主位推进模式的应用研究

On the Application of Pattern of Thematic Progression

一、Introduction

In Halliday’s theory, the Theme is the element which serves as the point of departure of the message. The remainder of the message, the part in which the Theme is developed, is called the Rheme. It is easy to distinguish Theme from Rheme in a single clause by the Hallidayan approach. But on the level of the text, Halliday’s theory is limited. It can’t deal with two or more clauses or texts. According to the careful researches, Zhu Yongsheng, a famous Chinese linguist, brings forward his idea on the patterns of thematic progression.1.The Pattern of Parallel Progression: The subsequent clauses take the Theme in the first clause as their Themes, but with different Rhemes. The subsequent clauses open out or illustrate the first Theme.2. The Pattern of Constant Progression: All the other clauses take the Rheme in the first clause as their Themes. All the clauses have the different Themes and the same Rheme. 3.The Pattern of Linear Progression: The Rheme in the first clause becomes the Theme in the subsequent clauses. 4.The Pattern of Crossing Progression: The Theme in the first clause becomes the Rheme in the second clause. The Theme in the second clause becomes the Rheme in the Third clause. The Theme in the third clause becomes the Rheme in the Fourth clause. All the other clauses are on the analogy of this pattern. The following paragraphis extracted from Football. It will be analyzed by using Zhu Yongsheng’s theory.

二、Application

In 1863, the Football Association approved a game that outlawed carrying and kept the ball at men’s feet. The game still had a long way to go, however, before it would be the football watched by millions around the world on television during the World Cup. Whole teams would rush back and forward on the field with the ball kept close at their feet; there were no passes or long kicks, and some of the rules used in those days were still nearer rugby than football. By the early 1870s, however, the fast, exciting, and open game of modern Association football was beginning to appear. The goal became standard, with a hard crossbar instead of a long piece of tape, and the goalkeeper was the only person permitted to use hands to play. In the process, football changed irrevocably from a gentleman’s weekend exercises to the greatest spectator sport in the history of the human race.

The first step is to sequence the themes of the clauses: T1: in 1863; T2: the game; T3: before it; T4: whole teams; T5: there were; T6: and some of the rules used in those days; T7: by the early 1870s; T8: the goal; T9: the goalkeeper; T10: in the process

Time is the starting point in this example. For the first period――“in1863”, the writer doesn’t talk about the football rules directly. In the second period――“by the early 1870s”, the football rules developed perfectly. T10 “in the process” summarizes the changes of the football rules form 1863 to1870s. With time, the football rules makes improvement step by step.

The second step――the pattern of thematic progression.

T1――R1

T2(=R1)――R2

T3(=T2)――R3

T4――R4(=R1)

T5――R5(=R1)

T6(=R5)――R6

T7(=T1)――R7

T8(=R7)――R8

T9(=R7)――R9

T10(=T1)――R10

T1-R1 and T2(=R1)-R2 are the linear progression; T2(=R1)-R2 and T3(=T2)-R3 are the parallel progression;T3(=T2)-R3 and T4-R4(=R1) are the crossing progression; T4-R4(=R1)and T5-R5(=R1) are the constant progression; T5-R5(=R1)and T6(=R5)-R6 are the linear progression; T7(=T1)-R7 and T8(=R7)-R8 is the linear progression; T8(=R7)-R8 and T9(=R7)-R9 is the parallel progression. T7 seems to be the new topic and also the old topic. It can be considered as the extension of T1. T10 is the summarization of the process of football development. This paragraph starts from the time and ends with the time. Therefore, the writer talks about the development of the football rules with the changes of time as a clue.

The third step comes: the semantic relation of inter-clause. T1 is a new topic and indicate the time.; T2 and R1 are the relation of reappearance (the game――a game); T3 and T2 are the relation of equivalence (the game---it, “it” is the pronoun of the game); R4, R5 and T6 are the relation of extension and further explanation for R1(rush back and forward, no passes or long kicks); T7 and T1 are the relation of extension and further explanation of time; T8 and R7 are hyponymy; T9 and R7 are hyponymy; T8 and T9 are the relation of extension; T10 and T1 are the relation of extension. T10 summarizes T1 and T7.

三、Conclusion

The theory of the pattern of thematic progression is an important part in the theory of functional grammar. It is very useful and helpful for text analysis. We can understand the textual structure, the coherence of paragraphs and organizations of the information better.

Bibliography:

[1]Halliday M.A.K. An Introduction to Functional Grammar,外语教学与研究出版社, 2000.

[2]黄 衍：《试论英语主位和述位》，《外国语》，1985.5。

张 旭：东北电力大学外国语学院。