Thursday 29 October 2015

Misconstruing Experiential Nuclearity As Logical Expansion Type

Martin (1992: 318-9):
The notion of peripherality is extended to nominal and verbal groups in Table 5.14.


Table 5.14. An alternative model of nuclearity


centre
nucleus
margin
periphery
Process = Range:process
+ Medium
+ Range:entity
+ x Agent
+ x Beneficiary
x Circumstance




Classifier = Thing
+ Epithet
(+ x Numerative?)
x Qualifier




Event = Particle
+ Event
(event complex)
(+ x causative?)
x Manner adverb



Blogger Comments:

[1] In this alternative model of nuclearity, the 'nucleus' is construed as non-nuclear — as peripheral to the 'centre'.  In combination with this, the terminology does not reflect a cline of values — 'centre' and 'nucleus' are synonyms, as are 'margin' and 'periphery'.

[2] As the table makes clear, this alternative model of nuclearity confuses experiential nuclearity with logical expansion type — construing elaboration at the centre, extension further out at the nucleus, and enhancement at the periphery.  See previous posts (since 10/10/15) for details on the misapplications of expansion types as represented in this table.

[3] In SFL theory, units on the rank scale — clauses, group/phrases, words, morphemes — form (logical) complexes, whereas elements of function structure, such as the Event of a verbal group, do not.

[4] This construes a 'Manner adverb' as an element of verbal group function structure.  See critique in previous post here.

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