Monday 26 October 2015

Misconstruing Enhancement As Elaboration And Elaboration As Extension

Martin (1992: 317):
This interpretation of the experiential grammar in terms of the general logico-semantic relations of elaboration, extension and enhancement is summarised in Table 5.13.

Table 5.13. Elaboration, extension and enhancement across clauses and groups
Elaboration
Extension
Enhancement
process = range
process + medium
+ range:entity
process x circumstance
take shot
(take a shot)
shoot deer
(shoot the deer)
shoot field
(shoot in the field)



classifier = thing
epithet + thing
thing x qualifier
parking lot
(a parking lot)
new car
(a new car)
car park
(the car in the park)



event = particle
event + event
event x quality
shoot up
(shoot up)
try shoot
(try to shoot)
shoot carefully
(shoot carefully)


Blogger Comments:

As this table is a summary of the preceding discussion, see previous posts for more detailed arguments.

[1] The relation between the Classifier parking and the Thing lot is enhancement, not elaboration.  It is a lot for the purpose of parking.

[2] To the extent that the preposition up construes direction, the relation between the verb shoot and the preposition within the phrasal verb is enhancement: location, not elaboration.

[3] Expansion relations obtain between the Nucleus (Process/Medium) and other participants and circumstances, not between the Process and Medium.

[4] The relation between the Epithet new and the Thing car is elaboration, not extension.  The Epithet provides further detail about the Thing.

[5] The expansion relation obtains between the Nucleus and the circumstance of Manner: quality, not  within a verbal group between Event and "Quality".

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