Instantial Systems and Logogenesis

Systemic Functional Linguistics, Part 2 - Volume 2 - Christian M.I.M. Matthiessen

Christian M.I.M. Matthiessen [+-]
University of International Business and Economics (UIBE), Beijing
Christian M.I.M. Matthiessen is a Swedish-born linguist and a leading figure in the systemic functional linguistics (SFL) school, having authored or co-authored more than 160 books, refereed journal articles, and papers in refereed conference proceedings, with contributions to three television programs. He is currently Distinguished Professor in the Department of Linguistics at University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, Distinguished Professor of Linguistics, in the School of Foreign Languages, Hunan University, Guest Professor at Beijing Science and Technology University, and Honorary Professor at the Australian National University. Before this, he was Chair Professor, Department of English, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and Professor in the Linguistics Department of Macquarie University. Professor Matthiessen has worked in areas as diverse as language typology, linguistics and computing, grammatical descriptions of various languages, grammar and discourse, healthcare communication studies, functional grammar for English-language teachers, text analysis and translation, multisemiotic studies, and the evolution of language. He has supervised over 40 research students.

Description

Chapter 10 explores two categories in the processing of text, i.e., instantial systems and logogenesis – the process of instantiation and the process of modifying an instantial system as a text unfolds. The nature of instantial systems and modification is illustrated with the REFERENCE system – as the meaning unfolds, the instantial system is continuously being modified between people in particular semiotic events. Instantial systems are exemplified from all three metafunctional vantage points to show that the logogenetic development of the instantial system is expansion – a cycle of modification throughout the semiotic event. After systematically explaining how such expansion is ordered, instantial systems and logogenesis is also located in the overall organizations of the system-process of language in context.

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Citation

Matthiessen, Christian. Instantial Systems and Logogenesis. Systemic Functional Linguistics, Part 2 - Volume 2. Equinox eBooks Publishing, United Kingdom. p. Feb 2025. ISBN 9781800505339. https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/view-chapter/?id=45287. Date accessed: 02 May 2024 doi: 10.1558/equinox.45287. Feb 2025

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