Introduction to

British Structuralism
British structuralism, also known as the London School of Linguistics, was a
influential school of linguistic thought that emerged in the early 20th century,
shaping our understanding of language structure and function.
The London School of Linguistics
Key Figures
The London School was led by
prominent linguists such as J.R.
Firth and Michael Halliday, who
developed pioneering theories
on language and context.
Contextual Approach
This school emphasized the
study of language within its
broader social and cultural
contexts, challenging the
prevailing view of language as an
isolated system.
Influence
The London School's innovative
ideas had a lasting impact on
fields like systemic functional
linguistics, discourse analysis,
and linguistic anthropology.
Daniel Jones and the Phoneme
Phoneme Concept 1
Daniel Jones, a key figure in the London
School, introduced the concept of the
phoneme - the smallest distinctive sound 2 Phonemic Analysis
unit in a language. Jones pioneered phonemic analysis,
which focused on identifying the
contrastive sounds that distinguish one
Influence 3 word from another in a language.
Jones' work on phonemes laid the
foundation for modern phonology and
had a lasting impact on the study of
speech sounds.
J.R. Firth and Contextual Theory
1 Contextual Linguistics
Firth's influential theory emphasized the
importance of studying language within
its broader social and cultural context.
2 Collocation and Meaning
Firth proposed that the meaning of a
word is determined by its collocations -
the words that typically occur with it.

3 Language as a Social Construct

Firth viewed language as a social practice, shaped by the contexts and communities in
which it is used.
Bronislaw Malinowski and Linguistic
Anthropology
Ethnographic Approach Language as a Social Tool
Malinowski's influential fieldwork in the Malinowski viewed language as a means of
Trobriand Islands demonstrated the social interaction and a tool for
importance of studying language in its accomplishing practical tasks.
cultural context.

Functional Linguistics
Malinowski's ideas on the functional aspects of language influenced the development of
Systemic Functional Linguistics.
Michael A.K. Halliday and Systemic
Functional Linguistics
1 2 3

Functional Grammar Metafunctions Discourse Analysis

Halliday's Systemic Functional
Linguistics (SFL) viewed
language as a system of choices
for making meaning in social
contexts.
SFL identified three key
metafunctions of language:
ideational, interpersonal, and
textual, which shape the
structure and meaning of texts.
Halliday's approach to language
analysis has been influential in
the field of discourse analysis
and the study of language in
use.
Key Concepts and Principles

Phoneme Collocation Contextual Functional

Approach Linguistics
The smallest distinctive The words that typically
sound unit in a language. occur together, shaping Studying language Viewing language as a
meaning. within its broader social system of choices for
and cultural contexts. making meaning.
Influence and Legacy
Phoneme Analysis Foundational for modern phonology

Contextual Theory Shaped discourse analysis and the study of

language in use

Functional Linguistics Influential in fields like systemic functional

linguistics and linguistic anthropology

The ideas and approaches developed by the London School of Linguistics have had a lasting impact on the field
of linguistics, shaping our understanding of language as a complex, context-dependent system.