System of Appraisal

Appraisal

Appraisal
Concerned with the interpersonal in language It is concerned with how the writers approve and disapprove, praise and condemn and how they position readers to do likewise. How they align or disalign with potential respondents

 George W. Bush delivered his inaugural speech as the United States President who collected 537,000 fewer votes than his opponent. Without the intervention of a partisan, right-wing Supreme Court to ensure the election of a Republican, Mr Bush would now be a forgotten loser. The Observer considers his election an affront to the democratic principle with incalculable consequences for America and the world. Mr Bush's inaugural attempt to assert his brand of one-nation, compassionate conservatism is bluster and hogwash. He has acted from the moment Al Gore conceded as if he had won a wholehearted mandate. But the Bush cabinet is neither centrist nor compassionate. In home affairs, it is brutalist and reactionary - for tax cuts overtly biased towards the rich, against the protection of consumers, workers and the environment. In overseas affairs, Mr Bush has appointed Cold War warriors from his father's era who do not appreciate the nuances of a transformed international environment. (The Observer, Jan 21, 2001 - leader page)

Attitude
Attitude

utterances which can be interpreted as indicating that some person, thing, situation, action, event or state of affairs is to be viewed either positively or negatively.

Attitude
involves three semantic regions :emotion, ethics and aesthetics. affect= expressing emotion, peoples feelings Judgment= judging character Appreciation= valuing the worth of things

Affect
evaluation by means of the writer/speaker indicating how they are emotionally disposed to the person, thing
In discourse, people express their feelings in two ways: 1. People may have good or bad feelings, therefore, affect can be positive or negative Ex: So this meant the grieving (-) took place again. We were ecstatic ()

Affect: direct v/s implied

2. People may express their feelings directly, or we can infer how people feel indirectly so affect can be expressed directly (inscribed) or implied (invoked) Ex: He became very quiet. Withdrawn. Sometimes he shaked uncontrollably. I realized he was drinking too much.

 Note: Interpersonal meanings have an accumulative effect over a stage or phase of discourse and tend to sprawl and color a passage of discourse prosody of attitude

Types of Affect: Dis/inclination

Types of Affect:Un/happiness

Types of Affect: In/security

Types of Affect: Dis/satisfaction

Judgment
Judgment: deals with attitudes towards behaviour, which we admire or criticise, praise or condemn. Judgment can be positive or negative

direct or implied

Kinds of Judgment
1. Personal Judgments

Positive:judgments of admiration

Negative: judgments of criticism

Personal Judgment: positive and negative

Personal Judgment
A) Positive: i. Direct: Ex: energetic, intelligent, popular ii. Implied: Ex: he was working in a top company

B) Negative: i. Direct: Ex: wasted, fool, arrogant

ii. Implied: Ex: But you dare not admit

openly

Moral Judgment: positive and negative

Positive: praising Ex: have the guts, sacrifice (direct) I envy and respect the people of the struggle (implied) Negative: condemning Ex: Inhumane, murder (direct) permanent removal from society

Moral judgment

Moral Judgment

Appreciation: attitudes toward things

i. Positive: Ex. An extremely happy marriage

Appreciation

ii. Negative: Ex. Abnormal life, hell iii. Direct: Ex. Unsuccesful marriage iv. Implied: Ex. We was bought like a market. We was all lined up in white dresses, and they'd come round and pick you out like you was for sale

Graduation: Amplifying attitudes

Appraisal

Graduation: amplifying attitudes

Attitudes are gradable: we can say how strongly we feel about something or someone Ex. Extremely intelligent sharply intelligent really intelligent quite intelligent fairly intelligent somewhat intelligent
High grading

Low grading

Graduation: force:
Words that amplify the force of attitudes Ex. A very serious issue Force: -intensifiers (very, extremely) - quantity (all, several, some) - manner degree (frantically, uncontrollably, excitedly - modality (must, would, might) - attitudinal lexis (bewildered, torn to pieces, shrieks - metaphor (ice cold, pearl-white teeth)

Engagement: source of attitudes

Appraisal

Projection

Heteroglossia: different voices

Projection: In discourse we can quote or report what people say or think.
Ex. He says: He and three of our friends have been promoted. We are moving to a special unit

Projection is the relation between he says and what he says

He says He and three of our friends have been promoted. We are moving to a special unit

Projection
Projections may: A) quote: the exact words that someone said with speech mark B) report: the general meaning that was said

Alongside with quoting and reporting sayings, we can quote and report what we feel and think
I realized he was drinking too much I know where everything began I wish I could wipe his troubles again

Modality

Modality
Modality: resource which sets up a semantic space between yes and no, a cline running between positive and negative poles Do it You must do it You should do it You could do it Dont do it
positive

negative

Modality
Probability: must certainly be I dont think its possible

Obligation: you must do this she should

Modality resources
Usuality: sometimes, often, always

Negation: no, not dont

Concession

Concession
Concession: counterexpectancy Conjunction: but even if at least