About this ebook
A key barrier to transdisciplinary research is language, whether due to differing terminology or the lack of a shared research vocabulary. This challenge reflects deeper epistemological divides, as language shapes how knowledge is constructed and communicated across disciplines. This collection shows how Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) provides effective tools for addressing complex cross-disciplinary issues. Beginning with Halliday’s foundational work, it traces the development of SFL and its applications. The first section highlights how SFL supports meaning-making in areas such as child development and healthcare, emphasizing language’s role in identity. Later sections explore its use in political, cultural, and environmental contexts, as well as in technology and AI. The volume concludes by outlining how language theory can help address critical societal challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration.
This book a valuable resource for students and scholars in applied linguistics, SFL, forensic linguistics, computational linguistics, and language and communication.
Discover more
About the author
Rebekah Wegener is Associate Professor in Applied Linguistics at the University of Salzburg, Austria. Drawing on functional approaches to language, her research connects theoretical frameworks with applications through multimodal interaction across contexts, computer-mediated communication, and human-computer interaction. Bridging linguistics and practical applications, she explores human-centered and explainable AI in medical and educational domains.
Anne McCabe is Professor Emerita of English at Saint Louis University’s Madrid Campus, where she has taught courses in rhetoric, academic writing, linguistics, public speaking, and English as an additional language. Her research focuses mainly on linguistics applied to language education and she is a member of the UAM-CLIL research group (http://www.uam-clil.org).
Akila Sellami Baklouti is a Professor of English Language and Linguistics at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of Sfax (Tunisia). She mainly lectures on systemic functional grammar, academic writing, and research methodology. Her research interests and PhD supervision areas include Systemic Functional Linguistics, genre analysis, and genre-based contrastive and translation studies.
Lise Fontaine is a Professor in the Department of Lettres et Communication Sociale at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR), and also serves as Director of the undergraduate program committee. Her academic work is centred on linguistic theory, with specific interests in functional grammar, lexicons-grammar, semantics, and referring expressions. Fontaine applies linguistic approaches in interdisciplinary contexts as well.
