The Thought Occurs

Thursday 26 June 2014

Clause Structure Vs Clause Complex Structure


Clause: Multivariate


Halliday & Matthiessen (2004: 384):
A multivariate structure is a configuration of different functional relationships … . Note that, although it is the functions that are labelled, the structure actually consists of the relationships among them.

Clause Complex: Univariate


Halliday & Matthiessen (2004: 383-4):
The tactic structures of complexes are relational in nature; they are the kind of structure that we have called univariate, to distinguish it from the multivariate structures … . A univariate structure is an iteration of the same functional relationship; … Such iterative structures are unique to the logical mode of meaning; they are formed out of logico-semantic relations.

Wednesday 25 June 2014

Unmarked Vs Marked Themes In Declarative Clauses

Halliday & Matthiessen (2004: 73, 74):
In a declarative clause, the typical pattern is one in which Theme is conflated with Subject; … We shall refer to the mapping of Theme on to Subject as the unmarked Theme of a declarative clause. The Subject is the element that is chosen as Theme unless there is good reason for choosing something else
A Theme that is something other than the Subject, in a declarative clause, we shall refer to as a marked Theme. The most usual form of marked Theme is an adverbial group … or prepositional phrase … functioning as Adjunct in the clause. Least likely to be thematic is a Complement, which is a nominal group that is not functioning as Subject — something that could have been a Subject but is not … . Sometimes even the Complement from within a prepositional phrase functions as Theme … .

Blogger Comments:

Note that such a clause has either an unmarked Theme or a marked Theme, not both.  Those who ignore Halliday and stupidly think that the Subject is always Theme would have to analyse the clause on your left is the main bedroom as:

on your left
is
the main bedroom
Theme: marked
Rheme
Theme: unmarked

that is, with two distinct 'points of departure' and the 'body of the message' being simply is.

Thursday 5 June 2014

Logico-Semantic Relations Between Process+Medium And Other Participants

Agent — Initiator, Actor (effective), Phenomenon (effective), Sayer (effective), Token (effective), Attributor, Assigner — and Beneficiary — Client, Recipient, Receiver — are related by enhancement.

Range varies between elaboration — Scope, Behaviour, intensive Attribute, intensive Value (middle) — and projection — Phenomenon (middle), Verbiage.  See Halliday & Matthiessen (1999: 172-6).

Wednesday 4 June 2014

Syllabification: Trinocular Perspective

from above (grammar): morpheme boundary



w
i
z
d
ø
m
from below (phonetics): maximum articulatory closure





from above (grammar): morpheme boundary




m
o
n
s
t
r
ø
s
from below (phonetics): maximum articulatory closure





from above (grammar): morpheme boundary



l
o
b
s
t
ø
from below (phonetics): maximum articulatory closure








Tuesday 3 June 2014

Intonation

Our intonations contain our philosophy of life,
what each of us is constantly telling himself about things.

Marcel Proust