Sunday 29 December 2013

Watching, Meditating, Contemplating


Halliday & Matthiessen (2004: 251-2):
The verb watch is anomalous: in I’m watching you, the tense suggests a behavioural process but the you appears as a participant, like the Phenomenon of a ‘mental’ clause.  Since this is restricted to watch, we can label this participant as Phenomenon, indicating the ‘mental’ analogue.
The philosopher
is watching
The Meaning Of Life
Behaver
Process: behavioural
Phenomenon

The philosopher
is meditating
on the meaning of life
Behaver
Process: behavioural
Matter

but:

The philosopher
is contemplating
the meaning of life
Senser
Process: mental
Phenomenon



Halliday & Matthiessen (2004: 450-1):
… mental clauses representing an ‘undecided’ state of mind are used to project indirect questions.  These include clauses of wondering and doubting, finding out and checking, and contemplating, which tend to be characterised by special lexical verbs such as wonder, ascertain

Tuesday 24 December 2013

'Impinging' Sensing Realised Metaphorically As Happening: Senser As Location


the thought
occurred
to me

Medium
Actor
Process:
material
Location
metaphorical
Agent
Phenomenon
Process:
mental
Medium
Senser
congruent

Saturday 21 December 2013

'Impinging' Sensing Realised Metaphorically As Happening: Senser As Scope

the thought
crossed
my mind

Medium
Actor
Process:
material
Range
Scope
metaphorical
Agent
Phenomenon
Process:
mental
Medium
Senser
congruent

cf the alternative construal as Qualitative Process:

the thought
crossed (‘made cross’)
my mind
Agent
Attributor
Process/Range
Process: relational/Attribute
Medium
Carrier

Friday 13 December 2013

Idea Clause Projected By Impinging Mental Process Clause


it
struck
her
that
God
is
a metaphor
Subject
Finite/Predicator
Complement
Subject
Finite
Complement

Process: mental: cognition
Senser
Carrier
Process: relational
Attribute

cf

it
surprised
her
that God is a metaphor
Sub-
Finite/Predicator
Complement
-ject
Pheno-
Process: mental: emotion (?)
Senser
-menon


Note that difference here lies in the fact that, in the first example, the mental clause projects the attributive clause into "semiotic existence", whereas in the second example, the attributive clause already existed as a pre-projected fact which caused the Senser to be surprised.