Friday 27 November 2015

Misidentifying Transitivity Rôles And Expansion Types

Martin (1992: 371-2):
Australia II is an Actor in [5:36kk] but a Car[r]ier in [5:36ll]; similarly the Americans are a Medium in [5:36y] but an Agent in [5:36dd]; and 'being ahead of' is variously realised as a Process [5:36kk], Attribute [5:36ll], Goal [5:36y] and Circumstance [5:36dd].

Boats leading
kk
Australia II
+
leading
x
by a couple of = boat-lengths
ll
Australia II
+
leading
[was ahead]
x
by 21 seconds
y
Americans
+
leading
[increased lead]
x
to 46 seconds,
at second = mark
dd
Liberty
+
leading x more & more
[surged ahead]


Fig. 5.36. Nuclear structures for ‘leading’ in text [5:36]


Blogger Comments:

[1] Clause [kk] — like clause [ll] — construes an attributive relational Process.  Viewed 'from above', it construes 'being–&–having', not 'doing–&–happening'.  Viewed 'from roundabout', the unmarked present tense for lead in such a clause is the simple present leads, rather than the present–in–present is leading, which rules out the material Process analysis.

kk
Australia II
was leading
by the same margin
Medium
Process
Range
Extent
Carrier
relational: intensive
Attribute: circumstantial

ll
she (Australia II)
was
21 seconds ahead
around the fifth mark
Medium
Process
Range
Location
Carrier
relational: intensive
Attribute: circumstantial


[2] In clause [y] the Americans serves as Agent, not Medium, and in clause [dd] Liberty serves as Medium, not Agent.

y
at the second mark
the Americans
had increased
their lead
to 46 seconds
Location
Agent
Process
Medium
Extent
Actor
material
Goal

dd
Liberty
surged
ahead
Medium
Process
Location: motion: away from
Actor
material


[3] In clause [kk] 'being ahead' is construed as Process and circumstantial Attribute, not just Process, and in clause [ll] also as Process and circumstantial Attribute, not just Attribute.

[4] The relation between Medium and Process is complementarity, not extension, for reasons previously given.

[5] The relation between Agent and Nucleus is enhancement, not extension, because the Agent is the external cause of the Process unfolding through the Medium.