Monday 24 July 2017

A Stylistic Use Of Verbal Assignment

'We were practising for the panto Captain Ransom puts on at Christmas.'  Danny now seemed more confident.
'I can confirm that.'  Sandy confirmed it.

I
can confirm
that
Sandy
confirmed
it
Attributor
Process
Attribute
Carrier
Attributor
Process
Attribute
Carrier

Here confirm is interpreted as 'say (as) true' — the verbal assignment of an attributive relation.  It could also be interpreted as a verbal Process, though this would be less informative.

In using confirm, the author has identified the more delicate category of statement (speech function) realised by each of the clauses.

Instead of construing a projection nexus such as 'I can confirm that' said Sandy, the author has presented a quote juxtaposed with an agnate report.   In doing so, the relation between the two is effected cohesively rather than structurally: by anaphoric reference (that < it) and lexical cohesion (repetition of confirm).

This might also be seen as an ingenious way of getting around the absence of projection as a cohesive conjunctive relation.

No comments:

Post a Comment