Abstracts - Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa

JAMES R. MARTIN, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY, AUSTRALIAMODELLING CONTEXT: MATTER AS MEANINGHistorically speaking SFL has emphasised the importance of language and context,raising the issue of what context actually means and how we model it. In this paperI'll review two of the main ways in which systemic linguists have tackled this problem- i. by developing connotative semiotic systems as models of social context; andii. by developing descriptions of modalities of communication other than languageas semiotic systems. In a sense this can be read as an research effort directed ateliminating context from the model by reinterpreting it as meaning. The achievementsand limitations of this exercise will be critically reviewed, focussing on the attendantissues of disciplinarity and materiality.ReferencesMartin, J R & D Rose 2007 Working with Discourse: meaning beyond the clause (2ndedition). London: Continuum.Martin, J R & D Rose 2008 Genre Relations: mapping culture. London: Equinox.Keywords: context, register, genre, multimodality, disciplinarity, semioticPLENARY SESSION N.1 - MONDAY, 25 JULY, 9:15-10:40ISFC38 Book of Abstracts Page 7 Lisbon, July 2011