The School of Humanities, University of Hyderabad organised a special lecture titled “Invitation to Systemic Functional Linguistics: 25 years into the 21st century” on 7 March 2025 featuring a leading systemic linguist, Prof Christian MIM Matthiessen from the University of International Business and Economics, Beijing. The lecture was coordinated by the Centre for English Language Studies, School of humanities Held at the Conference Hall, School of Humanities at 3 pm, the lecture attracted a significant crowd consisting of faculty members from various departments, research scholars and postgraduate students.
The opening remarks were made by Dr. Sunita Mishra, HoD, Centre for English Language Studies (CELS) by welcoming the gathering. The speaker was introduced to the participants by Dr. Jasti Appa Swami, Assistant Professor (CELS by highlighting the seminal contributions made by the speaker, Prof. Matthiessen, to the field of language studies and his collaboration with M.A.K. Halliday, the chief proponent of SFL.
Through his lecture, Prof Matthiessen introduced the theory of systemic functional linguistics (SFL): its development, scope and future directions. He began the lecture by shedding light on his recent work and the contribution of Michael Halliday. He then talked about his recent lecture journey and his academic collaborations within and outside India. By drawing on the history of
generative linguistics he positioned SFL and traced its evolution. The lecture delved into the Hallidayan question of “How big is language?” to establish SFL as an appliable linguistics with immense meaning potential. The meticulous design of his multimodal slides incorporating visuals, audio and video along with texts was a refreshing experience to the participants. With the aid of an animated three-dimensional clip, he clarified the concept of language in context, both in terms of global and local semiotic dimensions. Prof. Matthiessen also made use of a family dinner table conversation to demonstrate choices in language through metafunctional analysis. As a treat to the participants, he also introduced a rap covering the essential aspects of functional grammar. While concluding the lecture he discussed upcoming projects and courses designed to encourage SFL enthusiasts.
With his expertise and inventive humour, Prof Matthiessen put the audience at ease throughout the lecture. The engaging presentation was followed by a discussion session where the teachers and students interacted with the content through questions and insights. At the end of the session, Dr. Sunita Mishra presented a token of appreciation to Prof. Matthiessen. Dr Joy Anuradha, Assistant professor (CELS), proposed a vote of thanks expressing gratitude to the chief speaker, organisers, participants and administration of the university.
Contributed by Ragasree, Doctoral Research Scholar, Center for English Language Studies, (CELS), School of Humanities.