Editing Systemic functional grammar (section)

===Textual metafunction===
The textual metafunction relates to ''mode''; the internal organisation and communicative nature of a text.<ref>O'Halloran, K.A. (ed.) ''English grammar in context, Book 2: Getting inside English'' (2006), The Open University, p. 36.</ref> This comprises textual interactivity, spontaneity and communicative distance.<ref>Coffin, C (ed.) ''English grammar in context, Book 3: Getting practical'' (2006), The Open University, p. 245</ref>

Textual interactivity is examined with reference to [[speech disfluency|disfluencies]] such as hesitators, pauses and repetitions.

Spontaneity is determined through a focus on [[lexical density]], grammatical complexity, [[coordination (linguistics)|coordination]] (how clauses are linked together) and the use of [[nominal group (language)|nominal groups]]. The study of communicative distance involves looking at a text's [[cohesion (linguistics)|cohesion]]—that is, how it hangs together, as well as any abstract language it uses.

Cohesion is analysed in the context of both lexical and grammatical as well as [[intonation (linguistics)|intonational]] aspects<ref name="Coffin, C 2006 p. 158">Coffin, C (ed.) ''English grammar in context, Book 3: Getting practical'' (2006), The Open University, p. 158</ref> with reference to [[lexical chain]]s<ref name="Coffin, C 2006 p.158">Coffin, C (ed.) ''English Grammar in Context, Book 3, Getting Practical'' (2006) The Open University, p. 158</ref> and, in the speech register, tonality, tonicity, and [[tone (linguistics)|tone]].<ref>Coffin, C (ed.) ''English grammar in context, Book 3: Getting practical'' (2006), The Open University, p. 184</ref> The lexical aspect focuses on sense relations and lexical repetitions, while the grammatical aspect looks at repetition of meaning shown through reference, substitution and [[Elliptical construction|ellipsis]], as well as the role of linking [[adverbial]]s.

Systemic functional grammar deals with all of these areas of meaning equally within the grammatical system itself.