Systemic Functional Linguistics to stylistics Analysis of Beloved novel by Toni Morrison
Hadher Hussein Abood
University of Samarra
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25130/Lang.8.11.20
Keywords: SFL, Nominalization, IGM, Stylistic, Beloved, racism
Abstract
This paper examines the stylistic effects of nominalization, a form of ideational grammatical metaphor (IGM), in Toni Morrison's novel Beloved. It employs Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) by Halliday and Matthiessen as the analytical framework. The aims are to identify the types of processes, participant roles, and circumstances used in the story based on the transitivity system, and to connect the author's choice of these elements to her personal experiences and the message she conveys about slavery and racism in America. The methodology involves analyzing the first chapter of Beloved to identify instances of nominalization and their metaphorical nature, comparing metaphorical wording with its possible congruent wording to understand the impact, and calculating the frequency of IGMs while classifying process types according to the transitivity system. The findings reveal numerous examples of nominalization in the first chapter, with Morrison achieving a more abstract, formal, and objective tone through nominalizing processes, particularly verbs turned into nouns. This also leads to the condensation of information, increased focus on concepts rather than actions, a more vivid and expressive style, and a means to comment on historical and ideological messages. The paper demonstrates how Morrison's use of IGM through nominalization contributes significantly to the stylistic effects and thematic concerns of Beloved, strengthening the novel's ability to convey the struggles and experiences of Black Americans in a context of slavery and racism.
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