Misconstruing Elaboration As Enhancement

Martin (1992: 314):

These pre-nominal structures contrast with qualifying ones in which facet, measure, isolation and type are coded as distinct participants; the latter can be treated as involving two message parts:

ONE MESSAGE PART : TWO MESSAGE PARTS ::
the top of the ridge : the ridge x on the top ::
a herd of buffalo : buffalo x in the herd ::
the biggest of the melons : the melons x that were the biggest ::
that kind of beer : beer x of that kind ::
the train's passengers : the passengers x on the train

Blogger Comments:

In the case of the defining relative clause that were the biggest and of that kind, the expansion relation between the Thing and the Qualifier is elaboration, not enhancement,.