27. Semantic structure of the sentence

The meaning of the clause

• Representational / experiential meaning: expression of our interpretation of the world as we experience it

• Interpersonal meaning –interaction with others:

1. giving information;

2. asking for information;

3. giving a directive

Representational / experiential meaning of the clause:

• Like a word, the clause can perform the nominating function;

• it names entire situations / states of affairs (not individual substances, properties or processes);

• The clause structure reflecting typical situations of the real or imaginary worlds is called a proposition / semantic structure.

The sem structure of the S was 1^st described by Fillmore in his book ‘The Case for Case’. The 2 main components of the sem structure are: modality – the features of mood, tense, aspect, negation… relating to the S as a whole (not morphological modality); proposition – a tenseless set of relationship . The proposition is constituted by the sem predicate & a set of nominative elements called arguments. S = modality + proposition; P = V +n1+n2+n3 (nominal elements)

Components of the proposition: semantic roles / functions:

• processes (actions, events, states, types of behaviour);

• participants (entities of all kinds, animate and inanimate, concrete and abstract, that are involved in the processes);

• attributes (qualities and characteristics of the participants);

• circumstances (any kind of subsidiary fact or situation associated with the process or the main situation).

PROCESS – the central part of the situation

1. Material – processes of

• ‘doing’ =actions: kick, paint, dig, write, repair;

• ‘happening’ = events: die, run, go, arrive, fall, rise;

‘behaving’: smile, laugh, breathe, cough;

2. Mental – processes of ‘experiencing’ / ‘sensing’:

• perception: see, hear, feel, smell;

• affection: like, hate, regret, admire;

• cognition: know, feel, believe, think, forget;

3. Relational – processes of ‘being’ or ‘becoming’: be, seem, stand, become, turn;

4. Verbal: say, tell, talk, reply;

5. Existential: be, exist, happen, remain, occur.

Valency – the number of participants involved in a process

• The nature of the process determines how many and what kind of participants are involved.

• monovalent, bivalent, trivalent processes

Participants of Material processes:

1. Agent (doer) – a living being (usually a human) capable of operating on oneself or others to bring about some change in the location or properties:

The Prime Minister resigned.

The spectators cheered.

2. Force (the inanimate Agent):

Lightning struck the oak tree.

Anxiety can ruin your health.

3. The Affected participant / Patient / Goal – that which is affected by the material process.

Ted kicked the ball.

The child ate the chocolate.

4. The Effected participant / Result – the resulting object of the material process (created or brought into being by the process):

Mary made an omelette.

The gardener dug a hole.

5. Recipient – the one to whom the action is directed and who receives the 'goods'.

I'll give the children some sweets.

Bill's father lent us his car.

6. Beneficiary – the optional participant for whom some service is done (not necessarily directly taking part in the process).

She mixed James a cocktail.