TEXTUAL METAFUNCTION ANALYSIS IN A PERSONAL REFLECTIVE ESSAY: A SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL LINGUISTICS APPROACH

Abstract

Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) has been widely applied to academic and formal texts, but studies of textual metafunction in modern personal reflective prose remain limited. This study aims to identify the types of Themes used in a personal reflective essay and examine how thematic development contributes to coherence and the flow of ideas. The study employed a qualitative descriptive design based on Halliday and Matthiessen’s textual metafunction framework. The data consisted of 198 clauses from Gor’s personal reflective essay, “You Can Genuinely Love Someone and Still Choose to Leave,” published on Substack on May 31, 2026. Data were collected through documentation and analyzed by identifying Theme and Rheme, classifying Themes as Topical, Textual, or Interpersonal, examining their markedness and complexity, and tracing thematic progression. The findings show that Topical Themes are the most dominant, mainly realized through personal pronouns and participants such as I, we, they, and people. Textual Themes, including and, but, because, if, and when, connect ideas through relationships of addition, contrast, cause, and time, while Interpersonal Themes occur less frequently to express attitude, uncertainty, and personal position. Unmarked Simple Themes are the most common, followed by Unmarked Multiple Themes. Thematic progression contributes to coherence by connecting information across clauses and developing reflection from personal experiences to broader ideas about human behaviour, impermanence, and gratitude. The study demonstrates the usefulness of textual metafunction analysis in understanding how reflective prose organizes meaning coherently.