kinds of participants in varying circumstances. Processes are realised by verbs, but some verbs do not show
an action but rather express states of being or having. Halliday identifies there are six different types of Process.
Material
Doing Bodily, physically,
materially
Behavioural Behaving
Physiologically and psychologically
Mental Sensing
Emotionally, intellectually, sensorily
Verbal
Saying Lingually, signalling
Relational
Being Equal to, or some attribute
of
Existential Existing
There exists
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These are the examples of transitivity process which esist in clauses :
Process type Example Process + participants underlined; Process in
bold; circumstances in italics
Material During the European scramble for Africa, Nigeria fell
and to the
British.
the British ruled it until 1960
Behavioural people are laughing
Mental The Ibos did not approve of kings.
Verbal so we say
→that every fourth African is a Nigerian
Can you tell us about the political and cultural make-up of
Nigeria? Relational
that every fourth African is a Nigerian.
Existential so today there’s Christianity in the south
Halliday Matthiessen, 2004 : 171
a. Material Processes
The actions are usually concrete and tangible. Material process are process of doing happening Halliday Matthiessen, 2004 : 179. They express the idea that
some entity physically does something-which may be done to some other entity. Clauses with a material process is obligatorily to have a doing process and a
doer participant. The entity who or which does something is the actor. There optionally is an entity to which the Process is extended or directed. This entity which
may be done is the goal. The exhausted bushwalker dropped
his pack Participant :
Actor Process :
Material Participant:
Goal
There are two varieties of Material Processes: creative and dispositive. In the creative type, the goal is brought about by the process.
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