This short book is two books in one. First, it is a genuinely introductory introduction to the main concepts of Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) for the 21st century. Drawing on recent research, it focuses on the structure of the clause in English, bringing out clearly (i) the 'multifunctional' nature of language, and (ii) the way in which structures are the result of 'choices between meanings'. It is an 'extension' of Halliday's SFG in several ways, including the introduction of new elements that are of growing importance in the language, and a 'simplification' of it in that it shows how the many 'strands of meaning' in a clause can be expressed in a single structure. But this is also a book for experienced linguists (who may include the teachers of the first group) who are interested in a scholarly work which (i) compares the two main current versions of Systemic Functional Grammar with respect to the structure of the English clause, and (ii) gives reasons for every decision to prefer one analysis to another. This 'book within a book' is achieved through a generous use of extended 'footnotes'. The Cardiff Grammar version of SFG is based as firmly in the core principles of SFG principles as the Sydney Grammar (the version in Halliday's Introduction to Functional Grammar). Halliday, however, describes the development in the Sydney Grammar since the 1970s as expansions into new areas beyond what he has aptly termed the 'lexicogrammar'. In contrast, the Cardiff Grammar's description of English lexicogrammar (and other languages) has made significant advances since the 1970s, under the influence of eight major factors. Versions of this book are being published concurrently in Chinese (byPeking University Press) and Spanish (University of Plata del Mar Press).

Semiotics - the study of the general principles of signs and sign systems - is crucial to an understanding of human nature, both social and psychological. The sign systems that we use for interaction with other living beings determine our potential for thought and social action, and language is central among them. It is the implicit claim of this two-volume work that linguistics has something very specific to give to semiotics, and many would further claim that relational network models of language in particular, i.e. systematic and stratificational linguistics, have a fundamental contribution to make.

Semiotics - the study of the general principles of signs and sign systems - is crucial to an understanding of human nature, both social and psychological. The sign systems that we use for interaction with other living beings determine our potential for thought and social action, and language is central among them. It is the implicit claim of this two-volume work that linguistics has something very specific to give to semiotics, and many would further claim that relational network models of language in particular, i.e. systematic and stratificational linguistics, have a fundamental contribution to make.

This short book is two books in one. First, it is a genuinely introductory introduction to the main concepts of Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) for the 21st century. Drawing on recent research, it focuses on the structure of the clause in English, bringing out clearly (i) the 'multifunctional' nature of language, and (ii) the way in which structures are the result of 'choices between meanings'. It is an 'extension' of Halliday's SFG in several ways, including the introduction of new elements that are of growing importance in the language, and a 'simplification' of it in that it shows how the many 'strands of meaning' in a clause can be expressed in a single structure. But this is also a book for experienced linguists (who may include the teachers of the first group) who are interested in a scholarly work which (i) compares the two main current versions of Systemic Functional Grammar with respect to the structure of the English clause, and (ii) gives reasons for every decision to prefer one analysis to another. This 'book within a book' is achieved through a generous use of extended 'footnotes'. The Cardiff Grammar version of SFG is based as firmly in the core principles of SFG principles as the Sydney Grammar (the version in Halliday's Introduction to Functional Grammar). Halliday, however, describes the development in the Sydney Grammar since the 1970s as expansions into new areas beyond what he has aptly termed the 'lexicogrammar'. In contrast, the Cardiff Grammar's description of English lexicogrammar (and other languages) has made significant advances since the 1970s, under the influence of eight major factors. Versions of this book are being published concurrently in Chinese (byPeking University Press) and Spanish (University of Plata del Mar Press).