Misconstruing Cohesive As Internal

Martin (1992: 209):

Internal and external comparison are not always easy to separate.  Text [4:116] above for example does have an external reading in which phasing processes like began and ended are argued to unveil metaphorical processes in the same way.  The following example is more clearly internal; the comparison is between two lines of argument and interpretation, not between experiential meanings:

[4:117] Thirdly there is the question of the relation of language to culture, on which we have little information in the reports on the north-west Amazon referred to above, but on which we can make some safe guesses.  For instance, it would be surprising if any of the languages concerned lacked a word for 'long house' or 'tribe', and we might reasonably expect a word for 'phratry' (though such higher-level concepts often lack names. 

Similarly, we may predict that most concepts relevant to the culture will have words in each language to express them, and that most words in each language will express cultural concepts, definable only in terms of the culture concerned.  (Hudson, 1980: 10)

Blogger Comments:

[1] The comparison relation in [4:116] — see earlier post — is cohesive but not internal.  The fact that it conjoins messages non-structurally, makes it cohesive.  In order to be an internal relation, it would have to be internal to the 'speech' event itself, as in the case of internal temporal conjunction marked by such items as firstly, secondly, thirdly.

[2] The comparison relation in [4:117] is again cohesive but not internal.  See [1] above.

[3] The opposition of 'between two lines of argument' versus 'between experiential meanings' is nonsensical.  In terms of conjunctive relations, the text begins with an internal temporal (enhancing) relation, marked by Thirdly, then makes a textual transition through an exemplifying apposition (elaborating) relation, marked by For instance, and finally makes a textual transition through manner: comparison (enhancing) relation, marked by Similarly.

The positive comparison is thus with the messages that exemplify the third point being made by the author Hudson.