Discourse Analysis Of Interpersonal Meaning In Apple Launch Event Based On Systemic Functional Grammar

Successful product presentations help companies promote their products,raise their image and encourage purchasing.Speeches in product presentations realize certain interpersonal meaning,which could influence effects of product presentations to some degree.Interpersonal meaning of language means that people build interpersonal relationships with others through language.People express their opinions on things or others and then influence their thoughts and behavior.In recent years,studies of interpersonal meaning of various discourses are quite prevalent and corresponding achievements are remarkable.However,studies of interpersonal meaning of product presentations are relatively rare.Apple Inc.is a world famous company for their wonderful electronic products such as iPhone and iMac,the fashionable of their products are not just because of the high quality and beautiful appearance,the promoting method is also crucial.By combining Halliday's Systemic Functional Grammar and Martin's appraisal theory,this research will take the speeches in Apple Launch Event in September 2017 as the language data,make a discourse analysis of how the interpersonal meaning is realized in terms of mood system,modality system and appraisal theory,and what's the characteristics of Apple's product presentation.It has been found that presenters of Apple Launch Event use various linguistic resources to realize interpersonal meaning.The results are as follow:(1)The main mood type is declarative.Interrogatives are mainly used to provide information.There are rare imperatives and no exclamatives.(2)Modal operators with low value are most frequently used.(3)Enormous positive appraisal resources are employed.In the subsystem of attitude,appreciation resources are the most prevalently used.The reasons of the results in the use of linguistic resources are as follows:(1)Apple Launch Events are mainly held to provide information of new released products or services.(2)Audiences are at a higher position compared with presenters.(3)Use of positive appraisal resources can help advertise the superiority of products.This research is of certain theoretical and practical significance.On one hand,it verifies the applicability of Halliday's model of interpersonal meaning and Martin's appraisal theory for analyzing interpersonal meaning of product presentations,which can deepen people's understanding of these theories.On the other hand,the research can provide reference for companies to enter international market and prepare speeches for product presentations.It can draw people's interests in studying product presentations and also help people understand product presentations better.