Systemic functional linguistics: advances and applications

In the early 1960s, the dominant linguistic theory was that of transformational (later generative) grammar, initiated by Noam Chomsky; this theory posited that the only aspect of language worth studying was its form (Chomsky 1957(Chomsky , 1965)), and to do this it had to be reduced to an idealized structure, that is, a form which does not occur in natural human communication.In contrast to this, a small group of linguists in London argued against this prevailing orthodoxy, arguing in favour of a study of natural human language, which involves consideration of much more than the form of language.They developed the approach known as Scale and Category Grammar, which would later evolve into Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL).I suspect that at that time, no one on the ground could have predicted that the movement initiated by this group would develop into a theory that would be taught and practiced throughout the world, in universities and institutes on every continent.Without in any way wishing to belittle the immense achievements of other members of this group, the name of one man has become indelibly associated with SFL, of which he is generally now considered the founding father.That man is, of course, Michael A. K. Halliday.Michael A. K. Hallilday was born in Leeds in 1925.He studied Chinese, and from 1944 to 1947 he taught that language to British army personnel in India and subsequently in the UK.In 1948 he went to China where he worked, studied and taught, returning to Great Britain in 1950 to prepare his PhD, which he presented at the University of Cambridge in 1954.By the early 60s he was in London, and the saga of SFL was under way (Steiner 2018;Webster 2005).