| Guided by Systemic Functional Grammar, this thesis is a study of the dialogues related to the emotional exchange between the hero Darcy and the heroine Elizabeth in Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It probes into the profound interpersonal meaning of the selected dialogues between Darcy and Elizabeth from the perspective of Mood types, Mood structures, values of Modality and evaluative expressions.Since it was published in 1813, Pride and Prejudice has been regarded as one of the most enduringly popular English novels. It has been studied in various aspects. Nevertheless, attention has only been given to the historical background of the author or the cultural study of the novel instead of its linguistic features. Adopted the qualitative methodology, this thesis intends to anatomize the dialogues between Darcy and Elizabeth with the theories of Mood, Modality and Appraisal System. Since language is acknowledged as one of the most effective ways to explore a person's personality, this thesis aims to examine their dialogues from the above perspectives so as to have a better understanding of their personality improvement in line with the development of their romance.The research of the current thesis is conducted in three stages according to their relationship development. The major findings of this thesis are as follows: in Stage One, Darcy's arrogant speech and behavior arouse Elizabeth's prejudice against him. Their relationship is tense at that moment, which can be reflected in their frequent use of high value Modalities, negative evaluative expressions and interpersonal metaphors. In Stage Two, their careful choice of low value Modalities and Subjects demonstrates that Darcy is trying to overcome his pride and Elizabeth begins to revalue Darcy. This can be regarded as the growing phrase of their relationship. In Stage Three, Darcy abandons his pride and Elizabeth removes her prejudice, which finally leads to their happy engagement. Their change of emotions is embodied in their usage of high value Modalities to show their regrets and median low Modalities to show their affection, positive evaluations towards the other party and negative evaluations towards their own previous improper behaviors and imperfect personality.Through this research, we can conclude that the linguistic choices in Mood, Modality and evaluative expressions can help express the character's psychological feelings and mental conditions, which in turn can be realized in the linguistic choices of Mood, Modality and evaluative expressions. Systemic Functional Grammar is proved to be a powerful research tool in the conversation analysis. |
