TITLE:
Book Review: A Typological Study of the Existential Clause: A Functional Linguistics Perspective
AUTHORS:
Jialu Chen
KEYWORDS:
Existential Clauses, Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL)
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.14 No.1,
January
20,
2026
ABSTRACT: This review examines Wang’s (2024) monograph on existential clauses (ECs), which addresses a longstanding gap by integrating cross-linguistic typology with Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL). The book offers a theoretically grounded, data-rich account of how lexicogrammatical realizations of ECs relate to discourse motivations across languages, thereby bridging the gap between form and function. It makes an innovative contribution to EC studies and has broader significance for research in syntax and typology. As Wang notes, it supports the essential claims in SFL and demonstrate the validity of SFL, pointing to productive directions for future work.