Understanding and Producing Language with FG © 2008
by Soepriatmadji
1
A SAMPLE TEXT ANALYSIS: DESCRIBING FIELD OF THE DISCOURSE
To help you understand the possible steps in construing the experiential
meaning of a text a step-by step analysis is provided for you to adopt.
1. Text: FILM REVIEW
Danger in the Desert
The new film at the Paramount Cinema this week is Sahara
Safari, produced and directed by Anthony Faith and starring Mark
Manly and Gloria Gosh.
The film tells the story of Professor Brain (Mark Manly) and
his assistant Diana Hope (Gloria Gosh) who set out from Cairo to
explore the interior of the Sahara Desert. Professor Brain, an
archeologist, is searching for the lost city of Tumtomcapal.
Everything goes wrong for the explorers. Their truck breaks down,
and they are attacked and captured by bandits. Professor Brain
breaks a leg while trying to escape.
Eventually he persuades the bandits to be of help to him in
finding the lost city. He gains their assistance by telling them there
is gold buried beneath the city. After many days of travelling, the
city is discovered. However, it is guarded by more bandits. During
the fierce battle between the two groups of bandits, Professor
Brain and his assistant steal two camels and escape.
Sahara Safari is nonsense from the start to the finish and
both Mark Manly and Gloria Gosh give hopeless performances.
The film is worth seeing, however, for the very fine technicolour
photography of the Sahara Desert.
2. Segmenting the text into clause complexes and clauses
C1
Minor Danger in the Desert
CC1
C2
Major The new film at the Paramount Cinema this week is Sahara
Safari,
C3
Major [it is] produced [by Anthony Faith]
C4
Major and [it is] directed by Anthony Faith
C5
Major and [it is] starring Mark Manly and Gloria Gosh.
CC2
Understanding and Producing Language with FG © 2008
C6
C7
C8
C9
CC3
C10
C11
C12
CC4
C13
C14
C15
CC5
C16
C17
C18
C19
C20
CC6
C21
C22
CC7
C23
C24
C25
3.
2
Major The film tells the story of Professor Brain (Mark Manly) and his
assistant Diana Hope (Gloria Gosh)
Major who set out from Cairo to explore the interior of the Sahara
Desert.
Major Professor Brain, an archeologist, is searching for the lost city of
Tumtomcapal.
Major Everything goes wrong for the explorers.
Major Their truck breaks down,
Major and they are attacked [by bandits]
Major and [they] captured by bandits.
Major Professor Brain breaks a leg
Major while [he is] trying to escape.
Major Eventually he persuades the bandits to be of help to him in
finding the lost city.
Major
Major
Major
Major
Major
He gains their assistance by telling them
there is gold
[the gold is] buried beneath the city.
After many days of travelling, 9the city is discovered.
However, it is guarded by more bandits.
Major During the fierce battle between the two groups of bandits,
Professor Brain and his assistant steal two camels
Major and [they] escape.
Major Sahara Safari is nonsense from the start to the finish
Major and both Mark Manly and Gloria Gosh give hopeless
performances.
Major The film is worth seeing, however, for the very fine technicolour
photography of the Sahara Desert.
Putting the clauses into their transitivity patterns
Text: FILM REVIEW
C1
CC1
by Soepriatmadji
Minor Danger in the Desert
Understanding and Producing Language with FG © 2008
C2
The new film
is
Sahara Safari,
Par: Token
Pro: Rel Id
Part: Value
C3
[it]
[Par: Goal]
C4
and
C5
and
[by Anthony Faith]
[Actor]
[it]
[Par: Goal]
[is] directed
Pro: Mat
[is] staring
Pro: Rel Id
CC2
C6
The film
tells
Par: Sayer
Pro: Verbal
by Anthony Faith
Actor
Mark Manly and Gloria Gosh.
Value
the story of Professor Brain (Mark Manly) and his
assistant Diana Hope (Gloria Gosh)
Par: Verbiage
C7
who [they]
Set out
From Cairo
Par: [Actor]
Pro: Mat
Circ: Spatial
C9
Everything
Par: Carrier
3
At the Paramount Cinema; this
week
Circ: Spatial; Time
[is] produced
Pro: Mat
[it]
[Par: Token]
C8
Professor Brain, an
archeologist,
Par: Actor
by Soepriatmadji
to explore the interior of the Sahara
Desert.
Circ: Purpose
is searching for
the lost city of Tumtomcapal.
Pro: Mat
Par: Goal
goes wrong
Pro: Rel At
for the explorers.
Circ: Behalf
Understanding and Producing Language with FG © 2008
CC3
C10
Their truck
Par: Actor
C12
and
CC4
C13
Professor Brain
Par: Actor
C14
while
CC5
C16
He
Par: Actor
C17
there
4
breaks down,
Pro: Mat
C11
and
C15
Eventually
by Soepriatmadji
they
Par: Goal
are attacked
Pro: Mat
[by bandits]
[Par: Actor]
[they]
[Par: Goal]
[are] captured
Pro: Mat
by bandits.
Par: Actor
breaks
Pro: Mat
a leg
Par: Goal
[he]
[Par: Actor]
[is] trying
Pro: Mat
he
persuades
the bandits
Par: Sayer
Pro: Verb
Par:
Receiver
to escape.
Par: Goal
to be of help to him in
finding the lost city.
Circ: Purpose
gains
Pro: Mat
their assistance
Par: Goal
is
Pro: Exi
gold
Par: Existent
by telling them
Circ: Manner
Understanding and Producing Language with FG © 2008
C18
[the gold]
[Par: Goal]
[is] buried
Pro: Mat
C19
After many days of travelling,
Circ: Time
C20
However,
it
Par: Goal
CC6
C21
During the fierce battle between
the two groups of bandits,
Circ: Extent
C22
and
[they]
[Par: Actor]
CC7
C23
Sahara Safari
Par: Token
C24
and
by Soepriatmadji
5
beneath the city.
Circ: Spatial
the city
Par: Goal
is discovered.
Pro: Mat
is guarded
Pro: Mat
by more bandits.
Par: Actor
Professor Brain and steal
his assistant
Par: Actor
Pro:
Mat
two camels
Par: Goal
escape.
Pro: Mat
is
nonsense
Pro: Rel Par: Value
Id
both Mark Manly and Gloria Gosh
Par: Actor
from the start to the finish
Circ: Extent
give
Pro:
Mat
hopeless performances.
Par: Goal
Understanding and Producing Language with FG © 2008
C25
The film
is
worth
seeing,
Par: Token
Pro: Rel Id
Par: Value
4.
1
2
3
4
5
PROCESS
16
2
4
1
1
24
Participants
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Participants
F
Actor
Goal
Sayer
Verbiage
Receiver
Carrier
Token
Value
Existent
∑
14
13
2
1
1
1
4
4
1
41
Circumstances
NO
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
F
Material
Verbal
Relational Identifying
Relational Attributing
Existential
∑
NO
6.
for the very fine
technicolour photography
of the Sahara Desert.
Circ: Cause
Process types
NO
5.
however,
by Soepriatmadji
Circumstance
Spatial
Time
Extent
Manner
Purpose
Behalf
Cause
∑
F
3
2
2
1
2
1
1
12
6
Understanding and Producing Language with FG © 2008
7.
by Soepriatmadji
7
Contextual description of the experiential meaning of the text
The experiential domain of the FILM REVIEW text is two main
characters of a film experiencing some fierce and dangerous incidents on their
way from Cairo to Sahara Dessert in their effort to explore the interior of the
Desert. Their experience is elaborated in mostly material processes (16) such
as set out, search, attack, capture, break, escape etc. The immediate purpose
of the text production is to illustrate that the film is full of challenge and action
that may endanger the actors. This can be seen from the semantic property of
the material processes (such as: attack, capture, break, escape) being used in
the film review text. The long-term goal is to tell people that they must make
efforts to get something done for them. This is implicitly picturized in the film
review text. You can also say that the long-term goal is as in a proverb “Kill the
bear before you sell the skin”, that is you have to do something as your effort
before you really achieve it.
The experiential meaning of the FILM REVIEW text is developed
particularly by introducing Sahara Safari in a Relational Process is as in The new
film at the Paramount Cinema this week is Sahara Safari which provides
identification to the new film being reviewed. It then moves to Material
Processes (16), which dominate the whole text, to introduce the dangerous
activities, challenges and actions undergone by the actors (14). This means
that the text encodes events, goings on, or doings rather than expressing the
beings and in the internal world of cognition or perception. To end the film
review text the text writer again presents Sahara Safari in a Relational Process
is as in The film is worth seeing,… to construe the relationship of being
between the participants.