Tuesday 22 May 2018

Assigned Attributive Clauses vs Creative Material Clauses [Diagnostics]


Halliday & Matthiessen (2014: 288-9):
We may note that there is a type of clause that is agnate to those with verbs of appearance in which the Carrier is construed on the model of a circumstance of Means (of the subtype ‘material’) marked by of or out of; for example:
‘It makes a mockery of the slogan which many of them use, “To Protect and Serve”,’ he said.
I mean, I think she’s made an absolute fool of herself
No one’s gonna make a fool out of me
These relational clauses resemble creative material ones with a circumstance of Means such as you could make fortune out of any one of your loves. However, in such material clauses the circumstance of Means can be left out: you could make a fortune, whereas the Carrier/Means cannot be left out of an assigned relational clause: we cannot say she’s made an absolute fool without of herself. Creative verbs other than make can serve as the Process, e.g. create, produce, develop. Further, there is a receptive option with such material clauses, e.g. a fortune could be made (by you) out of any of your loves, but there is no receptive version of assigned relational clauses of this type: an absolute fool has been made (by her) of herself is odd.