Literacy in Australia

Abstract

This discussion will focus upon English literacy research which draws upon systemic functional linguistic theory. Over the last ten to fifteen years, a significant number of applied linguists and language educators have emerged in Australia who use systemic functional linguistic theory to address a wide range of research questions. Their effort has been stimulated by the scholarly leadership of Halliday (e.g., 1985a), who took up the Chair of Linguistics at Sydney University in the late 1970s, as well as that of colleagues and former students of his, including Hasan (e.g., Halliday and Hasan 1985) and Martin (e.g., 1985a). The group of scholars who have emerged have contributed to the development of a rich tradition of research and teaching in English literacy in both first and second language contexts. Such a tradition offers the prospect of an educational linguistics of value both to researchers and teachers. More than one tradition of linguistic research might well contribute to the development of an educational linguistics. However, it is the particular claims and contributions of systemic functional linguistic theory that are argued for here.