A Study Of The Interpersonal Meaning Of "Speak Up" Section In English

English textbooks are the primary source of language input for students to learn English. English, published by Yilin Press, is a series of textbooks used for junior high schools in Jiangsu. Its "Speak up" section is a conversation related with the topic of each unit. It combines the language structure and communicative function to provide essential language material for teachers to develop their students’ oral communicative competence. By analyzing the interpersonal meaning of "Speak up" section, the present study attempts to help teachers be aware of and better familiar with the linguistic features of "Speak up" section in order to arrange teaching activities effectively.This study analyzes the interpersonal meaning of "Speak up" section of English in terms of mood, modality and person system based on the framework of the interpersonal function of the systemic functional grammar (SFG), exploring its linguistic features, and giving suggestions on its teaching.The results show that mood can reveal the relation between the speaker and the listener. The frequent use of imperatives in the conversation indicates that the speaker has a higher position than the listener. Modality can show the speaker’s judgment and attitude. The extensive use of low and median value expressions of modality and the rare use of high value expressions of modality indicate that most speakers in the sample conversations intend to establish harmonious interpersonal relationships with their listeners in a friendly manner. Person system can reflect the social and psychological distance between the speaker and the listener. The use of inclusive "we" can shorten the social and psychological distance between the speaker and the listener.Besides, there are various clause types, flexible language forms, real situations and rich topics in sample conversations of "Speak up" section. Although the modal adjuncts of probability and ususality, and expressions of metaphor of modality are insufficient, "Speak up" section is still suitable to be used as the language input to cultivate students’ communicative competence. Findings of this study imply that teachers should supplement the frequently-used expressions in daily communication, introduce the relevant cultural background and arrange the teaching procedures of "Speak up" section reasonably.