The Analysis Of English Tour Guide Speech From The Perspective Of Systemic-Functional Grammar

In the recent decades, systemic-functional grammar has drawn much attention in the field of linguistics and it has been employed to analyze wide ranges of texts, including literary and non-literary ones. This thesis is a practical application of the theory of SFG to the understanding of English tour guide speech. It aims to find out the specific features in each system of the three metafunctions of functional grammar and to prove the corresponding relationship between the three metafunctions and the three variables of the theory.The thesis first introduces the application of SFG in the text analysis, and then presents the theoretical basis, including three metafunctions- the experiential function, the interpersonal function, the textual function and their realization of the three metafunctions and the theory of register in context. Then it makes a close analysis of thirty pieces of authentic English tour guide speech in the transitivity system, the cohesion system, the theme system and the mood system. The results of the research show that in the transitivity system, the relational process is the most frequently used among the six processes; in the cohesion system, the frequency of reference exceeds the other three devices; in the theme system, the marked theme is used more than the unmarked theme; and in the mood system, the distribution of modulation is wider than modality. All of these demonstrate that the texts of English tour guide speech have the features of being descriptive, expositive, flexible, logical and cohesive.Finally, a discussion is carried out to prove the corresponding relationship between the three metafunctions and the three variables of register in a situational context. It is hoped that the present study will contribute to the better understanding of tourism English and the design and the practice of ESP courses.