An Engagement Analysis Of Projecting Verbs In English Editorials

The discussion of interpersonal meaning has been conducted by Halliday under the framework of Systemic Functional Grammar by proposing Mood and Modality. The proposal of the Appraisal Theory expands the range of the study of interpersonal meaning within Systemic Functional Grammar and provides a new perspective for the Appraisal Theory’s elaboration. Put forward by Martin, the Appraisal Theory values how language users, either speakers or writers, convey attitudes, take stance, make value judgements, negotiate with readers and achieve the ultimate goal of affecting readers’ ideology and aligning with readers through employing appraisal resources. The Appraisal Theory is composed of three subcategories: attitude, engagement and graduation. Engagement resources center on indicating whether the speakers or writers tend to negotiate with different stance and alternative voices from heteroglossic backdrop. Engagement resources can be realized through a series of lexical grammar structures, and the projecting verb is one of them. This thesis aims to explore how projecting verbs are used to achieve interpersonal meaning within the engagement resources.With the adoption of qualitative research method, this thesis takes fifty editorials selected from Washington Post as research data. The research findings are as follows: Firstly, in terms of the classification of projection, projecting verbs are accordingly divided into ones that either convey verbal process or mental process and that either project parataxis or hypotaxis. The projected information is accordingly grouped into locutions and ideas. Projecting verbs that express verbal process outnumber those that deliver mental process. Hypotaxic clauses are more frequently projected than paratactic clauses. Secondly, it can be seen clearly from the statistical analysis that projecting verbs as engagement resources widely appear in English editorials. They can be used to realize all the subcategories within engagement except for counter resources. However, the distribution of all different sub-types of engagement resources achieved by projecting verbs is unbalanced. The number of projecting verbs used to construe the dialogic expansion is much more than those to construct dialogic contraction. Projecting verbs are preferred by writers in editorial board to construe entertain resources and attribute resources. Whereas the number of projecting verbs that is used to fulfill other resources like disclaim is relatively small. Thirdly, in terms of the function of distribution, the editorial structure is classified into introduction, argument and conclusion, and the distribution of engagement resources in each part of English editorials is also different. Projecting verbs as engagement resources are frequently employed in argument, followed by introduction and conclusion. The distribution status is attributed to the specific and unique function of each part, according to which the writer can make reasonable arrangement of projecting verbs in each part. Through all the analysis of projecting verbs, it can be summarized that projecting verbs in dialogic contraction can be used to fend off alternative positions and dialogic expansion so as to align with potential readers. By means of dialogic expansion, the projecting verbs serve to entertain and invite alterative voice, objectify editorials’ subjectivity, build up the credibility and authenticity so as to deliver authorial stance and attitude, influence reader’s thoughts and achieve interpersonal meanings. In terms of emotional function, they are categorized as projecting verbs with emotions and without emotions, which in turn facilitates projecting verbs to achieve interpersonal meanings.