Transitividad, modo y tema en español: Un primer análisis en términos de la gramática de Cardiff

Abstract

Systemic-Functional Linguistics posits that the linguistic system is structured as it is because of the functions people have it serve. Needless to say, speakers from different communities do not use language for the same specific ends. For instance, not every human group plans and goes on fishing excursions on yellow boats. However, all human communities use language to organize their experience, to establish and maintain social bonds with the others, and to produce texts (to name but a few purposes). These three uses are respectively defined as the 'experiential', 'interpersonal' and 'textual' functions (or, more precisely, 'metafunctions'). In this context, Fawcett (2008) emphasizes the 'multifunctional principle' of language proposed by Halliday (1967a, 1967b): Every clause fulfills several functions at the same time. This paper will try to prove that the Cardiff Grammar provides a framework by reference to which it is possible to explain 'how' the experiential, interpersonal and textual metafunctions manifest themselves in the structure of the Spanish clause.