Take-home Test

Identify field, tenor and mode of discourse by analyzing the relevant meanings in the
following texts. Choose EITHER Text 1 OR Text 2.

I have chosen to analyse text number one.

Text 1
Meanwhile, brutal heat waves that can kill tens of thousands of people, even in wealthy
countries, would become entirely unremarkable summer events on every continent but
Antarctica. The heat would also cause staple crops to suffer dramatic yield losses across
the globe (it is possible that Indian wheat and US corn could plummet by as much as
60%), this at a time when demand will be surging due to population growth and a
growing demand for meat. When you add ruinous hurricanes, raging wildfires, fisheries
collapses, widespread disruptions to water supplies, extinctions, and globe-trotting
diseases to the mix, it indeed becomes difficult to imagine that a peaceful, ordered
society could be sustained (that is, where such a thing exists in the first place). Living with
this kind of cognitive dissonance is simply part of being alive in this jarring moment in the
history, when a crisis we have been studiously ignoring is hitting us in the face and yet
we are doubling down on the stuff that is causing the crisis in the first place.

Analysis
To make the analysis, I have divided the text into three phases.
Analysis of Field
Regarding the type of activity to which the text corresponds, we can identify two. On the
one hand, the broad institution, which is represented by the world of scientific research.
On the other hand, the actual field corresponds to an extract from an article of a scientific
journal, which deals with the impact of environmental phenomena on actual human
society.

The type of activity is specific due to the fact it is a description of environmental problems
hitting human societies in a specific moment in history, interpreted to be actual time, and
the responsibility of these societies on their generation. It is also non-activity structured.

Phase one

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Meanwhile, brutal heat waves that can kill tens of thousands of people, even in wealthy
countries, would become entirely unremarkable summer events on every continent but
Antarctica. The heat would also cause staple crops to suffer dramatic yield losses across
the globe (it is possible that Indian wheat and US corn could plummet by as much as 60%),
this at a time when demand will be surging due to population growth and a growing
demand for meat.

Regarding processes, we can find a high degree of material processes kill, cause,
plummet and surge in comparison to just two relational processes become and is. In
all these cases, save one, the main participants are abstract entities (general class of
phenomena) so the focus is on them: brutal heat waves and the heat, which convey a
type of environmental problem (global warming), demand, which is an abstract word, and
it that Indian wheat and US corn could plummet by as much as 60%, which conveys an
idea. The exception corresponds to the phrases Indian wheat and US corn, which depict
concrete entities. The fact that the participants are inanimate makes this phase
dehumanized.

The effect produced by the use of material processes is that of dynamism. Although
descriptions tend to be made by means of relational and existential processes, here they
are represented through outer experience. The attribution of agency to the
environmental problems and its consequences the surge of demand and the
plummeting of Indian wheat and US corn serve to define them in terms of the way
they affect human society, while the only relevant use of a relational process
became serves to describe the environmental problem brutal heat waves in
terms of what it will never do, assigning to it a passive role. Giving agency to the problem
and its effects serve to emphasize and call attention to the impact that they have on
society as this impact is a process taking place, happening, moving.

Phase two
When you add ruinous hurricanes, raging wildfires, fisheries collapses, widespread
disruptions to water supplies, extinctions, and globe-trotting diseases to the mix, it indeed
becomes difficult to imagine that a peaceful, ordered society could be sustained (that is,
where such a thing exists in the first place).

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As regard processes, we can find three different ones material, relational and
existential. Nevertheless, the feeling is that the relational process is foregrounded. The
main participant is constituted by an abstract entity an idea. This idea is based on the
fact that, if people in society take into account other types of environmental phenomena,
the actual state of affairs seems to worsen. Indeed, the focus is on the situation being
more complex than it seems. The use of the relational process serves to convey a
generalization. This phase has a combination of animate and inanimate participants, the
latter being foregrounded.

It is interesting to point out that, although the relational process prevails in this part of
the text, one can feel that the elements added to the list of climatic problems
hurricanes wildfires, collapses, disruptions to water supplies, extinctions and diseases
are described in terms of an active role (what derives from some aspects of written
mode), an aspect that constitutes a factor that foregrounds these inanimate participants
in this phase, even though in the clause they are assigned the role of goal by the verb
add.

Phase three
Living with this kind of cognitive dissonance is simply part of being alive in this jarring
moment in the history, when a crisis we have been studiously ignoring is hitting us in the
face and yet we are doubling down on the stuff that is causing the crisis in the first
place.

Regarding processes, we can find a high degree of material processes hit, double down
on, cause and ignore -, and just one instance of relational process (is). In all these cases,
the participants are abstract entities used to make generalisations Living with this kind
of cognitive dissonance (abstract idea), crisis (abstract entity although it serves to identify
a specific object, conveyed by the climatic phenomena and their impact) and we
(pronoun of general reference). In this phase, there is a combination of animate and
inanimate elements, where the afore has a more agentive role.

Once again, the effect of the use of material processes is that of an imprint of dynamism
on outer experience the description of a general state of affairs. Nevertheless, in this
phase, not only does the writer assign agency to the crisis and its impact, but also to
people in society. Since people in society are conveyed as actors, the effect is that they

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are to blame for all the climatic problems, as they are doing their part to contribute to the
never-ending situation.

The relational process (introduced by the verb is) serves to make a generalisation a
description of the current state of affairs, a static situation which is the result the
consequence of a series of doings/happenings conveyed by the material processes, in a
network of cause-effect reactions.

One can feel that, in field, there is a progression of the focus on main participants and
ideas. In phase 1, the relevant element is brutal heat waves/the heat, which are assigned
agency through material processes. Phase 2 serves as a transition from the focus in phase
1 towards the focus in phase 3. It starts following the line of the problems caused by
climatic phenomena just to end with a generalisation introduced by the relational process
(become), which extends up to the beginning of phase 3 (through another relational
process is) and gives place to a sequence of material process which serve to depict the
reasons of the problems, again, in a network of cause-effect reactions.

Analysis of Tenor
The interpersonal meaning is conveyed by means of statements. The use of these
statements does not give room to contradiction explicitly, as it is not the expected
response. The writer of the text expects acknowledgement (non-intervention) on the part
of the reader. In this sense, the status is unequal, as the writer is dominant and expects
the interlocutor to defer. Regarding solidarity, it is close due to the use of the pronoun
you which is impersonal as it addresses all the readers in general and we/ us
which refers to the writer and all of his interlocutors (as it embraces all of them), in an
attempt to convince/persuade them to share his view by means of creating an
atmosphere of closeness and expressing something like Look! This is affecting to all of
us; we are all involved and it is our fault as society!

Phase one
Meanwhile, brutal heat waves that can kill tens of thousands of people, even in wealthy
countries, would become entirely unremarkable summer events on every continent but
Antarctica. The heat would also cause staple crops to suffer dramatic yield losses across
the globe (it is possible that Indian wheat and US corn could plummet by as much as 60%),

4
this at a time when demand will be surging due to population growth and a growing
demand for meat.

The expression of attitude which prevails in this phase is appreciation. The writer makes
great emphasis on his ideas by means of valuing the object in itself. Practically, all the
instances of appreciation are all direct and negative, and are accompanied by graduation
in virtue of being attitudinal lexis (force, used to turn the volume up of something):
brutal, dramatic and plummet. There are also other forms of expression of appreciation,
found in the adjective unremarkable and the clause the heat would also cause staple
crops to suffer dramatic yield losses. In the case of the afore, appreciation is direct and
negative but does not involve graduation, while in the case of the latter, the kind of
appreciation is negative and indirect, since the heat is being described in terms of its
actions. We can also find another form of graduation, specifically force, in the intensifier
entirely, which serves to turn the volume up of the adjective unremarkable.

By defining the thing in itself, the writer conveys the idea of expressing himself more
objectively, of being a reliable source something which he would not have achieved by
means of affect because he bases his arguments on facts. By defining the value of the
object, the writer leaves aside any expression which could convey his opinions in a more
openly subjective manner.

Phase two
When you add ruinous hurricanes, raging wildfires, fisheries collapses, widespread
disruptions to water supplies, extinctions, and globe-trotting diseases to the mix, it indeed
becomes difficult to imagine that a peaceful, ordered society could be sustained (that is,
where such a thing exists in the first place).

Once more, the expression of attitude which prevails in this phase is appreciation. The
writer makes great emphasis on his ideas by means of valuing the object in itself. The
instances of appreciation ruinous, raging, collapses, diseases, disruptions,
globe-trotting, extinctions and it indeed becomes difficult to imagine are all negative
and direct. There are some cases of graduation in the form of: a) force (attitudinal lexis)
encoded in expressions conveying appreciation (ruinous, raging, and globe-trotting). This
kind of force is the prevailing one; b) force conveyed through intensifiers (indeed, which
serves to reinforce the idea as a whole and contradict another idea, which seems not to

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be present in the extract from the article), and c) focus, directed to sharpen the noun
thing, seen in the modifier such a.

It has already been said that regarding field, relational processes prevail so that the idea
of imagining how a peaceful, ordered society could be sustained is foregrounded. To
achieve this aim, one should add to tenor the effect produced by amplification seen in the
enumeration of environmental phenomena, which also are amplified by means of
attitudinal lexis (force). At the same time, the idea of how to sustain such a society
receives another instance of amplification through the adverb indeed. In conclusion, it can
be stated that amplification plays an important role in this phase. Not only does the
writer express his opinions objectively, leaving aside any expression which could convey
his ideas in a more subjective way, but he also exploits to the full the use of amplification
resources to give his ideas more weight and consistency by means of oversizing the
dimension of the state of affairs and, in this way, to persuade his interlocutors to share
his views, by saying indirectly Look! The actual state of affairs is far from what you think!
It is worse than it seems, so we should not undermine it!

We can also find two other instances of attitude employed by the writer to suit his aims.
These two instances are those of direct positive judgement (admiration) conveyed in the
adjectives peaceful and ordered, both of which are used to describe society. This kind of
judgement, in this case, serves to indirectly convey the idea that the society to which the
writer belongs is indeed not that peaceful and ordered, idea reinforced by the
parenthetical comment.

Phase three
Living with this kind of cognitive dissonance is simply part of being alive in this jarring
moment in the history, when a crisis we have been studiously ignoring is hitting us in the
face and yet we are doubling down on the stuff that is causing the crisis in the first
place.

As regards expressions of attitude, it can be observed that there is prevalence of

judgement. In all these instances, the idea is based on condemning (negative judgement)
society. The expressions conveying this kind of attitude are: dissonance, which (indirectly)
implies that people in society do not live in an established order, idea reinforcing the
instances of judgement in phase 2; studiously ignoring and doubling down on, which are

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directly judging the actions of people as a contribution to environmental problems. In the
case of double down on, one can feel that it depicts a pinch of irony. Through judgement,
the writer lays the blame on society, leaving aside any expression conveying his ideas in
an openly subjective way.

There are also instances of appreciation, which are not foregrounded: jarring, which
directly describes the word moment in a negative way and also relates to the noun
dissonance; cognitive, which describes the noun dissonance in an direct way and earns a
negative connotation through the context, and the metaphor hitting us in the face, which
serves to describe crisis by means of its actions in a direct, negative way.

There are a few instances of amplification, such as the metaphor (which oversizes the
dimension of the actions carried out by the crisis) and the use of the adverb simply
could be interpreted in an ironic way even if focus serves to soften ideas, in the context
of phase 3, it could be said that it does not function that way. The effect of irony is clearly
seen in the use of apposition (when a crisis we have been studiously ignoring is hitting us
in the first place) and enumeration (amplification) introduced by the conjunction and,
which is followed by the adversative conjunction yet, element which assigns an
adversative meaning to and. In this way, the meaning of the idea introduced by this
conjunction is that of opposition, since the writer emphasizes that, even though climatic
problems are affecting society deeply, nothing is done to reverse the situation, which is
indeed the result of human actions. This means that indeed the writer wants to convey
the idea that living with that dissonance is not simply a situation which is the
consequence of having been born in a certain moment in history, but the result of a
certain sequence of actions carried out by society itself.

Other forms of amplification can be seen in the repetition of the word crisis. This is so to
emphasize that the moment through which society is passing indeed is a crisis, and so the
writer implies that it is not perceived as such and, due to that, nothing is done to reverse
the current state of affairs.

Analysis of Mode
As it can be seen, there is a high degree of indexes of writteness; for this reason, this text
is considered to be a written text.

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It constitutes a text whose organization is monologic by virtue of there being just one
speaker (the writer), i.e., it is a non-interactive text. As well as this, it is context
independent since it does not depend on extralinguistic features the context of
situation can be reconstructed easily by the internal structure and content of the text ,
and is presented with a synoptic structure, as a product which sticks to a number of
conventions and which is not negotiated as the interaction goes along since it follows a
certain pattern (rhetorical staging).

We can consider this text to be a final draft, a product which has been polished before its
final version, as we can not find indications of earlier drafts.

As well as this, there are some instances of the use of prestige lexis (low-frequency lexical
items), such as ruinous, sustained, dissonance, population, losses, collapses, disruptions,
globe and studiously, which make their contribution to lexical density since they convey a
lot of lexical information. The text is constructed by means of standard grammar. We can
also find grammatical simplicity, as this version possesses fewer clauses in comparison to
a possible spoken one. Furthermore, it can be observed that there is a great number of
nouns and nominal complexes some of them are modified by premodifiers and
postmodifiers which convey a lot of lexical information and so contribute to lexical
density. Among the examples are the phrases brutal heat waves, staple crops, Indian
wheat and US corn. In many cases, the nominal complexes are the result of
nominalization the addition of nouness to entities which are not nouns but need to
behave like them in order to gain their appropriate status in the thematic and information
structure. Examples are the clause Living with this kind of cognitive dissonance (which
needs the status of noun to function as subject of the sentence to which it belongs) and
the grammatical metaphors found in the phrases summer events, dramatic yield losses,
population growth, growing demand for meat, fisheries collapses, widespread disruptions
to water supplies and extinctions all these cases involve nominalisation of a verb ,
and growing demand for meat, ruinous hurricanes, raging wildfires and globe-trotting
diseases, all of which are cases of adjectivisation. As well we can observe an instance of
reformulation (that is), which does not belong to spontaneous phenomena, characteristic
of spoken language.

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To finish, we can also find indexes of spokeness which contribute to soften the lexical
density of the text: everyday lexis, which do not have much meaning in themselves
because they are high-frequency items (stuff, moment, difficult, thing, add, mix, people,
meat and face), the use of the general-reference pronouns you and we/us, which are
related to the concept of close solidarity (tenor), and of referential it and, finally, the fact
that this text is a fragment of the original one, which relates to the concept of
open-endedness.