ABSTRACT
When we look at language from the point of view of the textual metafunction, we are trying to see how speakers construct their messages in a way which makes them fit smoothly into the unfolding language event (which may be a conversation, or a newspaper article, for example). As well as interacting with their listeners and saying something to them about the world, speakers constantly organize the way their message is worded in order to signal to them how the present part of their message fits in with other parts. To get an idea of this, look at the following example from a letter appealing for money for an organization that tries to prevent cruelty to animals:
You probably haven’t heard of the SOU before. That’s because we fight cruelty undercover.
