Different Types of Themes
Theme defenition and Example
This essay will be talking about theme system. Theme can be identified as that or those element(s) which come(s) first in the clause. Theme represents the main idea of a clause or a paragraph or even a text. The theme looks backwards, relating the current message to what has gone before.
I will go to school : Here we find ‘I’ at the beginning, telling us that the clause is about ‘me’ (the student).This is the theme of the clause and in this case it relates the text to its context. We retrieve of ‘I’ from outside the text the person is a student who wants to go to school. ‘I’ is the theme of the clause Types of theme
The theme can divided into a number of categories: Ideational, Textual, and Interpersonal. A clause can have any, all or none of these categories present.
1. Ideational
The Ideational, or tropical theme is usually but not always the first nominal group in the class. Topical themes may also be nominal group complexes, adverbial groups, prepositional phrases or embeded clause. In the unmarked case topical theme is also the subject. A topical theme which is not the subject is called a marked topical theme. The term marked is used because it stands out. It attracts attention because it is not what we normally expect to find.
Unmarked topical themes
nominal group as theme Jack went up the hill
Theme
Rheme
Nominal group complex as theme
Jack the Jill went up the hill
Theme
Rheme
Embeded clause
((What Jack and Jill did)) was go up the hill
Theme
Rheme
Marked topical themes
Adverbial as theme:
Down Jack tell
Theme
Rheme
Prepositional phrase as a theme
Up the hill Jack and Jill went
Theme
Rheme Complement as theme
His crown he broke
Theme
Rheme
The theme of a clause extends to and includes the topical theme. Therefore, elements which precede the topical theme are not.
2. Textual Themes
Textual themes relate the clause to its continuatives and/or
This essay will be talking about theme system. Theme can be identified as that or those element(s) which come(s) first in the clause. Theme represents the main idea of a clause or a paragraph or even a text. The theme looks backwards, relating the current message to what has gone before.
I will go to school : Here we find ‘I’ at the beginning, telling us that the clause is about ‘me’ (the student).This is the theme of the clause and in this case it relates the text to its context. We retrieve of ‘I’ from outside the text the person is a student who wants to go to school. ‘I’ is the theme of the clause Types of theme
The theme can divided into a number of categories: Ideational, Textual, and Interpersonal. A clause can have any, all or none of these categories present.
1. Ideational
The Ideational, or tropical theme is usually but not always the first nominal group in the class. Topical themes may also be nominal group complexes, adverbial groups, prepositional phrases or embeded clause. In the unmarked case topical theme is also the subject. A topical theme which is not the subject is called a marked topical theme. The term marked is used because it stands out. It attracts attention because it is not what we normally expect to find.
Unmarked topical themes
nominal group as theme Jack went up the hill
Theme
Rheme
Nominal group complex as theme
Jack the Jill went up the hill
Theme
Rheme
Embeded clause
((What Jack and Jill did)) was go up the hill
Theme
Rheme
Marked topical themes
Adverbial as theme:
Down Jack tell
Theme
Rheme
Prepositional phrase as a theme
Up the hill Jack and Jill went
Theme
Rheme Complement as theme
His crown he broke
Theme
Rheme
The theme of a clause extends to and includes the topical theme. Therefore, elements which precede the topical theme are not.
2. Textual Themes
Textual themes relate the clause to its continuatives and/or
Bibliography: Halliday, M., and C. Matthiessen. (2004) An Introduction to Functional Grammar(3rd Edition), London: Arnold. Halliday M.A.K. (1985) An Introduction to Functional Grammar. Edward Arnold, London, 1985. Thompson, G. (2004) Introducting Functional Grammar (2nd Edition), London: Hodder Education