1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. Subject and Aims

1.2. Method of Approach

1.3. The Historical Perspective

1.3.1. The European Background

1.3.2. Linguistics in America

2. THE BACKGROUND TO THE NEO-FIRTHIAN TRADITION

2.1. Sane Remarks on Terminology

2.2. The Context of Firth's Work

2.3. The Work of Malinowski

2.3.1. Malinowski’s Research Background

2.3.2. Language in Context

2.3.3. Phatic Communion

2.4. The Linguistic Theories of J.R. Firth

2.4.1. Firth’s Publications and his Influence

2.4.2. Firth’s Theories

2.5. Prosodic Analysis

3. THE FOUNDATIONS OF NEO-FIRTHIAN LINGUISTICS

3.1. The Background: Structuralism and General Linguistics

3.1.1. Meaning and Discovery Procedures

3.1.2. Linguistics and the Use of a Text Corpus

3.1.3. Intuition, Theory and the Ideal Speaker

3.2. Levels of Language

3.3. Substance

3.4. Linguistic Form

3.4.1. Formal Meaning

3.4.2. Grammar

3.4.3. Lexis

3.5. Context

3.5.1. Context in Linguistic Analysis

3.5.2. Formal Choice in Context

4. LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS AND LINGUISTIC SYSTEMS

4.1. Development

4.1.1. Linguistics and Pragmatics

4.1.2. Linguistics and Sociolinguistics

4.2. Application

4.2.1. Language Acquisition and Society

4.2.2. Language and Social Universals

4.3. Models of Language Functions

4.3.1. The Child’s Model

4.3.2. The Adult Model

4.4. The Macro-Functions

4.4.1. The Ideational Carponent

4.4.2. The Interpersonal Carponent

4.4.3. The Textual Component

4.5. The Macro-functions and their Realizations

5. THE IDEATIONAL COMPONENT

5.1. General Introduction

5.2. The Logical and Experiential Sub-components

5.2.1. Experience and Expression

5.2.2. The Problem of Word-Fomation

5.3. Transitivity

5.3.1. Clause Organisation and Ergativity

5.3.2. Types of Process

5.3.3. Participant Types

5.3.4. Circumstantials

5.4. Modulation

5.5. Conclusion

6. THE ORGANISATION OF DISCOURSE

6.1. The Textual Component

6.2. Texture within the Clause

6.2.1. Unmarked Theme

6.2.2. Alternative Thematic Options

6.2.3. Marked Theme Dislocation

6.2.4. Identification

6.2.5. Predication, Substitution and Reference

6.3. Information

6.3.1. Tonality (Information Distribution)

6.3.2. Tonicity (Focus)

6.4. Texture above the Clause

6.4.1. Text and Cohesion

6.4.2. Text and Replacement Semantics

6.5. Conclusion

7. THE INTERPERSONAL COMPONENT

7.1. Introduction

7.2. The Speech Situation and Language

7.2.1. Mood

7.2.2. Modality

7.2.3. Key

7.3. Sociological Semantics

7.3.1. The Structure of a Speech Situation

7.3.2. Systemic Choice in the Communication Situation

7.3.3. The Meanings of the Language Option in Context

7.4. Conclusions

8. CONCLUSIONS

8.1. The Neo-Firthian Tradition

8.1.1. The Legacy of J.R. Firth

8.1.2. The Structure of Neo-Firthian Linguistics

8.2. Language as Social Semiotic

8.2.1. The Contexts of Language

8.2.2. The Semantics of the Text

8.3. The Image of Neo-Firthian Linguistics

8.4. Contribution

9. GLOSSARY

10. BIBLIOGRAPHY