Ms. Tilsa Kunjumon, working under Dr. S B Rathna Kumar (Associate Professor, CALTS, Humanities) and Prof. Bhimrao Panda Bhosale (Retired Professor) has presented a research paper titled, “Space, Time, and Manner: A Systemic Functional Interpretation of the Circumstantial Elements in the Parable of the Good Samaritan” at the 33rd European Systemic Functional Linguistics Conference held on 10-12th July 2024 at the Politehnica University Timișoara, Romania. She was granted an IoE travel grant for the same.
Tilsa Kunjumon
Abstract of the paper:
The present research endeavours to analyse the circumstantial elements within the ‘Parable of the Good Samaritan’ through Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistic perspective. Halliday (1994) developed the functional framework with the explicit objective of constructing a grammar conducive to text analysis, capable of yielding coherent and insightful interpretations across diverse textual forms, whether spoken or written. In the framework of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), texts are understood to comprise three primary constituents when approached from an ideational perspective: Processes, Participants, and Circumstances. Circumstances, manifested
through circumstantial Adjuncts, serve to contextualize the process within a broader framework (Thompson, 2004). Circumstantial adjuncts are categorizable into distinct types, as delineated by Halliday (1994:150), encompassing facets such as place, manner, or cause, all of which contribute to an understanding of temporal or spatial occurrences. In English, nine types of circumstantial adjuncts can be discerned. This paper aims to analyse circumstantial elements within the Parable of the Good Samaritan from the Book of Luke. The study uses analytical, descriptive, qualitative, and quantitative methods for language analysis. While not overtly articulated, the Parable’s
underlying intent may be construed as an illustration of the ideals of neighbourliness and compassion, transcending social and cultural barriers. The text employs a variety of circumstantial adjuncts to furnish additional context and elucidate the depicted events and actions. Initial scrutiny of the text reveals temporal adjuncts, such as “meanwhile,” spatial adjuncts, exemplified by “alongside the road,” as well as causal and manner adjuncts.