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A Transitivity Research of Voice-over Language

Author: XiongYi
Tutor: LiuZuo
School: Nanchang University
Course: Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
Keywords: Functional Grammar Theory transitivity voice-over texts processes participants
CLC: H315
Type: Master's thesis
Year: 2011
Downloads: 89
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Abstract

A large quantity of sample analysis exhibits great validity of Halliday’s Functional Grammar Theory in text analysis. Meanwhile, these text analyses done in previous studies have proved a magnet to constant development of Functional Grammar Theory. Of the three metafunctions theories, transitivity theory is the very analysis mode that realizes language’s function of representing human experience, including objective experience and subjective experience. Voice-over texts have been scarcely discussed from the new perspective of Functional Grammar Theory in the current literature. Based on the study of voice-over language with an end to its words instead of to the message in Desperate Housewives, this paper calculates the frequency and distributive rules of each type of processes and the main participants, by using the statistical tool of Systemic Coder. Results prove wide applications of transitivity analysis and open up new research perspective of voice-over texts. By subjecting selected data to a fundamental analysis, the paper presents the transitivity features concerning voice-over language as follows:Transitivity processes are frequently employed in voice-over language, with their number of occurrences amounting to 672 times.Material processes, a force mainly describing the "doing" performed by the characters in the TV shows and the "happening" related to the characters to leave a deeper impression on the audience and provide the necessary clue of the plot, thus to advance the plot, take the leading position in all of the sample texts.Relational processes and mental processes within a single sample text appear through the perpetual surf and possess similar proportions. However, all analysis texts taken, relational processes are seen with higher frequency than mental processes.In regard to indentifying relational processes, the voice-over texts mainly explain the characters and events in the play to enlarge the knowledge of the actors and the plot. As for intensive relational processes, there are more relational processes that depict the characters’emotion than those that depict their qualities, expressing the change of the character’s mental state with the development of the plot. While the description of the things and events are focused on the depiction of qualities which reflect the narrator’s comments on them, sometimes smacking of teasing and witty tone.The content of perception and cognition have great majority in the mental processes, and the affection processes are very few. The application of mental processes enables the audience to better understand the invisible inner feeling and awareness of the surrounding world, and when the actors get deeper in the scene, the perception and cognition would rise to a fine state.Existential processes are introduced in every sample text. In order to achieve time compression, voice-over language directly adopts verbs embodied in existential processes to instruct the existence of people or things relating to plot and the occurrence of events, serving as a connect link between the previous plot and the further plot.Finally, verbal processes and behavioral processes occur frequently in the sample texts. Their appearances depend on the case of the plot.It is worth noting that the main participants not only include the virtual people in the play but also people (the audience, people and "we" etc.) in our real world. It seemed like that the narrator is talking to the audience directly to attract the audience to take part in the plot and illuminate the audience to think about the implication of the plot. This may be one of the reasons why the voice-over in Desperate Housewives is so impressed.

A Transitivity Research of Voice-over Language

Abstract

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