The Analysis Of Interpersonal Meaning Of EFL Classroom Discourse In Junior High School

Since the 1960s, there has been a movement away from teacher-dominated modes of learning to more leaner-centered approaches, which has led to a reexamination of traditional teacher roles. So the present study is going to explore the Chinese junior high school English teacher's roles in EFL class through analyzing the realizations of interpersonal meaning (IP) in classroom discourse. Thus the research results can be supportive and instructive to improve teaching efficiency in EFL classroom.With the further development of educational and pedagogical reforms many advanced methodologies on L2/EFL classroom discourse from western countries emerged in China. Research on classroom discourse can greatly facilitate English learning and teaching. While such research is popular in foreign countries, it develops very slowly in China. It is found out that there are many theoretical papers on college English classroom discourse analysis, including some authoritative studies on students' written discourse, and a few on analysis of teachers' talk, but few secondary school language classroom discourse analysis. The author carries out the analysis of some samples of classroom activities recorded on Mp3 and audiotape based on Halliday's systemic-functional linguistics (SFL).The main body of the thesis and our focus is on the investigation of how the interpersonal function is realized through the following three categories in classroom. In mood system, the thesis examines the Subject and Finite and finds out the different subject choices, different subject orders and different tenses in the clause convey different interpersonal meanings. The efforts in establishing a reliable relationship is made through Modality. The adoption of appraisal resources not only directed the appropriate using of language but also greatly encourage the students.By statistics computation we have got the following findings:1) Of the data collected the using frequency of the subject omission accounts for the biggest proportion of the total numbers and the first person pronoun "we" is quite close to that of the second person pronoun "you". In overall views, the teachers are inclined to apply person-omitted, the first and the second person subjects. The interpersonal functions include: a) to control or emphasize what students should do or how they should do in class.b) to present his/her personal viewpoint taking himself/herself as an equal participant as the student himself. c)to convince students to follow teacher and encourage students to overcome the barriers when learning. d) to relieve students from anxiety or shame and make him/her confidante.2). According to the statistical data the frequency of interrogatives including polar interrogative ('yes/no' type) and content interrogative ('wh-' type) accounts for the biggest portion in them. And the frequency of declaratives is quite close to that of imperatives.The interpersonal functions are the following: a) to attract students' attention and facilitate students to understand learning content well. b) to expect more satisfying answers.c) to arouse students' interest in the topic and to lead to a gradual modification of students' language output. d) to maintain comprehensible and ongoing communication caring about how much students understand.By using WH- interrogatives teachers a) encourage students to convey or express more messages so that students can offer as much output as they can. b) shorten the distance between them and further arouses students' interest in thinking about this question. c) assess how well the student performs and at the same time specify the criteria of class report that will facilitate them to improve their speaking ability.Imperative clauses enable teachers a) to give an instructive and specified direction. b) to sustain a balance between keeping his/her authority stable and establishing a harmonious atmosphere.Exclamative clauses enable teachers a) to give objective, appropriate, specified and timely assessment. b) to relieve students from shame and anxiety; reaffirm the criteria of the class activity.3) The interpersonal meaning of the Simple Present Tense is to set situations and amplify communicative effect for more comprehensible input.The employment of Present Continuous Tense aims to a) let students know how well they have performed but also to build a supportive classroom climate. b) to emphasize the synchronization of the manner and the action of conversation. c) to focus students' attention on teacher's explanation. d) to describe the situation of conversation in the tape or the material vividly and arouse students' interest.The employment of present perfect tense aims to a) capture the students' interest and motivation. b)to care about the completion of the class activities and to decide the succeeding teaching decisions.Future Tense facilitates students a) to concentrate their attention on the class activities. b)to describe a situation under discussion which fuels students' imaginations.The Past Tense enable a teacher a) to facilitate students to review the phrases for activities and lead in the succeeding topic of the lesson.4) Teachers are inclined to use more median and low modulations than the high ones; and more obligation resources than inclination ones. On the one hand teachers intend to transform his responsibility to the students which expresses his/her strong desire or determination to act; on the other hand teachers manage to weaken the strength of being in commanding position and to establish a harmonious atmosphere.5) Teachers use appraisal resources mainly a) to give prominence or amplify the characteristics of objects or degrees of doing things intending to emphasize the importance of his/her words. b) to stimulate students' more output of target language. c) to make a meaning negotiation establishing an atmosphere of harmonious.6) Teachers of LO have stronger desire to impose their ideas on students, in this way students can focus more attention to teacher's guidance; they define themselves as authority or center in class and the students as objects. It can be further shown teachers of LA take students as their equal counterparts and make more meaning negotiation than commanding or requirements.Based on the above data and descriptive analysis, the current study illustrates the roles of secondary school foreign language teacher plays include Planner, Manager, Group organizer, Facilitator, Motivator, Enpowerer and Counselor. With this account, the current study is to arouse EFL teachers and teacher educators' awareness in knowledge of the roles of teacher so as to improve greatly the teaching efficiency of EFL class.