ASp, 35-36 | 2002

SAlthough different theoretical models are complementary, functional models in general, andSystemic Functional Linguistics in particular lend themselves to the analysis of text. This is so atthe level of register, in terms of Field, Tenor and Mode, as well as at the level of semantics interms of ideational, interpersonal and textual metafunction. This paper will consider twoabstracts for research articles, one from the area of particle physics, the other, ESP. Theseabstracts are very similar in terms of Field, Tenor and Mode, since the semiotics of researchpublishing functions in virtually the same way in these two disciplines. In terms of the semanticmetafunctions, it is in the interpersonal metafunction that they differ least, as they function inthe same way. Differences in the textual and ideational metafunctions seem to be moresignificant. My object here is not to claim that these two abstracts provide results which aretypical for their sub-genres, but to demonstrate that Systemic Functional Linguistics provides auseful theoretical framework for the purposes of text analysis.Systemic Functional Linguistics as a model for text analysis ASp, 35-36 | 200213