Bloomsbury Companion to Systemic Functional Linguistics

This volume makes an invaluable contribution to our understanding of language as a semiotic system. It constitutes an absolutely essential minimal foundation for any student of functional linguistics, aiming at extending work already done on SFL by describing and explaining how the theory works in relation to the contexts for its application. The authors draw primarily on the work of Halliday, Hasan, Matthiessen and Martin to describe and explain the application of SFL in different disciplines and social contexts. The chapter on methods, techniques, and problems by Halliday provides the most comprehensive and enlightening synthesis of the theory up to date. In short, this book exemplifies the very best of what applied linguistics has to offer. - Maria Cecilia Colombi, Professor of Spanish, University of California, Davis, USA. This volume brings together twelve contributions from leading figures working in 'the IFG tradition' within Systemic Functional Linguistics. Each provides an overview of one aspect of recent thinking in this version of SFL, with its strongly social and cultural orientation. For readers who are looking for a one-volume summary that gives the authentic flavour of this significant body of work, I warmly recommend this book. - Robin P Fawcett, Emeritus Professor of Linguistics, Cardiff University, UK. This is a most welcome collection, representing a wide range of applications of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) from leading scholars in the field. The chapters provide valuable insights into theoretical and methodological issues of current concern to SFL researchers. The book is an indispensable guide to engaging with SFL. - Honglin Chen, Senior Lecturer, University of Wollongong, Australia