Stanley Porter has argued that the two most productive fields of linguistics in New Testament studies are Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) and Cognitive Functional Linguistics (CFL) (Stanley E. Porter, “What Is the Relationship between Exegesis and Our Views of Greek, or Vice Versa?” in Linguistics and the Bible: Retrospects and Prospects, ed. Porter, Land, and Pang [Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2019], 200). This paper aims to compare these fields by applying and comparing insights from both of them to the discourse marker ἀλλὰ καὶ in Philippians 1:18.
From a CFL perspective, insights into discourse markers and information structure clarify why Paul begins this second paragraph in the body of his letter with a correlative-corrective conjunction. From an SFL perspective, appraisal theory examines the interpersonal metafunction and illuminates how this contrasting paragraph sets up the epistle’s first main imperative in 1:27 (μόνον ἀξιως τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τοῦ χριστοῦ πολιτευεσθε). The results are then synthesized, and applications for exegesis are suggested.
There are several hoped-for outcomes from this paper. 1) The audience will have a better understanding of the field of linguistics and will be able to recognize how it can benefit from them. 2) The audience will better grasp how authors structure their discourse to communicate contrast and emphasis. 3) The audience will further understand the paragraph divisions of Philippians 1.