Theme-and-Rheme-主位与述位.ppt

The fourth class The first period&the second period Theme/Rheme(主位、述位)The concept of Theme&RhemeAsweknow,intheprocessoftextproduction,theproducerscanonlychooseonesinglelexicalitemtoput it into the sentence and then organize theserespective sentences into a text.Actually,what thetheoryofthemeandrhemedescribesisjustaspeakeror writer choice made independently of thepropositional(陈述的，主张的)content of themessage.Inotherwords,wecansayitisadecisionmadeby speakeror writer on how to organizetheinformation,wheretostart,sotospeak,inpresentingthemessage.*TheconceptofthemeandrhemewasfirstputforwardbyMathesius(马泰休斯),oneofthefoundersofthePragueSchool(布拉格学派).1）Hispurposetoproposethemeandrhemelayinstudyingdifferentrolesplayedbydifferentelementsofsentencesinlanguagecommunication2）Hefoundthattheelementinthefrontoftheclauseplayedaspecialroleintheprocessofthecommunicationandthisspecialrolewastoserveasastartingpointforwhataspeakerorwriterwantstosay.3)Mathesiuscalledtheelementinthefrontoftheclause“theme”whiletherestpartoftheclause“rheme”.4)Hepointedoutthatthemegenerallyconveyedgiveninformationwhilerhemenew.ThePragueschoolstermsofthemeandrhemeareacceptedbythesystemic-functionalschool(系统功能学派).Now,letslookatHallidaysviewpointontheme&rheme.TheThemeistheelementwhichservesasthepointofdepartureofthemessage;itisthatwithwhichtheclauseisconcerned.Theremainderofthemessage,thepartinwhichthethemeisdeveloped,iscalledinPragueSchoolterminologytheRheme.Asamessagestructure,therefore,aclauseconsistsofathemeaccompaniedbyarheme;andthestructureisexpressedbytheorder-whateverischosenasthethemeisputfirst.-Halliday是从功能而不是从成分分布的角度对主位进行界定的。他认为：主位是信息（message）的起点（pointofdeparture），是小句所关心的成分（the element withwhichtheclauseisconcerned）。述位一般是句子的信息中心（informationfocus）所在，即 句 子 所 要 表 达 的 最 重 要 的 新 信 息。According to the degree of the complexity of the theme itself,Halliday divided themes into three categories,say,simple theme(单项主位),clause theme(句项主位),and multiple theme(复项主位).Simple theme:refers to the theme of a clause consisting of just one structural element,with neither interpersonal nor textual theme.The structural element can be represented by nominal group,adverbial group or prepositional group,whose number may be only one or more than one.-单项主位指的是那些只包含韩礼德所说的概念成分而不包括人际成分和语篇成分的主位。其表现形式为名词词组、副词词组或介词短语。e.g.(1)Themaninblack(T)laughedatme.(R)(2)Slowlyandquietly,(T)hepushedthewindowopen.(R)(3)Fromdoortodoor(T)hewendhisway.(R)2)Aclauseasthetheme:referstousingthemainclauseorsubordinateclausetoserveastheme.-句项主位指小句充当主位，传统语法所说的主从复合句中的主句和从句都可以成为主位。当主位由一个小句表示时，它本身内部又可含有主位述位结构。e.g.(1)Givethatteapotaway(T)/ifyoudontlikeit.(R)(2)Ifyoudontlikethatteapot(T)/giveitaway.(R)(3)Ifwinter(T)comes(R)(T)/canspringbefarbehind?(R)3）Amultipletheme:referstothethemeconsistingofnotonlystructuralelement,butalsotextualelementorinterpersonalelement.Ifallthesethreeelementsturnupinthesametheme,thesequenceofthethemeis,textualelement-interpersonalelement-structuralelement.-复项主位是由多种语义成分构成的主位，它具有内部结构，可以进一步划分为语篇主位（textualtheme）、人际主位（interpersonaltheme）、和话题主位（topicaltheme）（structuraltheme）。当三种主位同时并存时，其出现顺序为：语篇主位人际主位话题主位。-Textualthemeincludesthecontinuativeelements(连续成分)like:yes,no,well,oh,now;orthestructuralelements(结构成分)like:yet,so,evenif,however;ortheconjunctiveelements(连接成分)like:therefore,inotherwords,asfarasthatisconcerned.-Interpersonalthemeincludesthemodalelements(情态成分)like:certainly,tobefrank,broadlyspeaking;orthefiniteelements(一般疑问句中的限定成分)likedoes,do;orthevocativeelement(称呼成分)likeJohn,MrsJones,ladiesandgentlemen.-Structuralelementreferstothetopicalelement(主题成分),whichcanalsobecalledastopicaltheme(主题主位),anditisthelastcomponentofthemultipletheme.e.g.(1)Conversely(textual),possibly(interpersonal),females(topicaltheme)/feltmoreateaserespondingtoanon-specificfemaleaddress.(2)Ontheotherhand(textual)maybe(interpersonal)onaweekday(topicaltheme)/itwouldbelesscrowded.(3)Well(连接)but(结构)then(连接)(textual)Ann(称呼)surely(情态)wouldnt(限定成分)(interpersonal)thebestidea(topicaltheme)/betojointhegroup?Besides,itsworthyofpointingoutthat1)Interrogative:(1)YesNoe.g.Had(finite)+she(subject)(theme)/writtenabout(2)wh-:wh-wordsserveasthetheme2)Imperative:predicatore.g.Dont/touchthat.Pleasedont/touchthat.Write/itdown.3)Exclamative:Wh-word+complement;wh-word+adv.e.g.(1)Whatneatwriting/youvegot!(2)Howsweetly/shesings!Conclusion:1)Now,wegettoknow,inEnglish,aclauseissupposedtoconsistoftwoelements.Oneistheme,theotherisrheme.2)Themeisimportantbecauseitiswhattheclauseisabout.Ontheonehand,itactsasthepointoforientationbyconnectingbacktopreviousstretchesoftextandhencemaintainingacoherentpointofview.Ontheotherhand,itactsasthepointofdeparturebyconnectingforwardandthuscontributingtothedevelopmentofthelatterstretches.3)Rhemeisalsoimportantbecauseitiswhatthespeakersaysaboutthetheme.Itistheimportantelementinthestructureofaclausebecauseitcarriestheverynewinformationthespeakerwantstoconveytothehearer.Besides,itfulfillsthecommunicativepurposeoftheutterance.*The third&the fourth period*Thematic progression&Patterns of thematic progression(主主 位位 推推 进进 与与 主主 位位 推推 进进 模模 式式)Thematic Progression(1)Asweknow,everyisolatedclausewillhaveitsownthematicstructureandwhenacertainclauseexistsexclusively,itsthemeandrhemewillbedefiniteandunchangeable.(2)However,onceenteringthelevelofthetext,wewillfindthatintheprocessoftheinformationprogressionofthewholetext,themeandrheme,rhemeandrheme,andeventhemeandrhemebetweenrespectiveclausestendtohaveacontinuousconnectionandvariationaccordingtosomeregularpattern.(3)Becausemostofthetextsaremadeupofnolessthanonesingleclause,onlythroughthecontinuouslinkandchangeamongthemeandrheme,cantheprocessoftheinformationflowofthewholetextbeprogressed.(4)Justduetothiscontinuousprogressionofthemesinindividualclauses,thewholetextcanbespreadoutgraduallyandhencebedevelopedintoawholetextcapableofexpressingsomecompletemeaning.WecallthissortoflinkandchangeThematicProgression.-每一个句子都有自己的主位结构。当某个句子单独存在时，它的主位和述位是已确定的，不再变化的。正因为没有上下文，它的主位和述位又是孤立的，没有发展的绝大多数语篇都是由两个或两个以上的句子构成的。前后句子的主位和主位，述位和述位，主位和述位之间就会发生某种联系和变化，这种联系和变化就叫主位推进（thematicprogression）。随着各句主位的向前推动，整个语篇逐步展开，直至形成一个能表达某一完整意义的整体。*Patterns of thematic progression*Whenconstructingacertaintext,thespeakerorwriterdoesnotarrangetheirthemeandrhemerandomly.Infact,thearrangementsofthemeandrhemealwaysfollowsomepatterns.Andthispatterniscalledpatternsofthematicprogression.*Thecommonestpatternsofpatternsofthematicprogressionareasfollows.(1)ConstantThemePattern(主位同一型、平行型、放射型)Underthispattern,everyclausesharesthesametheme,differentrhemes.Bymeansofchoosingthesamethemeasthesamestartingpoint,thespeakerorwriterdrawsforthdifferentrhemestodescribewhatthetextisaboutatthatpointfromdifferentperspectives.(几个句子的主位相同，述位各不相同。)e.g.Mybrother(T1)isinJapan(R1).He(T2=T1)hasbeentherefortwoyears(R2).He(T3=T1)isanengineer(R3).He(T4=T1)isworkingforabigcompany(R4).T1R1T2(=T1)R2.Tn(=T1)Rn(2)ConstantRhemePattern(述位同一型、集中型、聚合型)Underthispattern,thethemesinindividualclausesaredifferent;thesedifferentthemesallendupinthesamerheme.(几个句子的主位各不相同，但述位一致。)e.g.John(T1)likesfootball(R1).Jim(T2)likesfootball(R2=R1).Everyboystudentsinmyclass(T3)likefootball(R3=R1).T1R1T2R2(=R1).TnRn(=R1)(3)LinearThemePattern(延续型、阶梯型)Underthispattern,therhemeoronepartoftherhemeintheformersentencebecomesthethemeforthenextclause.(前一句的述位或述位的一部分成为后一句的主位。)e.g.We(T1)visitedtheGreatWall(R1).TheGreatWall(T2=R1)isinthenorthernpartofChina(R2).China(T3=R2)haswitnessedmanychangessincetheGreatWallwasbuilt(R3).T1R1T2(=R1)R2.Tn(=Rn-1)Rn(4)CrossThemePattern(交叉型)Underthispattern,thethemeinthefirstsentencewillbecometherhemeinthesecondone.Andthenthethemeinthesecondsentencewillbecometherhemeinthethirdone,andsoon.(前一句的主位是后一句的述位。)The play(T1)was interesting(R1),but I(T2)didnt enjoy it(R2=T1).A young man and ayoungwoman(T3)troubledme(R3=T2).I(T4)turned round and looked at them(R4=T3),butthey(T5)didntpayanyattentiontome(R5=T4).T1R1T2R2.TnRn(=Tn1)(5)SplitRhemePattern(述位分裂型)Underthispattern,therhemeintheprevioussentenceisspiltintoseveraldifferentthemesforthefollowingsentences.e.g.Myfavoritethreecolors(T1)arered,blueandwhite(R1).Red(T2=R1)makesmefeelhappy(R2).Blue(T3=R1)makesmefeelquiet(R3).White(T4=R1)makesmefeelpeaceful(R4).T1R1T2R2T3R3TnRn(6)DerivedThemePattern(派生主位型)Underthispattern,thethemesinthefollowingsentencesareallderivedfromthefirstsentence.e.g.ThereasonsforTomtolikestudyingEnglish(T1)areasfollows(R1).Thefirst(T2=T1)isthatEnglishisanimportantcourse(R2).Thesecond(T3=T1)isthatEnglishisaninterestingcourse(R3).Thethird(T4=T1)isthatheenjoysEnglishsongsverymuch(R4).T1R1T2R2T3R3TnRnConclusion:1)PatternsofsequencingofThemeandRhemeareonlytendenciesratherthanabsolutes.2)InEnglish,veryfewtextsrepeatthesamethematisingpatternsendlessly.Bycontrast,whatwewitnessisoftenthemixtureofvariouspatterns,throughwhichthespeakerorwritercouldavoidthemonotonyaswellasarrangetheinformationreasonably.-Now,lets read page 51-59.