Cover not available

Article published In: Interpersonal Meaning: Systemic Functional Linguistics perspectives
Edited by J.R. Martin
[Functions of Language 25:1] 2018
► pp. 20–53

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload PDF
authorization required

Interpersonal grammar of Korean

A Systemic Functional Linguistics perspective

 | University of New South Wales
Published online: 10 August 2018
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/fol.17017.shi
Abstract
This paper provides an account of interpersonal resources in Korean from the perspective of Systemic Functional Linguistics. The focus is upon the paradigmatic interdependency of addressee deference, mood, stance and politeness, and the syntagmatic interaction of their realisations with polarity, modality, vocation and the participant deference in this language. Specifically, this paper puts two arguments forward. One is that the system of formality is fundamental in Korean. The system has two choices: formal and informal. mood and addressee deference belong to formal resources, and involve power-oriented language use. stance and politeness are informal resources, and involve solidarity-oriented language use. The other argument is that realisations of interpersonal resources are scattered across ranks in Korean. The paper advocates SFL’s top-down paradigmatic perspective, which enables us to pull resources together in an account that formalises their interdependency while respecting their divergent realisations.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The system of formality
    • 2.1 mood
    • 2.2 addressee deference
    • 2.3 stance
    • 2.4 politeness
  • 3.The system of polarity
  • 4.The system of modality
  • 5.Other interpersonal resources
    • 5.1The system of vocation
    • 5.2The system of participant deference
    • 5.3Grammatical metaphor
  • 6.Concluding remarks
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
References (25)
References
Aikhenvald, Alexandra. 2004. Evidentiality. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Aikhenvald, Alexandra & R. M. W. Dixon. 2003. Studies in evidentiality. Amsterdam: Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Brown, Lucien. 2015a. Honorifics and politeness. In Lucien Brown & Jaehoon Yeon (eds.), 303–319. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2015b. Revisiting “polite” ‑yo and “deferential” ‑supnita speech style shifting in Korean from the viewpoint of indexicality. Journal of Pragmatics 791. 43–59. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Browng, Lucien & Jaehoon Yeon (eds.). 2015. The handbook of Korean linguistics. Oxford: Wiley. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chafe, Wallace & Johanna Nichols (eds.). 1986. Evidentiality: The linguistic coding of epistemology. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cho, Choon-Hak. 1982. A study of Korean pragmatics: Deixis and politeness. Seoul: Hanshin.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
DeLancey, Scott. 1997. Mirativity: The grammatical marking of unexpected information. Linguistic Typology 1(1). 33–52. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Halliday, M. A. K. 1984. Language as code and language as behaviour: A Systemic-Functional interpretation of the nature and ontogenesis of dialogue. In Robin Fawcett, M. A. K. Halliday, Sydney M. Lamb & Adam Makkai (eds.), The semiotics of language and culture Vol 1: Language as social semiotic, 3–35. London: Pinter.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Halliday, M. A. K. & Christian M. I. M. Matthiessen. 2014. An introduction to functional grammar. London: Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hur, Woong. 1995. 20 seyki wuli maluy hyengtaylon (Korean morphology in the twentieth century). Seoul: Saem Munhwasa.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kim, Chung-sook, Dong-Ho Park, Byung-kyu Lee, Hai-Young Lee, Hee Jung Jung, Jeong Soon Choe & Yong Heo. 2005. Oykwukinul wihan hankuke munpep (Korean grammar for international learners) Vol 2. Seoul: Communications Books.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kwon, Jae-il. 2012. Hankuke munpepnon (Korean grammar). Seoul: Tae Hak Sa.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lee, Hyo Sang. 2015. Modality. In Lucien Brown & Jaehoon Yeon (eds.), 249–268. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lee, Ik-Seop & Wan Chae. 1999. Kuke munpepnon kanguy (Lectures on Korean grammar). Seoul: Hak Yeon Sa.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lee, Keedong. 1993. A Korean grammar on semantic-pragmatic principles. Seoul: Hanguk Munhwa Sa.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lukoff, Fred. 1977. Ceremonial and expressive uses of the styles of address in Korean. In Chin-W. Kim (ed.), Papers in Korean linguistics, 269–296. Columbia, SC: Hornbeam Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2013. Systemic Functional Grammar: A next step into the theory – axial relations. Beijing: Higher Education Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Martin, J. R. & Peter R. R. White. 2005. The language of evaluation: Appraisal in English. London: Palgrave. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sohn, Ho-Min. 1999. The Korean language. Cambridge: CUP.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Song, Jae Jung. 2005. The Korean language: Structure, use and context. London: Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Strauss, Susan. 2005. Cognitive realization markers in Korean: A discourse-pragmatic study of the sentence-ending particles ‑kwun, ‑ney and ‑tela . Language Sciences 271. 437–480. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Suh, Cheong-soo. 1984. Contaypep yenkwu (Research on Korean honorifics). Seoul: Hanshin.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sung, Ky-chull. 1985. Hyentay taywupep yenkwu (Research on contemporary Korean honorifics). Seoul: Kaymunsa.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cited by (7)

Cited by seven other publications

Cheng, Shi
2024. A review of interpersonal metafunction studies in systemic functional linguistics (2012–2022). Journal of World Languages 10:3 ► pp. 623 ff. DOI logo
Tian, Lili
2024. An Innovative Demonstration of Functional Linguistic Ideas for Teaching English in Colleges and Universities Based on Multi-objective Optimization Models. Applied Mathematics and Nonlinear Sciences 9:1 DOI logo
Li, Dongqi
2023. Methodology. In A Systemic Functional Typology of MOOD [The M.A.K. Halliday Library Functional Linguistics Series, ], ► pp. 75 ff. DOI logo
Li, Dongqi
2023. Literature Review. In A Systemic Functional Typology of MOOD [The M.A.K. Halliday Library Functional Linguistics Series, ], ► pp. 29 ff. DOI logo
Martin, J. R. & Y. J. Doran
2023. Structure markers. Language, Context and Text. The Social Semiotics Forum 5:1 ► pp. 16 ff. DOI logo
Martin, J. R., Beatriz Quiroz & Giacomo Figueredo
2021. Introduction: Theory and Description in Interpersonal Grammar across Languages. In Interpersonal Grammar, ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Zhang, Dongbing
2021. Tense in Khorchin Mongolian: an interpersonal perspective. Language Sciences 85 ► pp. 101371 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 9 december 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue