Types of process in English for specific purposes discourses from Systemic Functional Grammar perspective

Abstract

Process is an important concept in Systemic Functional Grammar theory. Types of process include material process, mental process, relational process, verbal process, existential process and behavioral process (Halliday [7]). In this article, we attempt to find out some significant   characteristics in the use of types of process in English for Specific Purposes discourses from Systemic Functional Grammar perspective. The findings show that all six types of process exist in the discourse studied. However, material process (52.38%), relational process (26.50%) and existential process (11.18%) are used densely and considered one characteristic of this kind of scientific discourse. The other types namely verbal process (4.35%), mental process (3.93%) and behavioral process (1.66%) make up a small portion in English for Specific Purposes discourse.