Thematic Development_Maulidiyyatul (23506006).pptx

This material contains of the definition, types and simple examples related to the thematic development in discourse studies.

1. THEM ATIC Development ~Discourse Study~ Presented by : Maulidiyyatul Uswah (23506006)

2. 4.1 Definition of THEME Theme:  Defined as the "point of departure for the message" (Halliday & Matthiessen, 2004) and the "starting point of the utterance" (Brown & Yule, 1983) . It essentially sets the framework for the rest of the sentence. Theme Realization:  Often achieved by placing the thematic element at the beginning of the clause (McCarthy, 1991) . Rheme :  The remainder of the clause after the theme. It carries the new information or what the speaker wants to say about the theme (Brown & Yule, 1983). example : Sentence:  The cat  chased the mouse. (Theme in bold) In this sentence, "the cat" is the theme, setting the stage for the action. The rheme , "chased the mouse," is the new information about the cat's action. 2

3. 4.2 Grammar vs. Discourse in THEME Theme in Grammar focuses on how theme is realized through sentence structure, like placing it at the beginning. Theme Discourse analysis delves deeper, exploring how theme choice impacts the overall focus and meaning of a text. 3

4. Importance of Theme in DISCOURSE 1. Focus:  Theme selection influences where the reader's attention is directed within the text. 2. Shared Knowledge:  Theme choice reflects assumptions about what the reader already knows, shaping the level of detail needed. 4

5. 4.3 “THEME in Declarative Clause.” 5 Ex : The American president visited China.

6. 6 SUBJECT/nominal group as THEME 1 . Foxes can be found living in many cities nowadays. 2 . The diffusion-reaction model for the carbonate system in a spherical geometry has been discussed in detail by X. (one of nominal group) 3. Susan, Peter and enry passed the exam. (two/more of nominal group)

7. 7 ADJUNCT as THEME ( Where the first element in a clause is not the subject/nominal group) 1. Yesterday, I went to the cinema. (used to indicate a shift in topic, place or time , called “marked theme”) 2. I have a number of new books. This one I found in a shop on the high street. (used to indicate an object/complement)

8. 8 4.4 THEME and RHEME A. rheme and theme , Where the rheme of clause (a) become the theme of clause (b)

9. 9 B. theme and theme, where the theme of clause (a) becomes the theme of clause (b). )

10. When we say that a theme or rheme ‘becomes’ another theme or rheme , this is not to imply that there must be an exact repetition; the reiteration may be a pronoun, a synonym (a word with a similar meaning, for example, book is a synonym of volume), hyponym (a word denoting a member of a class, for example, banana is a hyponym of fruit), a meronym (a word that is part of a larger whole, for example, bumper is a meronym of car) or a superordinate (a general word that includes members of its class). 10 The examples in p.62

11. Theme:  The "point of departure" of the message, setting the context (Halliday & Matthiessen , 2004). Rheme :  The remaining part of the clause that develops the theme (Halliday & Matthiessen , 2004). T heme and rheme Focus:  Indicates what's most important or newsworthy in a clause. Marked_Phonologically :  Expressed through speech patterns like stress and pitch (not grammatical structure). Tonic:  The main stress and pitch movement in the spoken/read clause, highlighting the focus. Information Focus New(Newsworthy):  Information that is fresh or hasn't been mentioned before. This often carries the focus (tonic) in a clause. Given:  Information that is assumed to be already known by the reader/listener. This typically appears in the theme. G iven & new 4.5 theme & rheme; focus of information & given and new 11

12. 12 4.6 theme in other Declarative patterns Example clause : The American president visited China. list of variations on this pattern : The American president visited China. China was visited by the American president. It was the American president who visited China. (cleft sentences) It was China that the American president visited. (cleft sentences) What the American president did was visit China. ( pseudocleft ) The country the American president visited was China. China, the American president visited it. (absolute theme)

13. 4.7 THEME in PASSIVE CLAUSE Active Voice:  The subject performs the action (agent) and is usually the theme (experiential theme). The action and other elements often fall into the rheme . Passive Voice:  The focus shifts. The object of the action (patient) can become the theme, while the agent might be de-emphasized or even omitted. Example: Active:  The Normans  (theme)  introduced rabbits  ( rheme )  to Britain. (Focus on the Normans' action) Passive:  Rabbits  (theme)  were introduced  ( rheme )  to Britain by the Normans. (Focus on the rabbits being introduced) 13

14. 4.8 INTERROGATIVE THEME In both yes/no and wh - questions, the theme (the main idea) refers to the word that signifies the information the speaker seeks. Example: “ Are you coming?" or " Did you see it?“ Where do you live? Who do you want to talk to? 14

15. 4.9 Imperative THEME 15 Imperative clauses are used when you want someone to do something. So it is natural that the starting point, the theme, should be the action in question: Give me the money. Don’t leave me. Let’s play tennis tomorrow. After lunch, come to see me. Put on these glasses to see it better.

16. 4.10 Exclamatives THEME 16 Exclamatives are similar in structure to wh - interrogatives and can be analysed in the same way, with the wh - group as theme. How lovely to see you again! What a big boy you are now!

17. 4.11 Elliptical THEME 17 it dives how themes (main ideas) and rhemes (new information) can be missing (elliptical) in spoken language. Are you British or American? [I’m] American . (spoken) He writes music and [he] plays it on his guitar. (written) I get up around 5:30 to 6:00 in the morning and [I] eat breakfast and (I] get dressed and [I] do my hair and [I] put my shoes on and [I] brush my teeth and [I] leave!

18. 4.12 Existential ‘THERE’ as THEME 18 Existential clauses; something's existence or location. There's debate on the exact theme (main idea) of these clauses: Halliday and Matthiessen (2004)  believe "there" itself is the theme . Thompson (2004)  argues the whole phrase "there + be" is the theme . Examples : While there are sharks in Greece, most species are harmless. Although there are 10,524 cameras in London a lot of these are very old. There are nine languages in Eritrea. Tigrinya (50 per cent) and Arabic are the working languages.

19. 4.13 Multiple THEME 19 Multiple Themes = Interpersonal or Textual Elements:  These additional elements fall into two categories: Interpersonal Themes:  Express the speaker's attitude or connection to the listener (e.g., modal adjuncts like "fortunately" or vocatives like "John"). Textual Themes:  Facilitate how the text flows (e.g., conjunctions like "however"). Examples : Darling, I’m waiting for you. (interpersonal theme) Finally, they finished their drinks. (textual theme) This huge wave of sympathy for Obama possibly is just a refusal of McCain, to a large part. (‘possibly’ is not theme) Well, really, you can use any kind of drinks can. Fortunately, on the other hand, I have a PhD

20. 4.14 Anticipatory ‘IT’ 20 The anticipatory it clause builds upon the concept of unmarked declarative clauses (subject + verb + object) Examples : It is likely that … (hedges) It is of note that … . (Attitude marker) It follows that … ( Emphatic ) It has been proposed that … (Attribution)

21. 4.15 THEME in Clause Complexes 21 It dives how clauses can be connected to form sentences, focusing on three main methods: Coordination (Conjoining): Joining two independent clauses with a conjunction (e.g., "and," "but"). Both clauses have their own themes (main ideas). (Example: "Mary loves John and John loves Mary.") Embedding: Placing one clause within another, creating a single main clause with one theme. (Example: "Mary thinks that the child loves her.") Subordination: Using subordinating conjunctions (e.g., "because," "while") to link clauses. ( Example : Mary loves John because he is nice.)

22. 22 Bottom-Up vs. Top-Down Analysis:  Traditionally, theme analysis focused on individual clauses (grammar). This passage proposes a "top-down" approach, examining how themes function within a larger text. Theme as Orientation Tool (Top-Down View) Viewed from a text-wide perspective, theme becomes a tool for guiding the reader through the unfolding information. It establishes connections between new information ( rheme ) and what's already been introduced or established. c. Theme and Register - Different text styles (registers) may exhibit distinct thematic development patterns. Some text types might favor specific theme- rheme relationships, while others might be more diverse. (p. 70-71; the example of different registers) d. Themes in Conversation (Top-Down View) Conversations often heavily rely on personal pronouns as themes due to the shared context between participants. (p.70) 4.16 THEMATIC Development in TEXT

23. 23 a consistent rheme –theme pattern, where the rheme of clause (a) (or a semantically related item) becomes the theme of clause (b) (themes in italics, rhemes in bold)

24. 24 a biographical text where the theme (main idea) is consistently repeated throughout the clauses. A table (Table 4.1) is mentioned to further analyze this thematic structure Example 1

25. 25

26. 26 View from the lanes of Pompeii Google’s Street View cars have driven hundreds of thousands of miles so people in 23 countries can see their home – and most other people’s – on the web, writes Tim Bradshaw. The service began with five US cities in 2007, before expanding to Australia and Europe in 2008. Oddball locations in its database include the Palace of Versailles, Pompeii and Stonehenge. Google’s early images revealed the identities of the drivers and pedestrians who happened to be in the street when its cars drove by. After concerns were raised by privacy campaigners Google blurred faces and number plates in 2008. Individuals can also request to have their house fuzzed out, although the German service is the first to offer an opt-out before going live. (Financial Times 22 August 2010) the text uses theme repetition and connections to structure the information flow. Ex : In essence, the text uses theme repetition and connections to structure the information flow. Ex : "The service" picks up on the concept of Street View cars from the previous sentence. Example 2

27. Instruction manuals and recipes p. 72 (also called imperative theme) Ex: Put, break, pour. (constantly imperative themes) The genres tend to favour the reiterated theme pattern 27 Biographies; Alex Webster p. 71 Narrative jokes; parrot jokes p. 72

28. 28 Marked theme with Temporal Adjunct A temporal adjunct is a word or phrase that tells you when something happens. Examples include "yesterday," "in the next hour," or "every Tuesday.“

29. 29 Marked theme with Spatial Adjunct A spatial adjunct is a word or phrase that tells you where something is or happens. This can refer to location, direction, or distance. Here are some examples: Location:  on the table, under the bridge, throughout the city Direction:  to the left, upwards, behind the house Distance:  five miles away, a short walk from here, near the corner

30. 4.17 Hypertheme and Macrotheme 30 Hypertheme : Theme for Paragraphs Building on previous ideas, Martin and Rose (2007) introduce the concept of " hypertheme " as the main theme for a whole paragraph. Similar to a topic sentence, the hypertheme establishes the general subject matter of the paragraph. Macrotheme : Theme for Larger Text Sections Martin and Rose (2007) also introduce " macrotheme " as a concept, referring to the main theme for an entire text or a larger section. Macrothemes essentially preview the hyperthemes that will follow, providing a high-level roadmap for the text.

31. Macrotheme : 31 Hypertheme 1 : Make a Neat Study Schedule Hypertheme 2 : Looking for the Right Learning Method Hypertheme 3 : Maintaining Health and Physical Condition Remember: Not all text has a macrotheme . Hypertheme is often enough to show the main theme of the entire paragraph. The Effective Study Tips for School Exams

32. Theme: A Cornerstone of Language Theme plays a crucial role in constructing effective written and spoken language. Theme Development Takes Time Even native speakers (L1 users) refine their thematic control over time, especially in writing (up to university level). Theme in Spoken Language: Less Studied While theme's role in writing is well-documented, its use in spoken language requires further exploration. Theme and Academic Writing A study by Hewings and North (2006) showed an increase in "marked theme" usage by university students in their academic writing across disciplines (history of science and geography). This increase in marked themes correlated with higher grades. Marked themes: Themes that deviate from the expected subject-verb order for emphasis or stylistic purposes. The study also revealed a difference between disciplines: history of science students used more marked themes than geography students. 32 4.18 Application to Pedagogy

33. 33 Theme Development for L2 Learners - Mastering theme usage can be challenging even for native speakers, and it's likely even more difficult for learners of a second language (L2 learners). - Despite its importance, theme development is often neglected in L2 learning materials (except for Australian genre pedagogy). Theme Development and Learning Stages - Lock (1996) suggests prioritizing basic sentence structures (declarative, interrogative, imperative) with unmarked word order for beginners. - As learners progress, incorporating more thematic variation becomes crucial to avoid monotonous and immature-sounding language.

34. Thank’s !!

35. Reference Flowerdew, J. (2013). Discourse in English Language Education.  Britania Raya: Routledge.