Appraisal Theory

Judgement : resources for assessing behaviour according to various normative principles Appreciation : resources for construing the value of things, including natural phenomena and semiosis (as either product or process)
Affect is typically realised through:
White (2001):

mental processes of reaction attributive relationals of affect ideational metaphor, and realised as nouns
GRADUATION
FORCE… FOCUS…
Attitudes:
Attitude focuses on gradable resources for construing evaluation, comprising three regions of its own:
Affect : resources for construing emotional reactions
Questions:
What is the relationship between appraisal and negotiation?
Comments(1): the application of appraisal theory(AT) in discourse analysis
AT was first applied to analyse media discourse by White(1998) in his ph.D dissertation.
the kinds of attitudes that are negotiated in a text, (attitude) the strength of the feelings involved, (graduation) the ways in which values are sourced and readers aligned. (engagement)
Some questions and comments
The origins of appraisal theory
located within the framework of Systemic Functional Linguistics. the researchers’ starting point was the model of Tenor and the interpersonal provided by the established systemic literature.
interpersonal impact, force or volume of their utterances, (force)
2) by which they graduate (blur or sharpen)
the focus of their semantic categorisations. (focus)
Engagement:
system for adjusting a speaker’s commitment to what they are saying. includes options for both eliding and referencing dialogism in discourse.
The relationship between affect, judgment, and appreciation
judgment affect appreciation
Graduation:
Values by which 1) speakers graduate (raise or lower) the
Judgment
social sanction/ personal positive negative
the value of judgement is expressed through:
explicitly by a particular lexical choice – as skilfully, corruptly, lazily etc. more indirectly by what can be termed ‘tokens’ of judgement.
(Read Bakhtin)
Conclusion:
Three main appraisal systems:

Attitude
• Affect • Judgment • Appreciation

Amplification Source
Some comments on appraisal system
•
• •
• •
modalization (I bet, would) projection negation (Aunty Iris never thought, Jeff Kennet has said) counterexpectation (ever, even) restricted provenance (so-called, technically)
•
…etc.
Comments(2): the problems of appraisal theory in discourse analysis (Li, 2004)
the interpersonal nature of attitudes
contextual factors in distinguishing the appraisal categories the division of interpersonal and ideational meaning the relationship between appraisal and genre
• •
monogloss heterogloss
Engagement: sources of attitudes
monogloss
ENGAGEMENT
heterogloss
PROJECTION… MODALITY… CONCESSION…
monogloss construes a proposition or proposal baldly, with no referencing to sources or alternative positions heterogloss opens things up in various ways via:
Now, it is applied in other aspects, e.g.:
• • • •
•
Eggins& Slade (1997): in casual conversation Kö ner(2000): in dialogues in common law judgments Hood(2004): in academic writing Li (2004): in commercial, history and autobiographical discourse Martin(2004): in editorial
composition valuation positive negative
balance
complexity
Values of appreciation may focus on:
the compositional qualities of the evaluated entity the aesthetically-related reaction with which the entity is associated
Martin & Rose (2003: 58): qualities, processes, comments (?)
Judgment: judging people’s character
normality
social esteem/ personal capacity tenacity veracity propriety
e.g. slightly, somewhat, very, completely
focus: sharpening or blurring of category boundaries
e.g. I was feeling kind’v woozy, they effectively signed
his death warrant; a true friend, pure folly
To get more information about this ‘tokens’ of judgment, see White (articles on the internet).
Appreciation: appreciating things
reaction
impact
quality
Appreciation
Appraisal:
negotiating attitudes
presenter: 陈n of appraisal theory
Origins of appraisal Appraisal system

• Attitude • Graduation • Engagement
Behavioral surge or mental disposition
Reaction to other or undirected mood Three degrees of intensity: low, median, high Realis or irrealis? In/security, dis/satisfaction, or un/happiness