3.

3 THEME AND MOOD

MOOD THEME

Major interpersonal
Statements: giving information
system of the clause
enacting speech Questions: demanding information
functions
Offers: giving goods-&-services
Providing interactants
Commands: demanding
involved in dialogue
goods-&-services
3.3 THEME AND MOOD
declarative
indicative yes/no-
CLAUSE interrogative
in mood interrogative
imperative WH-
interrogative
For example:
indicative: declarative Bears eat honey. Bears don’t eat honey.
indicative: interrogative: yes/no Do bears eat honey? Don’t bears eat honey?
indicative: interrogative: WH- What eats honey? What do bears eat?
imperative: Eat! Let’s eat!
3.3.1 Theme in declarative clauses

Declarative Clause
unmarked
THEME = SUBJECT Theme
E.g: Little Bo-peep has lost her sheep
Subject and Theme • I
• You, we, he, she, it, they
• It, there
• Other nominal groups
• Adverbial groups (today, suddenly, somewhat
marked distractedly)
Theme • Prepositional phrases (Today, at night...)
• Any elements functioning as Adjunct.
• Complement
3.3.1 Theme in declarative clauses
“We are aware of our responsibility to our critics. We are also aware of our
responsibility to the author, who probably would not have authorized the
publication of these pages. This responsibility we accept wholly, and we would
willingly bear it alone.”
The Theme this responsibility is strongly foregrounded; summarizes the whole
burden of the preface and enunciates this as their point of departure, as what
the undertaking is all about.
Sometimes even the Complement from within a prepositional phrase,
functions as Theme, particularly in idiomatic combinations of preposition and
verb. For example:
That I could do without
Two things we need to comment on
3.3.1 Theme in declarative clauses

Table 3-1 Examples of Theme in declarative clause. Theme-Rheme boundary is shown by #

3.3.1 Theme in declarative clauses
Table 3-1 Examples of Theme in declarative clause. Theme-Rheme boundary is shown by #
3.3.1 Theme in declarative clauses

Declarative Clause:
A special case of thematic structure
EXCLAMATIVES
an exclamatory WH-element as Theme

For example:
3.3.2 Theme in interrogative clauses
Requesting information
Interrogatives
Mood expecting the hearer to come back with
some piece of information
For example: REALISATION
who - speaker expects to hear a person's name
when - a point in time

Selecting an element Putting it at the

indicating the
required answer
& beginning of the
clause
3.3.2 Theme in interrogative clauses
• In a WH- interrogative, the Theme is constituted solely by the WH- element.
3.3.2 Theme in interrogative clauses
yes/no-
interrogative
Means of carrying the basic
interrogative message of the clause
WH-
interrogative

unmarked
Theme
3.3.2 Theme in interrogative clauses
For example:
3.3 THEME AND MOOD
‘I want you to do something’
giving Foryou
• ‘I want example:
to do something’
– You + keep quiet! (marked)
imperative commands • ‘I want us (you and me) to do something’
– As for you + keep quiet! (marked)
or advice • Let’s ….
Verb = Predicator
=> unmarked Theme

For example:
negative Don’t argue with me!
imperative Don’t let’s quarrel about it!
=> unmarked Theme
3.3.3 Theme in imperative clauses
• Imperatives are the only type of clause where the predicator is regularly the
unmarked Theme.

Table 3-2 MOOD TYPE and unmarked Theme selection

• If other element comes first, we are making a marked choice of Theme.
=> express some kind of special setting for the clause or provide it with a feature of
contrast.
3.4 Textual, interpersonal and topical themes

a quantum THEME
• Processes:
Processes
CLAUSE of human
•(i) Changes
the process itself;
experience
(ii) the participants in that process;
(iii) any circumstantial factors such as time,
manner or cause.
=> Topical Theme
For example:
3.4 Textual, interpersonal and topical themes
• There may be other elements in the clause preceding the topical Theme which,
in any case, play no experiential role, and normally no more than one or two of
them occur.
For example:
3.4 Textual, interpersonal and topical themes
To illustrate multiple themes with several elements containing each of these six types
of non-topical element in thematic position:

1. Well, textual, continuative. Signals a move in discourse or a transition in the same

speaker’s turn.
2. but, textual, conjunction. Links or subordinates two clauses.
3. then, textual, conjunctive Adjunct. Adverbial or Prepositional groups that relate
the clause to previous text.
4. surely, interpersonal, modal comment Adjunct. Expressions of the speaker’s
judgment on the content of the message.
5. Jean, interpersonal, vocative. Typically personal names used to address.
6. wouldn’t, interpersonal, Finite verbal operator. Auxiliary verbs that construe tense
and modality; also typical unmarked Themes of yes/no interrogatives.
3.4 Textual, interpersonal and topical themes

inherently thematic characteristically thematic

• establish the clause in a  set up the expression:

setting (textual function) • “let me tell you how this fits in”
• explain his attitude to it • “let me tell you what I think
(interpersonal) about this”.
3.4 Textual, interpersonal and topical themes
The variations in word order inside clauses can be accounted for the following way:

• Be meaningful in the English clause

Initial
• Has a Thematic function
position
• lie outside the
experiential
Certain • Orient the clause logically or rhetorically structure of the
textual • Be inherently thematic clause
elements • they have no status
as participant,
Other textual • Relate semantically clause with preceding circumstance or
and text or to express the speaker’s angle process
interpersonal
• Be characteristically thematic
elements
3.4 Textual, interpersonal and topical themes
• Be characteristically thematic
WH-elements • Have in fact a two-fold thematic value

interpersonal topical
construe the mood represent participant
or circumstance.

Fig. 3-13 Wh- element (interrogative) as Theme

3.4 Textual, interpersonal and topical themes
• Be characteristically thematic
WH-elements • Have in fact a two-fold thematic value
• Be definite or indefinite

definite indefinite
3.4 Textual, interpersonal and topical themes
• All deictic elements are typically thematic; this also applies to groups.
• The Theme-Rheme structure is not a clearly cut configuration of constituents,
but a movement running through the clause.
• Another significant feature which does tend to create a clearly defined
boundary between constituents, given that the Theme is delineated.