Transcript Document

Process types
Lengua Inglesa II
Tom Morton
The semantic representation of
clauses.
A clause represents a pattern of experience, conceptualised
as a semantic configuration. A semantic configuration consists
of:
processes, participants and circumstances.
The dog
bit
the postman
yesterday
participant
process
participant
circumstance
Process types (overview)
• material: processes of ‘doing’ (kick, run, paint, construct, dig,
write, repair, send, give)
• mental: processes of ‘experiencing’ or ‘sensing’ (see, hear,
know, feel, believe, think, like)
• relational: processes of ‘being’ or ‘becoming’ in which a
participant is characterised, or identified, or situated
circumstantially (be, seem, stand, lie, become, turn, get)
• verbal (say, tell),
• existential (there is a problem),
• behavioural (laugh, cry).
Process Type Sub-category
Example
Material
Event (happening)
The sugar dissolved.
The lion sprang.
Action (doing)
She stirred the coffee.
The lion caught the tourist.
Perception
She saw the car.
Cognition
She forgot his name.
Tim realised that he was in a big city.
Affection
She liked his music.
Attributive
Maggie was strong
Peter has a piano.
Identifying
Maggie was our leader.
The piano is Peter’s.
Mental
Relational
Behavioural
She laughed
Verbal
She said what she wanted.
Mike told us his plan.
Existential
There was once a beautiful princess.
Material Processes
Actor: the Actor of a process
can be either:
• the Agent of the process
(must be an animate entity
capable of conscious action)
• Inanimate Agent or
Force (where the Actor
is not animate)
The Prime
Minister
resigned
Actor: agent
Process:
material
Lightning
struck
the oak tree
Actor: force
Process: Goal
material
The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,
And seeing that it was a soft October night,
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.
From The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot
Goal: The goal can be either:
Affected (if the Goal exists before the process but is affected by it):
The avalanche
buried
the climbers
Actor: force
Process: material
Goal: affected
Effected (if the Goal is created by the process):
Mary
made
an omelette
Actor: agent
Process:
Goal: effected
material
Recipient and Beneficiary
Recipient: participant to whom the action is directed and who
receives the goods:
I
Actor: agent
gave
Process: material
the kids
some money
Recipient
Goal: affected
Beneficiary: participant for whom some service is done: I’ll make
you an omelette.
I
Actor: agent
will make
Process: material
you
an omelette
Beneficiary
Goal: effected
Range
Ranges are participants specifying the scope of the action:
She sang a new song.
They played some games.
He ran a good race.
Ranges are often associated with what are sometimes called delexical
verbs. In ‘he dined at eight’ ‘dined’ is lexical. English also allows you to
say ‘He had dinner at eight’, where ‘dinner’ is a range and ‘had’ is
delexical. More examples:
Have an argument, a chat, a drink, a quarrel
Make a comment, a suggestion, a mistake, a payment
Take a shower, a walk, a photo, nap, leap
Give a presentation, a kiss, a push, a shove
Actor and Goal with Ergative verbs: the Subject of an
intransitive clause with an ergative should be seen as the Goal,
not the Actor:
The glass
broke
Goal: affected
Process: material
Actor and Goal in passive sentences: in a passive sentence,
what was Object in the active sentence becomes the Subject, and
keeps the same semantic role:
You
will be made
an omelette
Beneficiary
Process: material
Goal: effected
Exercise: Participants with material
processes
Identify the participant roles in the following sentences:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
She built the house for the kids.
The house was built for the kids.
Bill climbed the mountain.
Paul dug a hole.
I was attacked by three thugs.
The piano has been polished by the maid.
The children were sent presents by their grandparents.
Three thugs attacked me on the street.
They made a fatal mistake.
Most people can sing one or two Beatles songs.
Mental Processes
Senser: the one who sees, feels, likes, etc.
Phenomenon: the participant which is perceived, known, liked,
etc.
The rider
heard
a noise
Senser
Process: mental
Phenomenon
I
thought
that she was coming
Senser
Process: mental
Phenomenon
That you like ice-cream
pleases
me
Phenomenon
Process: mental
Senser
Clause rewriting exercise
Rewrite each of the clauses so that the senser coincides with the
subject, e.g.
(a) The results delighted us.
(b) We were delighted with the results.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
Neither of the proposals pleased the members of the
commission.
His presence of mind amazed us.
The dramatic increase of crime in the cities is alarming the
government.
The fact that she seems unable to lose weight worries her.
Will the fact that you forgot to phone annoy your wife?
Downing & Locke, 2006: 170
Answers
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
The members of the commission were not pleased by/with
either of the proposals.
We were amazed at/by his presence of mind.
The government is alarmed at/by the dramatic increase of
crime in the cities.
She is worried by the fact that she seems unable to lose
weight.
Will your wife be annoyed by the fact that you forgot to
phone?
Verbal Processes
Sayer: the one who speaks the message.
Verbiage: what is said.
Addressee (if present): the one who is spoken to.
John
said
something
Sayer
Process: verbal
Verbiage
John
told
me
to go
Sayer
Process: verbal
Addressee
Verbiage
“Get out of here!”
she
screamed
Verbiage
Sayer
Process: verbal
Relational Processes
These processes are mostly those with ‘be’ and ‘have’ as the main verb (also
‘seem’, ‘appear’, and also words of sensing when the Complement is an
adjectival phrase (I felt sad). These verbs do not in general passivise. We will
identify 2 main types here:
John
is
very sick.
Carrier
Process:relational
Attribute
John
is
the president
Carrier
Process:relational
Attribute/identifying
That book
is
mine
Possessed/Carrier
Process: relational
Possessor/Attribute
Existential Processes
These are processes of existing or happening. The only participant is the
Existent. Existential processes don’t just state that something exists, but
expand it in some way, often by adding quantitative information or the location
of the Existent:
There are
some people
in the park
Process:existential
Existent
Circumstance: locative
Example
Process
Participant(s)
1.
material
agent + affected
material
agent
manner
material
agent + effected
locative
material
agent + rec +
affected + ben
material
force + affected
material
material
material
(happening)
mental
(perception)
affected
affected
affected
6.
7.
8.
We carried our
luggage
The spectators
cheered
enthusiastically.
The gardener dug a
hole in the garden.
She gave me a
bracelet for my
daughter.
A stone broke the
window.
The water boiled.
The window broke.
The dog died.
9.
I can smell the gas.
2.
3.
4.
5.
senser +
phenomenon
Attribu Circumstance
te
Example
Process
Participant
10. He slipped on the
ice.
11. I can’t understand
their objections.
12. We believe that he
is right.
13. Phil knows the
answer.
14. Tom is mean
material
(involuntary)
mental
(cognition)
mental
affected
15. That car is mine.
16. He remained the
leader.
17. The water feels
cold
18. I didn’t say that
mental
relational
(att)
relational
(poss)
relational
(att)
relational
(att)
verbal
Attribute
Circum
stance
locative
senser +
phenomenon
senser +
phenomenon
senser +
phenomenon
carrier
characterising
possessed
possessor
carrier
carrier
current
sayer +
verbiage
Adapted from From Downing & Locke, 2006: 166