Tuesday 19 January 2016

Misconstruing Ideational Metaphor

Martin (1992: 408):
Text [6:22] is further revised to highlight metaphorical internal conjunctions as [6:25] below.  Internal relations are realised four times as nouns (for a number of reasons, another example, as a final point, as a result of these factors) and once as a verb (to begin).
[6:25]
metaphorical internal conjunction

a.
I think Governments are necessary at different levels for a number of reasons.

b.
They make laws, without which people would be killing themselves,

c.
and help keep our economic system in order.

d.
To begin, the Federal Government fixes up problems that occur in the community.

e.
Another example is that the State Government looks after schools,

f.
preventing vandalism and fighting.

g.
As a final point the Local Government is important to look after rubbish:

h.
otherwise everyone would have diseases.

i.
As a result of these factors, Governments at several administrative levels are necessary.


Blogger Comment:

From the perspective of SFL theory, of the five purported instances of internal conjunction, there are only two genuine instances (to begin 'firstly'; as a final point 'finally').

Of the three with no conjunctive relations, the first involves ideational metaphor: relator as Thing (reasons) within a circumstance of Cause: reason (for a number of reasons); the second involves anaphoric comparative reference (another); and the third involves anaphoric demonstrative reference (these) within a circumstance of Cause: reason (as a result of these factors).

The general confusion here — apart from misconstruing these as logical metaphors — is that of mistaking the textual manifestation of expansion in lexicogrammar, cohesive conjunction, for the semantic system of expansion — as explained in previous posts.

for 
a number of reasons
minor Process
Range

a number of
reasons
Numerative
Thing


Another example
is
[[that the State Government looks after schools]]
Value/Identified
Process: relational
Token/Identifier

Another
example
Deictic (anaphoric comparative reference)
Thing


As a result of these factors
Governments at several administrative levels
are
necessary
Cause: reason
Carrier
Process: relational
Attribute

as a result of
these factors
minor Process
Range

these
factors
Deictic (anaphoric demonstrative reference)
Thing