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ةصخلا
72
A Systemic-Functional Analysis of Religious Texts
with Reference to the Epistle of 'James'
By
Asst. Lecturer
Hani Kamil N'eima Al-Ebadi
University of Thi-Qar
College of Education for Humanities
Department of English
1. Introduction
Communication is an interactive process by means of language
delivering messages among interlocutors. Since communication exists
among interlocutors, it is inevitably influenced by factors related to them
such as their attitudes, ideas, and social status and so on. Since language
encompasses grammatical structures, which perform different meanings and
functions, it is significant to study language in terms of grammar and
meaning. One of the linguistic approaches to language in terms of grammar
and meaning is Systemic-Functional Grammar (henceforth SFG), initiated
by Halliday (1971). It concentrates on investigating the functions of
grammatical structures and their functions in the social context (Lock, 1996:
1). SFG encompasses three metafunctions or meanings: ideational,
interpersonal and textual. The ideational meaning or metafunction
(henceforth IM), the only concern of this study, consists of three
components: process type, participants and circumstances. These
components are called 'Transitivity System' (ibid.).
This study inquires the extent to which James employs the elements of
transitivity in transferring his experience of the world and their interaction in
the process of transferring this experience to his addresses. It aims at
analyzing the elements of transitivity in the religious text and to state their
functions and interaction in conveying the IM of James. This paper
hypothesizes that the elements of transitivity, as the theory of SFG declares,
play a significant role in transferring the IM in the religious text. To test the
validity of the aforementioned hypothesis, the researcher analyzes the 'First
Chapter of the Epistle James' as one component of King James (2001), Holy
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Bible (New Testament), as a sample of data. Besides, an eclectic systemic
functional model of analysis is used depending on several linguists including
Halliday (1978), Halliday and Mattiessen (1994) and others. The used
statistical tool for calculating the frequency of occurrence of the elements of
transitivity is the percentage equation. The study reaches at a number of
conclusions which prove the hypotheses of the study.
2. Systemic Functional Grammar
SFG is a framework for describing and modeling language in
functional rather than formal terms. The theory is functional in the sense that
language is interpreted as a resource for making meaning, and that
descriptions are based on extensive analyses of written and spoken texts.
The theory is also systemic in that it models language as a system of choices.
That is, it is concerned with the grammatical patterns and lexical items used
in a text, as well as choices of those items, focusing on the development of
grammatical systems as a means for people to interact with each other
(Martin et al., 1997: 1). White (2000: 3) states that SFG can be used to
detail the grammar of language as used within social situations and it
realizes three metafunctions including 'ideational, interpersonal and textual'.
These metafunctons are utilized to explore the structures of wording within
context and patterns.
2.1 Ideational Metafunction (IM)
As far as IM is concerned, it is through this function that the speaker
or writer embodies in language his experience of the phenomena of the real
world. In addition, it includes his experience of the internal world of his own
consciousness: his reactions, cognitions, and perceptions, and his linguistic
acts of speaking and understanding (Halliday, 1971: 332).
Butt et al., (2003: 29) mention that Halliday develops a systematic
approach called the rank scale as the best way to describe how the system of
language works to demonstrate how clauses can be joined together or taken
apart. At each rank the units are made up of one or more units from the rank
below. Butt et al. (ibid.: 42) state that the rank scale "opens up the structure
of the English clause allowing us to examine comprehensively and
systematically how the parts of a clause are organized". By labeling the
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constituent parts of a clause by their function the organizational patterns of
words can be described and the potential meaning revealed at each rank.
Post (2008: 4) says that, within SFG, 'the clause' is the main constituent by
which language is communicated.
2.2 Transitivity System
Halliday and Mattiessen (1994: 102- 37) state that experiential
meanings are accounted for in clauses by 'the transitivity system'. Eggins
(1994: 229) mentions that 'transitivity system' concerns itself with describing
three aspects of the clause: process, participants and circumstances.
2.2.1 Process
Process is realized by the verbal group of the clause. In the transitivity
system, the process is seen central while participants and circumstances are
incumbent upon the process (Graber, 2001: 13). The transitivity system
includes six processes: material (MP), relational (RP), mental (MnP), verbal
process (VP) behavioral (BP) and existential (EP).
MPs are processes of 'doing'. They are usually indicated by a verb
expressing an action, whether concrete or abstract. They have an obligatory
participant, an actor, which is the doer of the action and a goal which is the
entity to which the process is extended or directed (ibid.: 15-6). The actor is
comparable to the subject whereas the goal is comparable to the object and
both are usually realized by noun phrases. Beneficiary: is the one to whom
or for whom the Process is said to take place (ibid.). There are two kinds of
beneficiary. Those are Recipient and Client. Recipient is the one to whom
goods are given. Client is the one for whom services are provided (ibid.).
The following examples illustrate:
1. They build an apartment.
2. I sold the car to John.
3. They threw a farewell party for Jane.
In example (1), they refers to the actor, the verb build indicates the process
of doing, and an apartment refers to the goal. In example (2), the pronoun I
is the actor, the verb sold refers to the process of doing, the car is the goal
while to John is the recipient. In example (3), the pronoun they is the actor,
the verb threw indicates the process of doing, a farewell party is the goal and
for Jane is the client.
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RPs are those of 'being'. They are divided into two modes: attributive
relation and identifying relation. The first means what properties an object
possesses or what category it can be put into. The second means that an
entity; yet, another one is uniform. RPs are used widely in describing people
and objects. In addition to the distinction between attributive and identifying
RPs whether attributive or identifying, can also be differentiated into
intensive, circumstantial and possessive RPs. Intensive processes are those
in which sameness is posited between the two terms of the relationship.
Circumstantial processes are those in which a circumstantial element is
attributed or used to identify a participant. Possessive ones are those in
which the relationship between the two terms is one of possession (ibid.). In
attributive process, the participants are Carrier and Attribute. Carrier is the
entity that ‘carries’ the attribute. Attribute is the quality assigned toward the
carrier. In identifying process, the participants are Token and Value. Token
is the identified or the entity to which an identity is addressed while Value is
the identifier or the identity attached toward the identified. The following
instances state:
4. Yasmin is a good swimmer.
5. Lionel Messi may be the finest living football player
In example (4), Yasmin is the carrier, the verb is indicates an attributive
intensive process and a good swimmer is the attribute. In example (5), Lionel
Messi is the token, the verb phrase may be indicates the identifying process
while the finest living football player is value
MnPs are processes of 'feeling, thinking and seeing'. The actor is not
the real subject of doing, but of feeling. It represents inner experience, such
as 'perception', 'reaction' and 'cognition'. MnPs have two participants: senser
and phenomenon (ibid.). The senser is the conscious being who is involved
in a mental process by feeling, thinking, or perceiving. The phenomenon is
the entity or thing which is felt, thought, or perceived by the conscious
senser (Eggins, 1994: 242). T he following example illustrates:
6. He heard a faint sound.
In example (6), the pronoun he is the senser, the verb heard expresses a
mental processes, and the noun phrase a faint sound is the phenomenon.
VPs are those of exchanging information. Commonly the used verbs
are 'say, tell, talk, praise, boast, describe', etc. In these processes the main
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participants are sayer, receiver and verbiage (Graber, 2001: 16). The sayer is
the participant who is speaking. The receiver is the addressee to whom the
process is directed. The verbiage is what is said (ibid.). Consider the
following example:
7. John told Jenny a rude joke.
In example (7), John is the sayer, the verb told expresses the verbal process,
Jenny is the receiver, and a rude joke is the verbiage.
BPs refer to physiological and psychological behavior such as
'breathing, coughing, smiling, laughing, crying, staring, and dreaming', etc.
Generally, there is only one participant, 'Behaver', which is often a human.
This kind of processes is much like the MnP. BP may sometimes be hardly
distinguished from a MP that has only one participant. This depends on
whether the activity concerned is physiological or psychological. When BP
has two participants, it is taken as MP (Hu Zhuanglin, 1988: 24). The
following example states:
8. He snores loudly.
In example (8), the pronoun he is the only participant 'behaver'.
EPs represent that something exists or happens. In every existential
process, there is only one participant, the existent (ibid.). The following
example illustrates:
9. There’s a book on the table.
In the above example, there's indicates the existential process, a book is the
existent and on the table is the circumstance.
2.2.2 Participants
Participants in the clause refer to the roles of entities that are directly
involved in the process. They are the ones who do, behave or say, together
with the passive ones that are done to, said to, etc. The participants are not
necessarily humans or even animate; the term 'participant entities' would be
more accurate (Halliday, 1976: 160). The participant entities are normally
realized by noun phrases in the clause. The classification of participants has
been clarified through the treatment of types of processes above.
2.2.3 Circumstances
Circumstances describe background information for processes within
the clause, such as time, place and manner. They are realized by adverbial
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groups, prepositional phrases and by occasional nominal groups acting as
adverbs (White, 2000: 121). Halliday and Mattiessen (1994:262- 75)
propose a number of circumstances including: 'Extent, Location, Manner,
Cause, Contingency, Accompaniment, Role, Matter and Angle. Some of
these circumstantial meanings have submeanings. For example, 'extent' has
duration (temporal) and distance (spatial). Location has time (temporal) and
place (spatial), manner has 'means, quality, degree and comparison' while
cause has reason, purpose and behalf. Besides, there are three subcategories
of contingency: Condition, Concession and Default and two categories of
Role: Guise and Product.
3. Transitivity System in Religious Texts
3.1 Data Collection and Description
The researcher analyzes religious data. It is taken from the Holy Bible,
the epistle 'James' which contain five chapters. Because it has not been
investigated before, the researcher analyzes the first chapter of the epistle as
a representative the whole biblical epistle. The adopted version of the Holy
Bible (New Testament) is King James' (2001).
This epistle was written to the Christians who were suffering in
association with their relatives from the depression that harassed against
them by the Romans (Adi, 2008: 3). As a whole, this epistle has the purpose
of activating those Christian believers to keep their faith in Jesus and to obey
his instructions when having difficulties. Moreover, it aims at reforming the
defect that has occurred in Christians' beliefs because of Romans'
depression. The achievement of these purposes entails serious and hard work
on the part of the addressees (ibid.).
Concerning the Biblical Chapter under investigation, it contains (44)
processes in (27) verses. It approaches five main items. From verses (2-4),
James states for his addressees the necessity of patience when they have
difficulties. Verses (5-8) helm the addressees to demand the divine wisdom.
Verses (9-11) egg the addressees on humility. From (12-18) verses, James
shows the beatitude of those who tolerate and succeed in tribulations and
difficulties. Finally, throughout verses (19-27) James states some duties that
believers have to obey (ibid.).
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3.2 Method of Analysis
The selected data have been analyzed according to the eclectic model
that has been stated in the previous section. The process of analysis is
divided into process types, participants and circumstances. Process types
include 'material, relational, mental, verbal, behavioral and existential'.
Participants cover 'actor, goal, recipient, client, carrier, attribute, token,
value, senser, phenomenon, sayer, receiver, verbiage, behaver and existent'.
Circumstances may involve 'Extent, Location, Manner, Cause, Contingency,
Accompaniment, Role, Matter and Angle'.
The frequency of process types, participants and circumstances has
been counted statistically in order to find out their frequency in the selected
text. The mathematical statistical tool that has been used for calculating the
results of the analysis is the percentage equation. The following figure
shows this model.
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Figure (1): Shows the Model of Analysis
Transitivity System
Process type
Participants
Circumstances
Material
Relational
Mental
Verbal
Existential
Behavioral
Behaver
Senser
sayer
Receiver
Verbiage
Token
Value
Recipient
Goal
Actor
Client
Carrier
Attribute
Accompaniment
Phenomenon
Existent
Contingency
Cause
Manner
Extent
Role
Matter
Angle
Location
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3.3 Data Analysis
3.3.1 Process Types
Processes represent the main component of the IM. The occurrence
and frequency of processes has been counted statistically. Since the verb is
the indicator of the type of process, it has been underlined. The following
table shows the occurrence and frequency of process types in the data:
Table (1): the Occurrence and Frequency of Process Types
Process Type
Material
Mental
Relational
Verbal
Behavioral
Existential
Frequency
25
6
12
1
0
0
Percentage
56.81%
13.63%
27.27%
2.27%
0%
0%
Total number
44
From table (1), it is obvious that MPs have been used most frequently
in 'James'. RPs rank second and then followed by MnP. Verbal processes
come fourth while behavioral and existential processes have not been used.
So, the analysis will be focused mainly on the first three types of processes.
3.3.1.1 Material Process (MP)
It has been observed that MPs come first in 'James'. They occur (25)
times and amount (56.81%). James uses MPs as a means of expressing the
main issues of the Biblical Chapter. The following points represent such
issues:
1. James uses MPs when he shows how believers have to tolerate difficulties
as a means of initiating patience:
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers
temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your
faith worketh patience. (James, 1:2, 3)
2. He uses MPs when he talks about seeking the divine
wisdom: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that
giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it
shall be given him. (James, 1:5)
3. He uses MPs when he indicates the necessity of obedience, forbearance
and signs of religiousness:
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be
swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
(James, 1:19)
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4. MPs are clearly employed to detail explanations and examples so as to
clarify notions or things. For example, he explains how believers have to
demand divine as in verse (7, 21, 24, 25,):
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he
that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with
the wind and tossed. (James, 1:7)
5. In addition, he uses MPs to give examples as a means of depicting the
change from richness to poverty:
For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but
it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth,
and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also
shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
(James, 1:11)
6. In verses (12, 14 and 15), MPs are exploited to explain how believers can
be blessed through warning them to commit certain deeds.
7. James employs MPs when he advices or commands believers to do
or/avoid certain things. For example, he warns his addressees not to go
astray: Do not err, my beloved brethren. (James, 1:16)
8. James uses MPs to state facts:
Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth,
that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of
God. (James, 1:18, 20)
MPs represent a good choice for James to convey his experience of
the world to his addressees. He addresses the main issues in terms of doing
rather than saying, for example, initiating patience, seeking divine wisdom,
indicating the necessity of obedience, detailing explanations, giving
illustrative examples, giving commands and stating facts. Thus, the
addressor, by using doing process, tries to affect his addressees through
activating them to perform actions so as to achieve their goals in their real
life.
3.3.1.2 Relational Process (RP)
As a process of being, it seems suitable to explain relationships among
some abstract ideas in the text because it sounds definite.
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RPs rank second in 'James'. They occur (12) times and amount
(27.27%). This percentage indicates the importance of its use in 'James'.
RP shows the type of patience that believers have to acquire in order
to be perfect. In verse (8), the RP describes the suspicious man as a means of
supporting the main idea of the previous processes that those who demand
the divine wisdom with dubiety are not qualified to receive this wisdom:
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
(James, 1:4)
Besides, it describes the status of those who tolerate difficulties and
succeed in passing these difficulties as a type of testing their faith. Hence, it
supports the outcome of such toleration which has been mentioned in
previous processes:
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for
when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life,
which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
(James, 1:12)
RP ascribes good deeds to Allah and then supports the aforementioned
idea that committing bad deeds arise from themselves but not from Allah:
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
and cometh down from the Father of lights, with
whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
(James, 1:17)
RP identifies the status of the real believers and thus supports what
has been mentioned in the previous purposes; believers have to swift to hear,
slow to speak, slow to wrath, to lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of
naughtiness:
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving your own selves. (James, 1:22)
RP identifies the status of those who are hearers of words only and
depicts them as a man watches himself in the mirror, an action which has
little effect on the man. Thus, it supports the preceding processes that those
who do not swift to hear, don't slow to speak, etc:
For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he
is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a
glass: (James, 1:23)
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RP supports the preceding idea that those who look into the perfect
law and continue are the real doers of actions:
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty,
and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful
hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be
blessed in his deed. (James, 1:25)
RP identifies the status of the unreal faith of those who don't bridle
their tongue and deceive their heart. Thus, it supports the distinction between
the faith of real and unreal believers:
If any man among you seem to be religious, and
bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart,
this man’s religion is vain. (James, 1:26)
RP identifies the status of the real faith of believers. Thus, James
continues using RP to support ideas or concepts performed by other
processes:
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the
Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in
their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from
the world. (James, 1:27)
Accordingly, it has been observed that RPs are employed by James to
describe or to identify entities or things so as to explain the relationship
between these entities or things. In addition, he uses the RP as a means of
supporting concepts or notions established earlier by other processes.
3.3.1.3 Mental Process (MnP)
MnP comes third in the first Chapter of 'James'. It occurs (6) times
and amounts (13.63%).
The MnP projects the suspicion man's desire, belief. It conveys
warning to unfaithful people to demand divine wisdom with suspicion:
For let not that man think that he shall receive any
thing of the Lord. (James, 1:7)
In addition, James uses MnP to project his addressees' expectations to
rejoice in their physical richness:
Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is
exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because
as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
(James, 1:9-10)
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He uses it to project those who are hearers of words but not doers of
actions. The hearers do not only speculate when they read or listen to the
biblical speech:
For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and
straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
(James, 1:24)
It has been observed that James employs MnPs as a means of
projecting certain unbelievers' beliefs, desires and so on.
3.3.1.4 Verbal Process
VPs come forth in the selected data. It occurs one time and amounts
(2.27%). It has been used to prohibit the addressees to claim wrongly that
God obliges people to commit sins:
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of
God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither
tempteth he any man: (James, 1:13)
3.3.2 Participants
Every process involves certain participants. This section analyzes the
participants involved in the aforementioned types of processes as part of
James' IM. The occurrence and frequency of the participants will be counted
statistically. The used participants will be underlined in the appendix. The
following table shows the occurrence and the frequency of participants in the
first Chapter of 'James'.
Table (2): The Occurrence and the Frequency of Participants
In terms of participants' roles, most of the MPs are performed by 'the
actor and goal'. The actor has been used in (13) clauses and amounts
(18.84%). Only (6) clauses are indicated without the actor. The goal
participant, the affected entity, has been used (19) times in MPs and amounts
(27.53%). Consequently, most of the MPs in question are encoded in the
active voice. The actors and goals have expressed the main entities involved
in the selected data. Thus, this dominance shows their significant role in
expressing the IM of James.
Participant
Actor
Goal
senser
phenomenon
carrier
attribute
token
value
sayer
verbiage
Frequency
13
19
5
7
6
5
6
6
1
1
Percentage
18.84%
27.53%
7.24%
10.14%
8.69%
7.53%
8.69%
8.69%
1.44%
1.44%
Total
69
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RPs are divided into attributive and identifying. There are (6)
attributive processes which are five only indicated by the participants 'carrier
and attribute' and each amounts (16.22%) while one process is indicated
without carrier. On the other hand, there are six identifying processes that
hold the participants 'token and value' equally and each amounts (17.38%).
By this almost equal employment of participants in RPs processes, James
helps clearly his addressees to identify and understand the relationship
between the involved entities.
MnPs include the participant 'senser', as an entity that senses
something, (5) times and amounts (7.24%) while the participant
'phenomenon', as an entity that is sensed, (7) times and amounts (10.14%).
Although most of MnPs have 'senser and phenomenon', James focuses more
on the latter since it expresses the content of the message being
communicated. Finally, VP occurs one time only. It is performed by the
participants 'sayer and verbiage' which amount (1.44%) for each.
3.3.3 Circumstances
Circumstances add more information about the situation in which
processes take place. The analysis shows that 'circumstances' have been used
(34) times in the data. The following table shows the occurrence and
frequency of circumstances:
Table (3): The Occurrence and Frequency of Circumstances
Total
Process Type
Frequency
Percentage
34
Material
24
70.588%
Relational
8
23.529 %
Mental
2
5.882%
Verbal
0
0 %
The table above shows that most of circumstances occur with MPs. In
MPs, circumstances occur (24) times and amount (70.588%). They are
distributed among circumstances of 'time, condition, manner, quality,
accompaniment, matter, place and result'. They add essential information
about the processes. For instance, inverse (1.2), the temporal circumstance
gives essential information about when believers feel joyful. Besides, in
verse (5) there are two circumstantial elements: conditional and manner. The
former shows that the sole way to seek wisdom is to ask Almighty Allah
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while the latter makes clear that those who ask Almighty Allah cannot be
rejected because Almighty Allah gives all those who ask Him.
In RPs, circumstances have been used (8) times and amounts
(23.529%) in both attribute and identifying. They occur with attributive
processes (2) times and (6) times with identifying processes. For example, in
verse (6) the circumstance of comparison, 'like a wave of the sea driven with
the wind and tossed', depicts the status of the suspicious man through
comparing him with a wave of the sea. Besides, in verse (8) the
circumstantial element 'in all his ways' gives clear description about those
cases in which the doubled man is unstable.
With MnPs, circumstances occur (1) time only and amounts (5.882%).
The only circumstantial element, because as the flower of the grass he shall
pass away, in MnP is comparative one which included within manner
circumstances. It construes sufficiently the status of the rich when they
become poor via comparing this change with that of the flower of the grass
when it desiccates.
Consequently, this wide use of circumstances indicates a great
tendency to make the circumstances explicit in this Biblical Chapter. James
uses circumstances as a way of providing essential information about the
processes involved. He clearly makes a conscious choice of depicting the
facts or events that believers have to acquire or to avoid.
Conclusions
In terms of transitivity, the analyzed data consist of three processes:
'MPs, RPs and MnPs'. MPs amount (56.81%), RPs amount (27.27%), MnPs
amount (13.63%) and VPs amount (2.27%). Participants involve ten roles:
the actor amounts (18.84%), the goal amounts (27.53%) the carrier and the
attribute amount (16.22%) each, the token and the value amount (17.38%)
for each, the senser amounts (7.24%), the phenomenon amounts (10.14%),
and the sayer and the verbiage amount (1.44%) for each. Circumstances
have been distributed on types of processes. In MPs, circumstances amount
(70.588%), in RPs, they amounts (23.529%) and in MnPs they amount
(5.882%).
It has been concluded that James makes full use of the components of
transitivity including 'process type, participants and circumstances' to
express his IM. Statistically, it has been concluded that James depends
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mainly on certain process types in conveying his IM, 'MPs, RPs and MnPs'
respectively. Besides, it has been observed that MP and RPs play a
significant role in conveying the IM of the Biblical Chapter. The high use of
MPs reflects James' focus on doing actions in an attempt to activate
believers. In addition, it has been noticed that James uses RPs which come
second to describe or to identify relationships among important ideas. In
addition, MnPs which rank third are used to address the inner feeling of the
addressees. In addition, participants and circumstances play a
complementary role in conveying the IM. For their importance in the IM, the
participants have been used highly to clarify the entities involved in the
process types. On the other hand, circumstances have been used enormously
so as to give adequate background about the situations in which process
types take place. Accordingly, these conclusions validate the proposed
hypothesis. Bibliography
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Graber, Ph. L. (2001) Context in Text: A Systemic Functional Analysis of the
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Halliday, M. A. and Mattiessen (1994) An Introduction to Functional
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Birmingham.
Appendix 1
{1:1} James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve
tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
(Pa: actor- Pa: goal- Pr: material)
{1:2} My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
(Pa: actor- Pr: material- Pa: goal- Cir: time)
{1:3} Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
(Pa: actor- Pr: material- Pa: goal)
{1:4} But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and
entire, wanting nothing.
(Conj- Pa: carrier- Pr: attributive- Pa: attribute-, Conj- Pa: carrier- Pr:
attributive- Pa: attribute, Pr: mental- Pa: phenomenon)
{1:5} If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men
liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
(Cir: conditional- Pa: actor- Pr: material- Pa: goal, Conj- material- Pa:
goal- Cir: manner- Conj- Pa: client-material- Pa: goal)
{1:6} But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like
a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
(Conj- Pa: actor- Pr: material- Cir:quality- Pa: token- identifying-
Cir:manner)
{1:7} For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
(Pa: senser- Pr: mental- Pa: phenomenon)
{1:8} A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
(Pa: carrier- Pr attributive- Pa: attribute- Cir: manner)
{1:9} Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
72
(Pa: senser- Pr: mental- Pa: phenomenon)
{1:10} But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the
grass he shall pass away.
(Conj- Pa: senser- Pa: phenomenon- Cir: manner)
{1:11} For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the
grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it
perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
(Pa: actor- Cir: manner- Pr: material- Cir: accompaniment, Conj- Pa:
Pa: actor- Pr: material- Pa: goal- Conj- Pa: goal- Cir: result- Pr:
material- Conj- Pa: actor- Pr: material- conj: - Cir: linking - Pa:
senser- Pr: mental- Cir: manner)
{1:12} Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he
shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them
that love him.
(Pa: attribute- Pr: attributive- Pa: carrier- Cir: time- Pa: recipient- Pr:
material- Pa: goal)
{1:13} Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God
cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
(Pa: sayer- Pr: verbal- Pa: Verbiage
{1:14} But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust,
and enticed.
(Conj- Pa: goal- Pr: material- Cir: time)
{1:15} Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it
is finished, bringeth forth death.
(Cir: result- Cir: time- Pa: actor- Pr: material- Pa: goal: conj- Pa:
actor- Cir: time- Pr: material- Pa: goal)
{1:16} Do not err, my beloved brethren.
(Pr: material- Pa: actor)
{1:17} Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh
down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither
shadow of turning.
(Pa: carrier- Pr: attributive- Cir: place, Conj- Pr: material- Cir: place-
Cir: accompanying)
{1:18} Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be
a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
(Cir: ability- Pr: material- Pa: actor- Pa: goal- Cir; manner, conj- Pa:
token- Pr: identifying- Pa: value)
{1:19} Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow
to speak, slow to wrath:
(Cir: result- Pa: actor- Pr: material)
72
{1:20} For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
(Pa: actor- Pr: material- Pa: goal)
{1:21} Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and
receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your
souls.
(Cir: result- Pr: material- Pa: goal, Conj- Pr: material- Cir: manner-
Pa: goal)
{1:22} But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your
own selves.
(Conj- Pr: identifying- Pa: token- Pa: value, - Cir: default- Pr:
material- Pa: goal)
{1:23} For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a
man beholding his natural face in a glass:
(Cir: condition- Pa: token- Pa: value- Pr: identifying Cir: comparison)
{1:24} For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway
forgetteth what manner of man he was.
(Pa: senser- Pr: mental- Pa: phenomenon, Conj- Pr: material- Cir-
place- Pr: mental- Pa: phenomenon)
{1:25} But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth
therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this
man shall be blessed in his deed.
(Conj- Pa: senser- Pr: mental- Pa: phenomenon-, conj- Pr: material-
Cir: place- Pa: carrier- Pr: relational- Pa: attribute-, Pa: goal- Pr:
material- Cir: matter)
{1:26} If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his
tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
(Cir: condition-, Pa: token- Pr: identifying- Pa: value)
{1:27} Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit
the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself
unspotted from the world.
(Pa: token- Pr: identifying- Pa: value)
