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Full Paper - IJ-ELTS
IJ-ELTS: International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies Vol: 1, Issue: 2 English Metafunction Analysis in Chemistry Text Amin, Ahmad English Metafunction Analysis in Chemistry Text: Characterization of Scientific Text Ahmad Amin Dalimunte, M.Hum IAIN North Sumatra, Indonesia Abstract The objectives of this research are to identify what Metafunctions are applied in chemistry text and how they characterize a scientific text. It was conducted by applying content analysis. The data for this research was a twelve-paragraph chemistry text. The data were collected by applying a documentary technique. The document was read and analyzed to find out the Metafunction. The data were analyzed by some procedures: identifying the types of process, counting up the number of the processes, categorizing and counting up the cohesion devices, classifying the types of modulation and determining modality value, finally counting up the number of sentences and clauses, then scoring the grammatical intricacy index. The findings of the research show that Material process (71of 100) is mostly used, circumstance of spatial location (26 of 56) is more dominant than the others. Modality (5) is less used in order to avoid from subjectivity. Impersonality is implied through less use of reference either pronouns (7) or demonstrative (7), conjunctions (60) are applied to develop ideas, and the total number of the clauses are found much more dominant (109) than the total number of the sentences (40) which results high grammatical intricacy index. The Metafunction found indicate that the chemistry text has fulfilled the characteristics of scientific or academic text which truly reflects it as a natural science. Keywords: Metafunction, chemistry, characterization, scientific text. International Refereed & Indexed Journal of English Language & Translation Studies ISSN: 2308-5460 July-September, 2013 www.eltsjournal.org 52 IJ-ELTS: International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies Vol: 1, Issue: 2 English Metafunction Analysis in Chemistry Text Amin, Ahmad 1. Introduction Language as a means of communication is broadly used in all aspects of social life, economy, politic, social, culture, law, education, and many others. It is not only restricted to spoken language but also in written language. In education, academic level, language also spreads widely into two broad categories of disciplines of study, scientific or non – scientific study. Scientific studies cover many disciplines of study either social sciences or natural sciences among others linguistics, sociology, anthropology, biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, oceanography, etc. Because there are various kinds of scientific studies, the writer only restrictedly focuses on chemistry as one of scientific studies categories. The discussion on scientific studies are inseparable from written language as they are expressed and presented through written language, that is in the form of a text. Hence, it is very important to know how language, particularly written language, is used in scientific text. Based on those reasons, the writer attempts to find out how Metafunction is used in chemistry text. 2. The research questions With the background specified above, the study aims to answer the following research questions: 1. What Metafunctions are applied in the chemistry text? 2. How is the result of the Metafunction analysis linked to the characteristics of scientific text? 3. Literature Review 3.1 Metafunction Metafunction is defined as functions which should be fulfilled by human beings in using language. There are three functions known as metafunction, namely to represent, to exchange, and to organize experience. Technically, this metafunction is termed as ideational (experiential function), interpersonal, and textual function. 3.2 Experiential function It functions to represent experience. There are three elements representing experience in clause, they are participant, process, and circumstance. Halliday (1994:106-142) International Refereed & Indexed Journal of English Language & Translation Studies ISSN: 2308-5460 July-September, 2013 www.eltsjournal.org 53 IJ-ELTS: International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies Vol: 1, Issue: 2 English Metafunction Analysis in Chemistry Text Amin, Ahmad categorizes the processes termed as transitivity into six types namely, material, mental, relational, verbal, behavioral, and existential process. 3.2.1 Material process Material process is a process of ‘doing’. It expresses the notion that entity ‘does’ something which may be done to other entities. To exemplify the verbs ‘catch’ in the Policeman caught the thief, and ‘write’ in the girl is writing a letter. 3.2.2 Mental process Mental process is a process involves sense, which is inside the human or conscious beings. Verbs of mental process indicate perception, cognition, and affection. For example, the verb ‘know’ in I know the news from you, and ’hear’ in I heard the crowded noise. 3.2.3 Relational process Relational process refers to a process of being and relation among entities through attribution and identification. The verbs categorized as this process are BE (is, am, are, was, were, etc) as in My father is a teacher, and linking verbs (become, seem, cost, weight, etc) as in the old man seemed tired. 3.2.4 Verbal process Verbal process shows activities of saying, asking, commanding, and offering. It involves a process of speaking as the verb ’say’ in The man something to me and ’ask’ in she asked me some information. 3.2.5 Existential process Existential process represents something existing or happening. It shares features of relational process in the sense that the common verb is BE (is, am, are, was, were, etc), and other verbs such as go, come, toil. Syntactically, this process is preceded by ‘there’. As we can see in there was a stranger over there, and there has been a phone call for you. Circumstances are general across process types. Precisely it is because they are less centrally involved in the process rather than participants. It refers to examples such as the location of an events, in time or space, manner, cause, etc. In the clause I meet him last night, and they spent their vacation in Hollywood, the word ‘last night’ and ‘Hollywood’ are circumstances. 3.3 Interpersonal Function International Refereed & Indexed Journal of English Language & Translation Studies ISSN: 2308-5460 July-September, 2013 www.eltsjournal.org 54 IJ-ELTS: International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies Vol: 1, Issue: 2 English Metafunction Analysis in Chemistry Text Amin, Ahmad Interpersonal function aims to exchange experience (Halliday, 1994:68). A clause as a representation of exchange can be analyzed in terms of the structural elements of interpersonal meaning. A clause is analyzable with respect to the functions of subject, finite, predicator, complement, and adjunct. In English mood, they are coded by subject and finite. 3.4 Modality Modality is defined as personal judgment or opinion. It refers to meaning which lies between positive and negative polar of the Mood. It is shown through this figure below. She went (+) Area of Modality (-) she did not go GO (+) (-) Do not go! Thus, between the clause ‘she went’ and ‘she didn’t go’ selections such as may come, she will come, she certainly will come, which are clauses with modality may occur. Modality is typically coded by modals such as will, must, can, and should. This figure shows how modality lies between positive and negative polar of the mood. Table 1 Positive Polar POSITIVE POLAR Value Modalization Modulation is High Medium Low do Probability Usuality certain must be always probably will be usually possibly may be sometimes Is not Table 2 Obligation Inclination required must do determined supposed will do keen allowed may do willing do not NEGATIVE POLAR Examples: Modalization: an ant must be an insect (probability; high) They are possibly Modulation: an ant must have six legs (probability; low) (obligation; high) Some ants may have wings (obligation; low) The queen will lay eggs (obligation; medium) International Refereed & Indexed Journal of English Language & Translation Studies ISSN: 2308-5460 July-September, 2013 www.eltsjournal.org 55 IJ-ELTS: International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies Vol: 1, Issue: 2 English Metafunction Analysis in Chemistry Text Amin, Ahmad 3.5 Textual Function Textual function is one function in which language is used to organize human experience. This is to express that language is concerned with the organization of information within individual clauses. In order to do this language has equipment as to how experience is organized by using Theme, a starting point of a message, and Rheme, the rest of the message. 3.6 Cohesion Cohesion is a grammatically relationship among the sentences or clauses. It is a way a text is held together by a particular linguistics means. Cohesion can be achieved by applying reference, Ellipsis, substitution, and conjunction. 3.6.1 Reference References are words that refer to human, things, or are used instead of other words. 1. Pronouns There are some types of pronoun used in English, such as subject pronoun (he, she, it, I, we, etc), object pronoun (him, her, them, me, etc), possessive pronoun (his, her, my, their, your, etc), etc. 2. Demonstrative. It is to show near distance of entity (this, these, here), and to show far distance (that, those, there). 3. Comparison degree: - Positive: as ….as.. in she is as beautiful as her mother - Comparative: - er, more in she is more beautiful than her mother - Superlative: -est, most in she is the most beautiful one in her family. 3.6.2 Ellipsis It is by eliminating linguistics units (word, group/phrase, clause, etc)in order to avoid redundancy. Ellipsis is applied by using too as in she finds the book, I do too, also as in she loves me, so do I, neither, either, etc. International Refereed & Indexed Journal of English Language & Translation Studies ISSN: 2308-5460 July-September, 2013 www.eltsjournal.org 56 IJ-ELTS: International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies Vol: 1, Issue: 2 English Metafunction Analysis in Chemistry Text Amin, Ahmad 3.6.3 Substitution It is by deleting linguistics units to be replaced by another one. It is applied by another, other, one, ones, etc. For example: the rich man has two cars. One is BMW, and another one is Avanza. 3.6.4 Conjunction Conjunction or connectives are words serving as links, and indicating the relation between what they are linking, in addition the relation should be logic. There are four types of conjunction, they are: 1. Additive conjunction, such as and, or, beside, moreover, etc as in she and I left the town. 2. Comparative, such as like, meanwhile, whereas, on the other hand, but, as if, as though, and so on. For example: she left the town whereas I don’t She walked as if she were a super model 3. Temporal, such as when, while, as, since, finally, etc. For examples: she left this town when I just arrived She left this town since I moved to Medan 4. Consequential, such as in order that, in order to, so that, such that, the, otherwise, so on as in the lady shouted out in order that people heard her. 3.7 Text and Context In analyzing a text anyone can not separate it from its context. Context (Halliday, 1989) simply is described to serve in making a bridge between the text and the situation in which texts actually occur. The term ‘context’ covers some aspects; ideology, culture, and situation. Those contexts have great impact on how the text is developed. The context of situation determines field (what topic is being talked about), tenor (participants), and mode (way, or medium). However, the analysis of the text must be related with its context. 3.8 Scientific text and its characteristics Based on the major discipline of study, text is categorized into two types; they are scientific and non-scientific text. This study only focuses on scientific text, namely chemistry text. Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, International Refereed & Indexed Journal of English Language & Translation Studies ISSN: 2308-5460 July-September, 2013 www.eltsjournal.org 57 IJ-ELTS: International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies Vol: 1, Issue: 2 English Metafunction Analysis in Chemistry Text Amin, Ahmad but also its composition, structure and properties. As one branch of scientific studies, it applies logical, rational approach to understand entities in real world. Focusing on the scientific text, chemistry cannot be separated from its characteristics. Some characteristics of scientific text are as follows: 1. Impersonal In Oxford dictionary (Hornby, 1974), the term impersonal means having no personal reference or connection. 2. Objective The term objective means one which is perceived similar by all persons regardless of the surrounding elements. 3. Practical This term means pertaining to practice or action, or it concerns with ordinary activities. 4. Technical Technical is defined as concerning detailed practical knowledge of an industrial or scientific subject, or showing technique. Table 3 below lists the characteristics of written language which is the medium of scientific text. Aspects Form Function Grammar Written language Eye mode Durable, permanent Spatial Solitude Absence of interlocutor Formal use Less dialectal variation Grammatical intricacy: low Lexical density: high 4. Research Design Design is defined as a researcher’s plan of how to proceed (Bogdan and Biklen, 1992:58). A descriptive qualitative design was applied in this study. Descriptive qualitative design simply describes what going on is and what the qualitative data International Refereed & Indexed Journal of English Language & Translation Studies ISSN: 2308-5460 July-September, 2013 www.eltsjournal.org 58 IJ-ELTS: International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies Vol: 1, Issue: 2 English Metafunction Analysis in Chemistry Text Amin, Ahmad shows. It is appropriate to be used since the data is in the form of word rather than number. The type of this study is Content Analysis. Content Analysis is defined as a systematic, replicable technique for compressing many words of text into fewer content categories based on explicit rules of coding (Krippendorf, 1980). It is the study of recorded human communications, such as books, websites, paintings, and laws. It is used to determine the presence of certain words or concepts within text or set of texts. 4.1 Source of Data The data in this research was a single twelve- paragraph chemistry text titled “Electron Emission from Solids (I): History and Theory” written by Vishwas Purohit. “Electron Emission from Solids (I): History & Theory” By Vishwas Purohit (Paragraph 1) Certain solids emit electrons from their surfaces when subjected to heat (thermionic emission), electromagnetic radiation (photoemission) and/or an electric field (field emission). Much of electronics, including vacuum tubes, cathode-ray tubes in their various manifestations, and electron microscopes, depend on the emission of electrons from metals and the manipulation of these electrons to perform various tasks. Figure 1 History (Paragraph 2) Electron emission from solids is a fundamental process underlying electrical transmission in a gas or vacuum, and as such, was among the earliest phenomena to be observed scientifically. In the mid-eighteenth century, Jean-Antoine International Refereed & Indexed Journal of English Language & Translation Studies ISSN: 2308-5460 July-September, 2013 www.eltsjournal.org 59 IJ-ELTS: International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies Vol: 1, Issue: 2 English Metafunction Analysis in Chemistry Text Amin, Ahmad Nollet and William Morgan conducted experiments showing that the passage of electrical discharge in partially evacuated tubes produced a glow between the electrodes. In the nineteenth century, Johann Hittorf and Sir William Crookes independently investigated the radiation produced by a cathode in a vacuum tube, demonstrating that an invisible "light" was produced which caused glass to fluoresce and cast shadows. (Paragraph 3) In 1897, Joseph John Thompson demonstrated that these cathodic rays were actually beams of negatively charged particles (that is, electrons). He measured their charge-to-mass ratio and noted their behavior in electric and magnetic fields. Thomas Edison obtained a patent in 1884 for a thermionic emission device, consisting of an incandescent wire in an electric field within an evacuated envelope, which was the forerunner of amplifier tubes. (Paragraph 4) Early investigators were puzzled by the sharp threshold value for photoemission with respect to wavelength, an observation which could not be explained by classical electrical theory but which was correctly described by a quantum process by Albert Einstein in 1905. (Paragraph 5) The cathode ray tube(CRT) , equipped with a phosphorescent screen, became the basic device for translating electronic signals into visual displays- initially in scientific instrumentation, in such devices as oscilloscopes, and later in television and computer screens. Modern CRT devices rely on electron guns based on field emission, which provide greater life, brightness, and focusing ability than the thermionic or photoemission sources. The electron source in a CRT acts as an amplifier of a weak signal (from an antenna or the logic circuit of a computer) in a manner which is analogous to the triode. This electron source also incorporated a magnetic deflector, which moves the electron beam across the phosphorescent background at a constant rate to create a two dimensional image from an essentially one dimensional electronic signal. (Paragraph 6) The Ionoscope and the multiplier phototube, invented by Zworykin in 1923 and 1935 respectively, set the stage for television and video cameras. A television camera is defined as a device for converting photons into electrical signals which operates on the principle of photoemission. Early versions incorporated tubes, but later cameras used semiconductor technology. International Refereed & Indexed Journal of English Language & Translation Studies ISSN: 2308-5460 July-September, 2013 www.eltsjournal.org 60 IJ-ELTS: International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies Vol: 1, Issue: 2 English Metafunction Analysis in Chemistry Text Amin, Ahmad (Paragraph 7) Transmission and Scanning electron microscopes employ the optical properties of electrons, notably the shorter wavelength, to produce images of very high resolution. Crude models were developed in the 1930s' by Max Knoll and Ernst Ruska, but it was not until World War II that practical electron microscopes became available. Transmission electron microscopes require an electron beam of maximum brilliance, minimum divergence, and high focus ability, and they continue to place demands on the development of increasingly sophisticated electron beam technology. (Paragraph 8) Electron beams are capable of delivering high levels of energy with great precision. In the 1950s' and early 1960s', considerable research was devoted to the use of electron beam in welding, machining, and metal refining on a miniature scale. These devices were cumbersome because of the need to operate in vacuum, and this technology has been largely supplanted by lasers. The development of a very powerful and flexible laser based on magnetic manipulation of an electron beam brought electron beam technology into the forefront of instrumentation. Generalized theory (Paragraph 9) The electrons within a metal can be visualized and modeled as a form of "electron gas" in which individual outer shell electrons are capable of moving freely under the influence of an electric field; this movement of electrons is responsible for the function of electric circuits. At the surface of a metal, a potential barrier exists which prevents the electrons from escaping unless certain conditions are met, whereupon the metal emits electrons into the surrounding vacuum or gas. This emission produces a beam of free electrons which carries current and is capable of being manipulated in many of the same ways that light is being manipulated. Both the current carrying and optical properties of electrical beams have unique aspects that make such beams indispensable in electronics. (Paragraph 10) The behavior of electrons at the surface of a metal is a quantum effect. Electrons bound to atoms exist in discrete energy states. An electron may exist in the ground state, corresponding to absolute zero temperature, or it may absorb energy and be raised to a discrete higher energy level by heat or irradiation by electromagnetic radiation. In metals and crystalline solids, the shared electrons occupy energy bands rather than discrete energy levels. International Refereed & Indexed Journal of English Language & Translation Studies ISSN: 2308-5460 July-September, 2013 www.eltsjournal.org 61 IJ-ELTS: International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies Vol: 1, Issue: 2 English Metafunction Analysis in Chemistry Text Amin, Ahmad (Paragraph 11) Electrons are unable to escape from the surface of the solid because the energy of an outer shell, ground state electron in the solid is less than the energy of a free electron in vacuum. In order for an electron to be ejected from the surface, it must either surmount the surface potential barrier by having energy equal to or greater than that of a free electron in the surrounding medium, or tunnel through the barrier. The phenomenon of tunneling is considered to be in the context of field emission, to which it is specific. (Paragraph 12) The ejection of electrons from a heated conductor is known as thermionic emission. In its most basic form, a thermionic device consists of the heated, negatively charged cathode (which serves as the electron emitter) and a positively charged anode to draw off emitted electrons, both of which are enclosed in a vacuum- typically a glass tube. A vacuum is required because electrons traveling through a gas are scattered and dissipate their energy in heating the gas. In addition, chemical reactions between the cathode and any substances present in the tube poison the cathode, decreasing emission. Unless an anode is present to draw off emitted electrons, they build up in a space charge around the cathode, increasing the energy required for electron emission. 4.2 Technique of Data Collection The data were collected by applying a documentary technique. The document was read and analyzed to find out the Metafunction. 4.3 Technique of Data Analysis The data were analyzed based on these following procedures: 1. a. Identifying the types of process; material, mental, relational, verbal, behavioral, and existential. b. Counting up the number of the processes. 2. a. Categorizing the cohesion devices; pronouns, references, ellipsis, substitution, and conjunctions applied in the text b. Counting up the number of the cohesion devices. 3. a. Classifying the types of modulation whether Modalization or Modulation are used in the text b. Determining modality value high, medium, or low. 4. a. Counting up the number of sentences and clauses in the text International Refereed & Indexed Journal of English Language & Translation Studies ISSN: 2308-5460 July-September, 2013 www.eltsjournal.org 62 IJ-ELTS: International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies Vol: 1, Issue: 2 English Metafunction Analysis in Chemistry Text Amin, Ahmad a. Scoring the grammatical intricacy index 5. Data Analysis After having been analyzed the text, the writer found out the use of Metafunction in chemistry text as follows: 5.1 Transitivity ( types of processes) Table 4.1 Types of processes were found in chemistry text Transitivity (Process) Material mental Emit(2) Based(2) Known Perform Provide Depend Acts Underlying Incorporated Conducted (2) Produce(5) Move(2) Caused Create Charged Invented Measured Set Obtained Converting Puzzled Operates (2) Equipped Used Rely Supplanted Raised Discrete Draw off Require (3) (2) Prevent Employ Escape Brought Travelling Occupy Continue Enclosed Met Developed Ejected Scattered Decreasing Place Increasing Surmount Devoted Dissipate Make Delivering Charged (2) Manipulate Absorb d Build up (2) Modeled Serve Visualized Relational Is (7) Was(3) Consisting( 2) Were (2) Became (2) Are (2) Have (2) Correspondi ng To Verbal Showing Demonstra te (2) Explained Described Defined Behavioural Observed Investigated Noted Considered International Refereed & Indexed Journal of English Language & Translation Studies ISSN: 2308-5460 July-September, 2013 www.eltsjournal.org Existential Exists Present 63 IJ-ELTS: International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies Vol: 1, Issue: 2 English Metafunction Analysis in Chemistry Text Amin, Ahmad 71 1 21 Total = 106 6 4 3 It was found through the analysis that material process is used mostly. An essence of material process is to show actions, doings involved physics of entities. It is closely related to ‘practicality’ as one of characteristics in scientific text since practicality concerns with practice, action, or activities. And practicality in scientific text cannot be achieved without applying material process. Relational process is used dominantly. Because the chemistry text frequently uses many symbols to refer to entities in chemistry, in order to identify and attribute them or to make it easy to be realized, relational process is used. 5.2 Circumstance Table 4 circumstances were used in chemistry text T Y P E S Extent of Location: spatial C I R C U M S T A N C E Manner Location: temporal Cause Circumstances Frequen cy In the mid-eighteenth century, in the nineteenth 8 century, in 1894,in 1884,in 1905,in 1923,and 1935,in the 1930’s,until world war In a gas or vacuum, in a vacuum tube, in electric and 26 magnetic Field, in an electrified, in scientific instrumentation, in such Devices as oscilloscopes, in television, in a CRT, from an antenna or the logic circuit, from one dimensional electronic signal, into the forefront of instrumentation, in a space charge around the cathode, at the surface of metal (2) into the surrounding vacuum or gas, in electronics, in the surrounding medium, in the ground state, in the tube, in metals and crystalline solids, from the surface of solids (2),in the solid, in vacuum (2). Independently, negatively (2),correctly, respectively, 10 increasingly, largely, freely, positively, scientifically. Because of, because the energy, in order for, 4 because electrons International Refereed & Indexed Journal of English Language & Translation Studies ISSN: 2308-5460 July-September, 2013 www.eltsjournal.org 64 IJ-ELTS: International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies Vol: 1, Issue: 2 English Metafunction Analysis in Chemistry Text Amin, Ahmad Contingency Accompaniment Role Matter angel In the context of field emission With great precision, with a phosphorescent screen As a form of electron gas, as the electron emitter, as an amplifier, as a device, as thermionic emission Total 56 1 2 5 0 0 Circumstance of spatial location is much more dominant than other circumstances. Because this text fully concerns in history, in order to support the facts mentioned, a list of circumstances of location showing spatial (place) and temporal (time) are used. 5.3 Modality Table 5 modality found in chemistry text Could not be explained It must either surmount the surface Can be visualized An electron may exist It may absorb MODALITY Modulation:obligation:low Modulation:obligation:high Modulation:obligation:low Modulation:obligation:low Modulation:obligation:low Modality was less used this text in order to avoid from subjectivity because subjectivity is expressed by modality, personal judgment or opinion. Subjectivity is very contrastive to objectivity which is major characteristics of scientific text. 5.4 Cohesion units 5.4.1 Reference Table 6 references used in chemistry text pronouns Their (5) They (2) 7 demonstrative These (2) This (3) Both (2) 7 This chemistry text used fewer pronouns because it tends to be impersonal. It means the write does not show his personality. Instead of using pronouns, passive construction is applied in the text in order to maintain objectivity. Objectivity means one which is perceived similar by all persons regardless of the surrounding elements. International Refereed & Indexed Journal of English Language & Translation Studies ISSN: 2308-5460 July-September, 2013 www.eltsjournal.org 65 IJ-ELTS: International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies Vol: 1, Issue: 2 English Metafunction Analysis in Chemistry Text Amin, Ahmad 5.4.2 Conjunction Table 7 conjunctions used in chemistry text Conjunctions Frequency When 1 And 27 Or 4 Thant 7 Which 13 But 3 Because of 1 In which 1 Where 1 Because 2 Total 60 The reason why there are many conjunctions used is very closed related to the grammatical intricacy as shown in table 4.5 that the ideas developed are very complete, so those such conjunctions are used to relate closely those ideas; intra and interrelated ideas ,consequently the readers can comprehend easily the text. 5. 5 Grammatical Intricacy (GI) Table 8 Grammatical Intricacy in Chemistry Text paragraph 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total sentences 2 3 3 1 4 3 3 4 5 4 3 5 40 clauses 4 12 8 3 11 6 7 8 16 8 8 18 109 GI SCORE = the total number of clause The total number of sentences = 109 =2.7 40 International Refereed & Indexed Journal of English Language & Translation Studies ISSN: 2308-5460 July-September, 2013 www.eltsjournal.org 66 IJ-ELTS: International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies Vol: 1, Issue: 2 English Metafunction Analysis in Chemistry Text Amin, Ahmad Significant difference of the total number between clauses and sentences indicates that this Chemistry text is more informative, and more academic. This is to indicate that this text contained more information. The more concise information contained in this text, the more complete information is available, and then the readers can comprehend the text better. 6. Conclusions With reference to the research findings, some conclusions are drawn as the following. 1. Through the transitivity analysis result, it was found that the chemistry text used material process mostly. It is because the material process is essentially to show action, activity of entity, and it is tightly related to ‘practical’ and ‘technical’ as characteristics of scientific text which are mainly about practice, action, or practical knowledge. 2. Based on the research findings, the modality aspect is less used because it concerns with personal judgment or opinion which is subjective, and it is extremely contrastive with the main characteristics of scientific text, that is ‘objective’. 3. The analysis result also showed that the cohesion devices are very useful to relate information to the other one. There are also many circumstances found in the text to give additional information in order that the information becomes more complete and make the text more academic. 4. The degree of an academic text can be seen through the total number of clauses found in the sentences. The total number of the clauses are much more dominant than the total number of the sentences because they function to give much more complete information, in other words the more clauses found in the text, the more complete the information contained. About the Author: Ahmad Amin Dalimunte, M.Hum works as a faculty member with the IAIN [State Institute for Islamic Studies] North Sumatra, Indonesia. His areas of research interest include- ELT, ESP and Teaching English as a Foreign Language. References Bogdan, R., & Biklen, S. (1992). Qualitative Research for Education: An Introduction to Theory and Method. Allyn and Bacon International Refereed & Indexed Journal of English Language & Translation Studies ISSN: 2308-5460 July-September, 2013 www.eltsjournal.org 67 IJ-ELTS: International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies Vol: 1, Issue: 2 English Metafunction Analysis in Chemistry Text Amin, Ahmad Halliday, M.A.K. (1994). An Introduction to Functional Grammar. (2nd ed.). London: Edward Arnold Halliday, M.A.K., & Hasan, R. (1989). Language, Context, and Text: aspects of language in a social perspective. Oxford University Press Hornby, A.S. (1974). Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary of Current English. (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press Krippendorff, K. (1980). Content Analysis: An Introduction to Its Methodology. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Purohit, V. (2005). Electron Emission from Solids (I): History & Theory. Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/2-12-2005-65657.asp International Refereed & Indexed Journal of English Language & Translation Studies ISSN: 2308-5460 July-September, 2013 www.eltsjournal.org 68