A Systemic Functional Analysis of Chinese Nominal Group with Classifier Phrases/Measure Phrases as the Modifier

This paper analyzes and describes the Chinese nominal group with the classifier phrases/measure phrases as the modifier based on the Sydney Grammar and the Cardiff Grammar in Systemic Functional Linguistics.The analysis indicates that the Sydney Grammar analysis is same to that of the Cardiff Grammar in describing the Chinese nominal group having quantifying and determining relationships between the modifier and the head.While in describing the Chinese nominal group having the appositive relationship between the modifier and the head and having two different meanings,the Cardiff Grammar analysis is clearer than that of the Sydney Grammar, and the former can further reflect the systemic functional syntactic principle—"Form is the realization of meaning".