Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 13. Number2.  June 2022                                             Pp.364-385
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol13no2.25

Full Paper PDF 

A Systemic Functional Grammar Approach to the Study of Emphatic Constructions in
English and Arabic Scientific Texts
 

Ruaa Jassim Mohammed
Department of English
College of Languages, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
Corresponding AuthRuaa199135@gmail.com

Nawar Hussein Rdhaiwi Al-Marsumi
Department of English,
College of Languages, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq

 

Received: 1/2/2022             Accepted: 5/8/2022                           Published:6/24/2022

 

 Abstract :                                                                    

The study deals with emphatic constructions in English and Arabic scientific texts. To the researcher’s best knowledge, this topic received little attention from linguistic researchers, exceptionally in functional grammar analysis. The importance of this study arises from the fact that some syntactic forms are effective linguistic choices for conveying the meaning of emphasis to the readers. The study aims to identify and analyze different types of linguistic constructions in English and Arabic scientific texts and show the similarities and differences between the two types of scientific texts under investigation. The study intends to analyze the structure of complex clauses by adopting Halliday and Matthiessen’s (2004) modal of ‘Systemic Functional Grammar’ of syntax and Prince’s (1978) modal of ‘Given-New’ information of discourse analysis. These models analyze-samples of English ‘Spaceport’ magazine and pieces of Arabic ‘Sadeem Bulletin’ magazine. Moreover, the study depends on a qualitative approach to answer the research questions and confirm its hypothesis. The results show that both languages use some syntactic forms, but Arabic is rich in its constructions. This difference is due to the nature and flexibility of both languages. The findings will be helpful for researchers concerned with syntax and scientific issues because it provides a rigorous analysis of complex clauses into simple parts and shows the focus of information in its suitable.

Keywords: Arabic, emphatic constructions, information focus, linguistic devices, scientific texts, Systemic
Functional Grammar Approach 

Cite as: Mohammed, R. J., & Al-Marsumi, N. H. R. (2022). A Systemic Functional Grammar Approach to the Study of Emphatic Constructions in English and Arabic Scientific Texts. Arab World English Journal, 13 (2) 364-385.
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol13no2.25

References

Aziz, yowell Y. (1989). A contrastive Grammar of English and Arabic. The University of Mosul.

Banks, D. (1993). There is a cleft in your sentence: Less common clause structures in scientific writing.
Aspects of Linguistics.

Open Edition Journals

Collins, C. P. (1991). Cleft and Pseudo-Cleft Constructions in English. 1st ed. London and New York: Routledge.

Andrews, D.C&  Blickle, M.D. (1978). Technical Writings: Principles and Forms. 2ed. New York: Macmillan.

Crystal, D. (1980). A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics. Cambridge, Massachusetts USA.

Ghazala, H. (1995). Translation as problems and solutions. Dar el-ilm Lilmalayin.

Gibbons, A. & Whiteley, S. (2018). Contemporary Stylistics: Language, Cognition, Interpretation, Edinburgh.
Edinburgh University Press.

Halliday, M. A. K., & Matthiessen, C. M. I. (2004). An Introduction to Functional Grammar. London: Routledge.

Handford, Gee. (2012). The Routledge Handbook of Discourse Analysis. USA and  Canada. P. 12

Hart, C. (2014). Discourse, Grammar and Ideology. New York: Sydney Lincoln, Denzin. (2005). Handbook of
Qualitative Research. Silverman, D. London: Sage. Hesse-Biber, S.

Eggins, S. (2004). An Introduction to Systemic Functional Linguistics. 2nd edition. New York.

Praninskas, J. ( n.d). Rapid  Review of English Grammar. New Jersey.

Prince, Ellen F. (1978). A comparison of Wh-Clefts and It- Clefts in Discourse. Language 54:883-906.

Ryding, K. C. (2005). A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic. United States of America by Cambridge
University Press: New York.

Trotzke, A. (2017).The Grammar of Emphasis. Boston/ Berlin: Hong Kong.

Trask, R.L. (1992). A Dictionary of Phonetics and Phonology. University of Sussex

Alhawary, M. (2016). Arabic Grammar in Context. Routledge.

Wales, K. (2011). A Dictionary of Stylistics. 3rd. Routledge: London and New York.

Wright, W. (1976). A Grammar of the Arabic Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Tumblr
Reddit
Email
StumbleUpon
Digg
Received: 1/2/2022
Accepted: 5/8/2022 
Published: 6/24/2022
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5494-4515
https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol13no2.25

Ruaa J. Al-obaidy received her B.A. degree in English language from the University of Baghdad,  College of Languages, Department of English in 2013. She is currently MA student at the same university and college. http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5494-4515

 Nawar Hussein Al-Marsumi is an Assistant Professor, holding the Master of Arts degree in English Language  and Linguistics obtained from University of  Baghdad, College of Education-Ibn Rushd. Since 1999, I have been working at Baghdad University as a teaching member in the Department of English. My major is the English Language and Linguistics and I published several papers in contrastive studies, stylistics and pragmatics. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3918-5984