Theme and Rheme in Students' Writing

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to investigate the types of theme and to describe the most dominant theme used in students’ writing. The data were 35 students’ Recount Text writing at SMA Negeri 4 Tanjung Balai, and the data were analyzed based on M. A. K Halliday & Matthiessen’s Theory (2014). The research was done using descriptive qualitative methods. The data collection involved observations and document study. The results showed that the most dominant theme was the topical theme (311, 74%) and the most dominant element of the topical theme in the students’ writing was the nominal group (222, 71%). The students used most of the clauses as a topical theme started by a word or phrase functioning as a subject and adjunct. All of the types of theme were used in the students’ Recount Text writing, except for the interpersonal theme (vocative adjunct, modal adjunct and finite verbal operators) and a part of the textual theme (continuative and conjunctive adjunct). Keywords: Topical, Interpersonal, and Textual Theme