Transitivity Analysis of Ernest Hemingway’s “Cat in the Rain”

نوع المستند : أبحاث أکادیمیة

المؤلف

جامعة الزقازيق - کلية الآداب

المستخلص

Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) is a theory developed by Michael Halliday. It views language as a network of systems that can offer a speaker or writer a variety of options to choose from. These choices can help the speaker or writer communicate meaning. Meaning can come in the form of performing different functions. Hence, according to Halliday, grammar is both “systemic” and “functional”. This paper aims at analyzing Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Cat in the Rain” using Halliday’s theory of Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG). The analysis is limited to the Transitivity level (Halliday’s six process types). Hemingway’s style is said to be unique due to his ability to omit the unnecessary as well as the way he portrays his characters. The purpose of this study is to linguistically study the style employed by Hemingway through analyzing the process types he used in “Cat in the Rain”. Results of the analysis have shown that through the mix and match of certain process types and the minimal use of others, Hemingway’s “Theory of Omission” has been skillfully manifested; he was able to portray the characters indirectly, letting the reader infer what has not been directly told about their relationships, emotional states, and compatibility.

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