An Analysis Of The Interpersonal Grammatical Metaphors In Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland

Halliday denotes that language has three metafunctions: ideational function, interpersonal function and textual function, bases on which, he divides Grammatical Metaphors into Ideational Grammatical Metaphors and Interpersonal Grammatical Metaphors. While Interpersonal Grammatical Metaphors, which mean the grammatical metaphorical phenomenon that happens in the realization of interpersonal meaning, involves metaphors of mood and metaphors of modality.The thesis analyzes the novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland from the Halliday?s view of interpersonal grammatical metaphor for the purpose of indicating the fact that interpersonal grammatical metaphor is a special linguistic feature of English Children novel and it makes a specific contribution to the realization of protagonist Alice?s characters. The author employs quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze the interpersonal grammatical metaphors in the novel. The quantitative method is employed to figure out the numbers and frequency of metaphors of mood and modality. Several tables are added up to indicate the data collected. And the qualitative method is employed to state the function of metaphors of mood and modality. The analysis of characters? speech through mood demonstrates the unequal relation between Alice and other characters. Alice impresses the readers with an independent character. This character and other people?s characters as well are designated to develop and take shape respectively in a free environment. Actually, the free environment for Alice is her dream. In the dream of self inspection and self criticism, Alice constantly makes choices and changes for the benefit of securing other people?s views. This thesis makes the detailed analysis of modality to display the characters? attitudes and emotions, which reveal protagonist Alice?s characteristics. In the journey of Wonderland, Alice experiences a different life and a different way of thinking. At the beginning of the story, Alice came across the Duchess, who is determined to find a moral in everything. Trial, which seems to be very unjust. Finally, Alice understands the adult world more after her adventures through Wonderland. She is growing up, which is also showed by her physical changes--the growing and shrinking in the story. With the analysis of interpersonal metaphors, the thesis provides a new perspective to appreciate the novel, reveal the personalities of Alice and other characters, and elaborates the theme of the novel.