Misconstruing Mixed Types Of Elaboration & Extension As Degrees Of Enhancement

Martin (1992: 216):

At this point it is possible to consider grading internal comparative relations according to the degree of difference coded between formulations of a message.  If in fact is substituted for rather in [4:131] then seeing asocial linguistics as incomplete is recoded as adjusting its assessment rather than replacing it.  Taking this one step further, had in other words been used in place of in fact then the second formulation would read not as adjusting the first, but simply as reworking it to make its meaning clear.  Again, the same experiential content can be internally connected in different ways, depending on the way in which internal comparison is used to rhetorically construct meanings being made.  This scaling according to degrees of internal difference is outlined below:

STRONG
á â	rather, instead, on the contrary	[retract]
	in fact, actually, as a matter of fact, I mean	[adjust]
	in other words, that is, i.e.	[rework]
SLIGHT

Blogger Comments:

[1] In terms of SFL theory, these relations not internal, as explained in previous posts.

[2] In terms of SFL theory (and of the meaning of the words 'comparative' and 'comparison'), these relations are not comparative (enhancing).

The strong difference [retract] is a mixture of elaboration and extension:

• rather marks corrective clarification (elaboration)
• instead, on the contrary mark replacive variation (extension)

The median difference [adjust] is a mixture or elaboration subtypes:

• in fact, actually, as a matter of fact mark verifactive clarification (elaboration)
• I mean marks expository apposition (elaboration)

The slight difference [rework] is a subtype of elaboration:

• in other words, that is mark expository apposition (elaboration)

Conclusion: This scale is not a grading of degrees of difference in internal comparative relations.