Interpersonal Functions Of EFL Teachers' Evaluative Discourse

As an important dimension of interpersonal function in SFL, appraisal has attracted a lot of attentions from the linguists home and abroad. This thesis is an attempt to analyze the interpersonal functions of EFL teachers'evaluative discourse within the framework of Hallidian Systemic-functional Grammar (SFG) and Martin's Appraisal theory. The aim for the study is to construe an analytical model for the interpersonal functions of teachers'evaluative discourse by analyzing the patterns of evaluative discourse and evaluative strategies.This thesis consists of 6 chapters. Chapter 1 is an introduction of the thesis, including rationale, research questions, and methodology of the thesis, data collection as well as the significance of the study. Chapter 2 is a general review of studies on evaluation in classroom discourse, and the theoretical frameworks for this study. Chapter 3 primarily proceeds under the headings of SF context,giving a detailed analysis of the register--one dimension of SF context, and construing the interpersonal relationship between teachers and students in the process of classroom interaction. Chapter 4 offers an analysis of mood and modality in the teachers'evaluative discourse and explores how teachers negotiate power and solidarity relations with the students by choices of mood and modality. Chapter 5 accounts for the attitudinal resources for the appraisal in teachers'evaluative discourse. Chapter 6 concludes the thesis, wherein an analytic model for the interpersonal functions of the teachers'evaluative discourse is proposed; the author also points out the limitations and raises some questions for the future research.It is hoped that the findings in this study will enrich the application of SFL and Appraisal theory to the classroom discourse analysis, and provide the inspirations and novel insights in the realm of Language teaching; We also hope that this study will bring more thoughts to EFL teachers when they evaluate their students in the classroom, and inspire them to construe a more harmonious interpersonal relationship and improve the EFL language teaching and learning through using evaluative discourse.