LAILA MEIKA R/16202241015/PBI-A

TRANSITIVITY
In the broadest sense, transitivity is a method of
classifying verbs and clauseswith reference to the relationship of the verb to
other structural elements. Put simply, a transitive construction is one in
which the verb is followed by a direct object; an intransitive construction is
one in which the verb cannot take a direct object.
In recent years, the concept of transitivity has received special attention
from researchers in the field of Systemic Linguistics.
In "Notes on Transitivity and Theme in English," M.A.K. Halliday described
transitivity as "the set of options relating to cognitive content, the linguistic
representation of extralinguistic experience, whether of phenomena of the
external world or of feelings, thoughts and perceptions" (Journal of
Linguistics, 1967).
EXAMPLES AND OBSERVATIONS
"The traditional notion of a 'transitive verb' referred to a simple
dichotomy: a transitive verb was a verb which required two
argument NPsto form a grammatical clause, whereas an intransitive
clause required only one. However, there are many languages where
this basic distinction does not adequately cover the range of
possibilities."
(shild Nss, Prototypical Transitivity. John Benjamins, 2007)
VERBS THAT ARE BOTH TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE
"Some verbs are both transitive and intransitive, depending on how
they are used . . .. In response to the question, 'What are you doing?'
we can say 'We're eating.' In this case eat is being used intransitively.
Even if we add a phrase after the verb, such as in the dining room, it is
still intransitive. The phrase in the dining room is a complement not
an object.
"However, if someone asks us, 'What are you eating?' we respond by
using eat in its transitive sense, 'We're eating spaghetti' or 'We're
eating a large gooey brownie.' In the first sentence, spaghetti is the
object. In the second sentence, a large gooey brownie is the object."
(Andrea DeCapua, Grammar for Teachers. Springer, 2008)
DITRANSITIVE AND PSEUDO-INTRANSITIVE CONSTRUCTIONS
"More complex relationships between a verb and the elements
dependent upon it are usually classified separately. For example, verbs
which take two objects are sometimes called ditransitive, as in she
gave me a pencil. There are also several uses of verbs which are
marginal to one or other of these categories, as in pseudo-
intransitive constructions (e.g. the eggs are selling well, where
an agent is assumed--'someone is selling the eggs'--unlike normal
intransitive constructions, which do not have an agent transform: we
went, but not *someone sent us."
(David Crystal, A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics. Blackwell,
1997)
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LEVELS OF TRANSITIVITY IN ENGLISH

"Consider the following sentences, all of which are transitive in
form: Susie bought a car; Susie speaks French; Susie understands our
problem; Susie weighs 100 pounds. These illustrate steadily decreasing
levels of prototypical transitivity: Susie is less and less of an agent, and
the object is less and less affected by the action--indeed, the last two
don't really involve any action at all. In short, the world provides a very
wide range of possible relations between entities, but English, like
many other languages, provides only two grammatical constructions,
and every possibility must be squeezed into one or the other of the two
constructions."
(R.L. Trask, Language and Linguistics: The Key Concepts, 2nd ed., ed.
by Peter Stockwell. Routledge, 2007)
HIGH AND LOW TRANSITIVITY
"A different approach to transitivity . . . is the 'transitivity hypothesis.'
This views transitivity in discourse as a matter of gradation, dependent
on various factors. A verb such as kick, for example, fulfills all the
criteria for high transitivity in a clause with an expressed object such
as Ted kicked the ball. It refers to an action (B) in which two
participants (A) are involved, Agent and Object; it is telic (having an
end-point) (C) and is punctual (D). With a human subject it is volitional
(E) and agentive, while the object will be totally affected (I) and
individuated (J). The clause is also affirmative(F) and declarative, realis,
not hypothetical (irrealis) (G). By contrast, with a verb such as see as
in Ted saw the accident, most of the criteria point to low transitivity,
while the verb wish as in I wish you were here includes even irrealis (G)
in its complement as a feature of low transitivity. Susan left is
interpreted as an example of reduced transitivity. Although it has only
one participant, it rates higher than some two-participant clauses, as it
fulfills B, C, D, E, F, G and H."
(Angela Downing and Philip Locke, English Grammar: A University
Course, 2nd ed. Routledge, 2006)

TRANSITIVITY ANALYSIS
1. Processes, Participants And Circumstances
One of the functions of a clause is to represent experience: to describe
the events and states of the real (and unreal) world.
In the SFL model, a representation of experience consists of:
a. Processes Processes: what kind of event/state is being described.
b. Participants Participants: the entities involved in the process, e.g.,
Actor, Sayer, Senser, etc.
c. Circumstances Circumstances: specifying the when, where, why and
how of the process.
The dog bit the postman yesterday
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participant process participant circumstance

2. Types of process
SFL typically recognises 4 main types of processes:
Material (doing ): kick, run, paint, repair, send, burn,
Mental (experiencing or sensing): see, hear, know, like
Verbal (saying): say, tell, warn, argue, ask,
Relational (being or becoming): be, have, become, ...
Sometime also recognised: Behavioural (laugh, talk, cry, breath),
Existential (exist. there is)
3. Material processes and their participants
Material Processes: physical actions in the real world. Participants:
Actor: the one who does the action
Goal: The one who is affected by the action
Recipient Recipient: the one who receives something
Beneficiary Beneficiary: the one for whom something is done
4. Mental processes and their
participants
Mental Processes: Mental
Processes: processes of
perception,
cognition, affection
- Senser: the one
who

does the mental action

- Phenomenon Phenomenon: The thing that is perceived, thought,
appreciated

5. Verbal processes and their participants

Verbal Processes: Verbal Processes: processes of communication:
Sayer: the one who communicates
Addressee: the one recieving the message
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Verbiage: What they say

6. Relational processes and their participants

Relational Processes: expressing possession, equivalence, attributes...
- Carrier: An entity being described
- Attribute: The description of the entity
John is tall
Carrier Process Attribut
e
- Possessor: the one owning or containing something
- Possessed: the thing owned or contained.
John owns a
Mercedes
Possessor Process Possessio
n
- Token: an entity being equated with another
- Value: the other description.
John is the
president
Token Process Value
7. Hints
Some rules:
1. Verbal and mental process must either have a clausal complement (the
projection):
I say to go / I told him that he was wrong
I felt that he should go / I like swimming in the sea
or if no clausal projection, thew verb must allow one:
I said something / I told him a story
2. Perceptual verbs with a non-conscious agent are not mental, but closer to
relational (assigning an attribute):
The table feels smooth
Something smells burnt
8. Circumstance
Circumstances: any kind of contingent fact or subsidiary situation which is
associated with the process or the main situation
The museum is round the corner
Do it gently.
He watered the garden with a hose
I left because I was tired.
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SOURCES:
http://web.uam.es/departamentos/filoyletras/filoinglesa/Courses/LFC11/LFC-2011-
week3-Transitivity.pdf
https://www.thoughtco.com/transitivity-grammar-1692476