Applying Systemic Functional Linguistics to Bahasa Indonesia Clauses

Abstract

Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) concerns the three metafunction meanings: clause as message, clause as exchange, and clause as representation. This article tries to apply the metafunctions based on SFL to Bahasa Indonesia clauses. The points of this paper are only two kinds of metafunctions could be applied to Bahasa Indonesia clauses: clause as message and clause as representation. The clause as exchange, according to the present writer, could not be applied to Bahasa Indonesia clauses since Bahasa Indonesia has no finite concept. The present writer found the word ‘there’ in English is equivalent to the word ‘ada’ in Bahasa Indonesia. Both of the words have no representational function; they are required because of the need for a subject in English.