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A Logical Statement of Grammatical Theory

As Contained in Halliday's ‘Categories of the Theory of Grammar‘

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 April 2026

Robert M. W. Dixon
Robert M. W. Dixon*
Affiliation:
University of Edinburgh
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Extract

1. Introductory. Tf we regard language activity, in its formal aspect, as the repeated selection of one from among a number of possible events—or, so as to formulate it more simply, of items from sets of items which are “at risk” under certain conditions, the total selection situation (items and conditions) varies along a cline. At one end of the scale, there are a very large number of sets, in very complex interrelations, but with very few items in each: this is grammar. At the other end, there are few sets, in simple relations, but with large inventories of items making them up: this is lexis. There is no sharp line between them, though the extremes are clearly distinct. Since patterning of the first type lends itself to much greater abstraction, we can make the theory of grammar much more powerful than the theory of lexis. So the linguist tries to bring as much as possible of linguistic form into his grammatical statements—though there is a theory of lexis too, which has a part in the total description.'

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Language , Volume 39 , Issue 4: October-December , December 1963 , pp. 654 - 668
Copyright
Copyright © 1963 Linguistic Society of America

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References

1 From ‘General linguistics and its relevance to language teaching’ (mimeographed) by M. A. K. Halliday, a paper delivered to the Anglo-American Conference on Teaching English Abroad, at Jesus College, Cambridge, England (26 June to 1 July 1961).

2 I have had the benefit of many hours of discussion with Halliday during the preparation of this paper. In addition, Halliday, J. O. Ellis, J. McH. Sinclair, Angus Mcintosh, and J. N. Crossley have each read all or part of the final draft and made many valuable suggestions for improvement. A more detailed justification for the use of logical methods of this type in linguistics, and a statement of the general linguistic theory into which this theory of grammar will fit, is given in my Linguistic science and logic (The Hague, 1963). A full application of this theory of grammar to a specific language will be provided in An outline grammar of spoken English by Halliday and Sinclair, to be published shortly.

3 Halliday, Word 17.267.

4 A ξ-relation between an element of a structure and a term in a system is unique in that it can be correlated with a move on the rank scale (through examination of the units which are in exponence relation with this structure and this term) : see particularly formulae E-2, F-1, I-3, I-1, and I-2 below and compare with Halliday in Word 17.260.

5 For ‘register’ and ‘restricted language’ see The linguistic sciences and language teaching by M. A. K. Halliday, P. D. Strevens, and Angus Mcintosh (London, 1964), particularly Chapter 4; see also my article ‘On formal and contextual meaning’ (to appear in Acta linguistica for 1964).