Doran (2021):
Blogger Comments:
[1] To be clear, from the perspective of SFL Theory, the logical structure of this nominal group is:
That is, what Martin terms 'subjacency complex' is actually the prepositional phrase serving as Postmodifier of the nominal group, and what he terms 'clitic' is actually the preposition of that prepositional phrase.
Importantly, although Martin interprets the prepositional phrase as a logical structure, a complex of Modifier and Head, prepositional phrases do not actually have a logical structure, because they are not groups (or complexes). Halliday & Matthiessen (2014: 425):
But note that prepositional phrases are phrases, not groups; they have no logical structure as Head and Modifier, and cannot be reduced to a single element. In this respect, they are clause-like rather than group-like;
Moreover, in terms of constituency, Martin's analysis of the Spanish nominal group is inconsistent with his previous analysis of the English nominal group, since in the Spanish example, the preposition forms a complex with the nominal within the prepositional phrase, whereas, in the English example, the preposition forms a complex with the nominals outside the prepositional phrase.
[2] To be clear, the interpretation of de ruedas as Classifier, rather than Qualifier, is called into question by instances such as los neutrinos solares ('solar neutrinos'):
