Friday 28 June 2013

Predicated Theme: Encoding Identifying Clause

It
is
John
that
I
love
Theme
Rheme
Theme
Rheme
Theme
Rheme


New
Given
Sub-
Finite
Complement
-ject
Val-
Process
Token/Identifier
-ue/Identified
Head/Thing


Postmodifier/Qualifier

For the textual and interpersonal analyses, see Halliday & Matthiessen (2004: 97, 157).
For the experiential analysis, the reasoning is as follows:
  • for Token-Value structure, compare the agnate clause: John represents the one that I love where John functions as (the less abstract) Token (see Halliday & Matthiessen 2004: 231);
  • for Identifier-Identified structure, consider the probe: Which represents the one that I love?; that is, the one that I love is identified by John, so John functions as the Identifier (see Halliday & Matthiessen 2004: 228).  Also, in the unmarked case, the Identifier conflates with the New information, as it does here (Halliday & Matthiessen 2004: 229).
The conflation of Token/Identifier and Value/Identified occurs in encoding identifying clauses.  In such clauses, the identity encodes the Value by reference to the Token, so in this clause, the identity encodes it…that I love by reference to John (see Halliday & Matthiessen (2004: 230).

No comments:

Post a Comment