Friday 26 June 2015

Confusing Negative Addition With Negative Polarity

Martin (1992: 205-6):
External additive relations, like external comparative ones, form a small resource compared with temporals or consequentials.  The basic distinction is between addition and alternation.  With addition, there is a positive/negative system opposing and to nor, in spite of morphological appearances which make it look like a negative realisation of or (Our Corgi didn't win nor did the Dachshund means that 'the Corgi didn't win and that the Dachshund didn't either').  All additive relations have correlative paratactic realisations [both…and, neither…nor, either…or].
[4:105] [addition:positive]
             a.  Our Dachshund performed well.  And she looked splendid on the day.
             b.  Besides performing well our Dachshund looked splendid on the day.
             c.  – 
[4:106] [addition:negative]
             a.  She didn't move at all well in the ring.  Nor did she stand still when tabled.
             b.  Alongside not moving well in the ring, she didn't stand still when tabled.
             c.  – 
[4:107] [alternation]
             a.  You could go down to Melbourne.  Or you could go in the Easter Show.
             b.  If you don't go down to Melbourne, you could go in the Easter Show.
             c.  –

Blogger Comments:

[1] In SFL theory, addition, alternation and variation are the three main categories of extension relations between clauses.  In contrast, in Martin's model:
  1. both addition and alternation are subsumed under the category additive
  2. variation subtypes are construed as subcategories of adversative, and 
  3. adversative — a subcategory of addition in SFL — is construed as a subcategory of comparison — a subcategory of the enhancement category manner in SFL.

Halliday & Matthiessen
Martin
extension
alternation

alternation
additive
addition
additive: positive
addition: positive
additive: negative
addition: negative
adversative*

variation
replacive
replacement
adversative
comparison
subtractive
exception


[2] The logical relation here is positive, not negative addition — hypotactic negative addition does not occur in English.  The negation here is realised as polarity in verbal groups, not as a logical relation between clauses.

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