English Rheme Structure Analysis Study

This paper researches the English Theme-Rheme Structure Analysis Theory based on the Halliday's theories of the Systemic-Functional Grammar. This Paper firstly makes a brief introduction to the literature review of the English Theme-Rheme Structure Analysis. It deals with this theory from two levels: clause and discourse. Theme is the point of the departure of a message. Rheme is the remainder of the message and the development of the theme. Theme and Rheme Structure Analysis is important in observing how the speaker establishes and develops the text and how the key information is distributed in the text. This paper is mainly based on Halliday's approach of Theme-Rheme Structure Analysis Theory and borrows the research results of other researchers. It also shows some personal insights into the classification of theme, the typical ordering of the multiple theme, the information nature of theme, the division of the theme-rheme structure in existential clause and elliptical clause, the structure analysis of the enhanced theme, the markedness of rheme and the thematic progression patterns. Theme-Rheme structure exists in every level of the discourse. This paper presents that Theme-Rheme Structure Analysis is of practical virtue in discourse analysis.