[45] Some Problems With Non-Iterative/Non-Nuclear/Linear Structures

Doran (2021):

Blogger Comments:

To be clear, here Doran is looking for structures that fit the combination of factors that specify the last unfilled cell of his table.

Ignoring all the previously noted problems with the factors themselves, by the logic of the table, Doran should be looking for a structure that is:

1. the non-nuclear counterpart of subjacency duplexes, and
2. the non-iterative counterpart of covariate lexical relations, and
3. the linear counterpart of relational clauses without a Process.

He tentatively suggests:

• correlative conjunctions in English, or
• clitic doubling in Spanish, or
• full reduplication in Sundanese.

There is no argument as to how these satisfy the three requirements above, and in the case of correlative conjunctions — which do not, in themselves, constitute a structure — the structure that they mark is a paratactic clause complex, a univariate structure, which, in terms of Doran's factors is:

• iterative rather than non-iterative, and
• non-linear rather than linear.

[21] Misconstruing A Spanish Prepositional Phrase As A Complex

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'):