An Analysis of Narrative Texts in Senior High School English Textbooks from the Perspective of the Transitivity System

Abstract

This study aims to explore the distribution of transitivity processes in narrative texts of PEP senior high school English textbooks, their interaction with the “form-function-theme” three-dimensional model, and effective teaching strategy transformation. Using narrative texts as the corpus, it conducts transitivity annotation and statistical analysis. Results show material processes dominate, mental processes facilitate character portrayal, and relational processes define cultural concepts, with different processes playing distinct roles in disaster, growth and culture-themed texts. The study verifies the applicability of Halliday’s transitivity theory, establishes a systematic analytical framework, and proposes operable teaching strategies. It also notes the limited sample size, suggesting future research expand the corpus and integrate other linguistic theories for more comprehensive teaching tools.