Date of Award

2010

Thesis Type

Masters

Document Type

Dissertation

Divisions

Faculty of Languages and Linguistics

Institution

Universiti Malaya

Abstract

This study unveils inherent experiential meaning by utilising the framework of the System of Transitivity, a component of Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics in weblog interaction. The interactive feature of weblogs helps uncover the experiential meaning as the writers are uninhibited in penning their thoughts. The data for the study is from the Malaysian Prime Minister’s National Day Address posted on 30 August 2009 and the Comments received in response to it. The aim of the study is to uncover the perceptions of the Prime Minister and the Comment Writers on national unity, identity and nation building. The aim of the study is achieved. The analysis showed the prominent use of the material processes in the Address (n=50, 75.76%) and Comments (n=56, 38.10%) implying that both the Prime Minister and the Comment Writers are action oriented. A significant difference was in the higher percentage of mental processes in the Comments (n=28, 19.05%) than the Address (n=2, 3.03%) indicating the Comment Writers were ruled more by emotions than the Prime Minister. The participants associated with the material process also recorded the highest percentage in the Address (n=32, 28.57%) and Comments (n=81, 32.93%). The temporal circumstance is the dominant circumstantial element in the Address (n=11, 32.35%) while in the Comment, the Cause and Contingency with 15.66% each are prominent. The significance of the current study is to show that the System of Transitivity can be used to uncover inherent perceptions on issues. This may enable politicians and political analysts to discern the needs and wants of the citizenry. Educators and students will also benefit as they can study the undercurrents of weblog interactions. A more holistic view of the genre of weblogs and its role in nation building may be obtained through further exploration into this area of study using a larger corpus of data.

Initial

khm

Additional Information

Dissertation (M.A.) – Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya, 2010.

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