BEING AND HAVING: THE TRANSITIVITY OF RELATIONAL AND EXISTENTIAL PROCESSES

28Functional Grammar

BEING AND HAVING: THE TRANSITIVITY OF RELATIONAL AND EXISTENTIAL PROCESSES

Introduction

Relational processes are processes about what things are, what they are like, and what they possess (Lock, 1996: 126). This category expresses the notion of being something or somewhere (Downing and Locke, 2002: 131). There are three types of relational processes. They are attributive, identifying, and possessive processes (Lock, 1996: 128). We will look at each of these relational processes in turn. Then we will turn our attention to existential processes.

Relational Processes

a. Attributive Relational Processes

In a clause containing attributive relational process, there is a participant to which an Attributive is assigned. This participant is known as the Carrier of the Attribute. The relationship between the Carrier and the Attribute is such that the Carrier is in some way the Attribute. The contribution of the Attribute is to characterise the Carrier. Study the following examples:

CarrierLinking VerbAttribute

1. Johnisgenerous.

2. Theyareworld-class footballers.

3. the boy,whois the thief.

In (1), the Attribute is a kind of quality of the Carrier, while in numbers (2) and (3), the Carriers belong to particular classes of entities. Carrier and Attribute are linked by a linking verb and in the above examples, the verbs are the various forms of the verb be.

Types of Attribute

The first type of Attribute is the quality type which is usually expressed by an adjective or adjective group (generous in (1)), while the class type of Attribute is expressed by a noun or noun group (world-class footballers, the thief in (2) and (3) above) (Lock, 1996: 127). The process can be expressed as a state using state verbs such as be, keep, remain, stay, seem and appear; or as a transition using verbs of transition like become, get, turn, turn out, grow, run, and end up. In the former type of process, the Attribute is seen as existing at the same time as the process described by the verb and is sometimes called the current Attribute. In the latter type of process, the Attribute exists as the result of the process and can be called the resulting Attribute (Downing and Locke, 2002: 132).

Current AttributeResulting Attribute

4a. She was quiet.4b. She fell silent.

((Task 1

(15 minutes)

Which of the following sentences have current Attributes and which have resulting Attributes?

1. She became the Prime Minister.

2. She remained the Prime Minister.

3. The charcoal turned into ash.

4. The charcoal is red.

5. The surface is rough.

6. The surface has become rough.

7. The child gets tired easily.

8. The child looks tired.

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The third type of Attribute represents circumstances. These are processes of being in which the circumstantial element is essential to the situation (Downing and Locke, 2002:133). Circumstance Attributes are typically expressed by prepositional phrases as shown in the following examples:

CarrierCircumstance

Location in space. The football pitch is

over there.

Location in time6. The final examination will be

on the 3rd of September.

Extent in space7. The national park stretches

from the north of the island to the south west.

xtent in time8. The musical lastedtwo hours forty-five minutes

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Expansion of Attributes

Attributes are expressed mainly by Adjective Groups. Attributes represented by adjectives can be expanded into adjective groups and these Attributes can be premodified by adverbs, nouns and other adjectives. In an adjective group, there can be three structural elements head (adjective:), premodifier (adverb, noun, adjective) and qualifier (phrases and clauses) (Dowing and Locke, 2002: 512). The following are three examples of Adjective Groups.

PremodifierAttribute (Head)Qualifier

Adverbsveryeasyto solve this problem

Nounscardinalredgown

Adjectiveslightbluesash and ribbon

Many adjective groups are realised only by the head element. Syntactically, these groups function typically as modifiers in Noun Groups and Subject complements in clauses. Semantically, they can express a state (lonely), a process (increasing), space (southern), time (ancient), activity (creative), emotion (odious), evaluation (true), specification (main), etc. (Downing and Locke, 2002: 512).

b. Identifying Relational Processes

In some clauses, one participant is identified by equating it with another participant in the same clause. Such clauses are called identifying process clauses. Examples of such clauses are as follows:

IdentifiedIdentifier

9. The musical is Les Miserables.

10. The river linking the north to the south isthe Klang river.

11. Johnismy brother.

The first participant in the clause, known as the Identified equals the second participant which is known as the Identifier. Since they are equals, such clauses can therefore be reversed or they are reversible (Les Miserables is the musical, The Klang river is the river linking the north to the south, My brother is John). This is the main difference between them and the Atrributive relational clauses.

c. Possessive Relational Processes

The following are three examples of clauses containing possessive relational processes.

PossessorPossessed

12. The infant hasbrown eyes

13. The king ownsthe castle

14. Those bottlescontaincooking oil

In such clauses, the relationship between the two participants is one of possession: one being the Possessor and the other, the Possessed. The linking verb is usually have but as you can see in the above examples, the verbs own and contain are also used. Existential Processes

These are processes of existing or happening and they consist of only one participant known as the Existent.

Existent

15. There isa ladyat the door

16. Theresroast chickenfor dinner

17. Therewasa paradein town.

18. There has beenan explosion at the port.

The Existent can be an object or an event or situation, usually represented by a noun phrase (a lady, roast chicken, a parade, an explosion).

Verbs other than be are also used in existential clauses. They include intransitive words such as remain and stand which express positonal states and verbs such as occur and follow which express the notion of occurring, coming into view or arrival on the scene (Downing and Locke, 2002: 139). Now complete Task 4.

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((Task 2

(20 minutes)

Below are examples of clauses containing existential processes. Identify the verb in each clause and state whether it expresses positional states or notions of occurring, coming into view or arrival on the scene.

1. Below the monastry there stretches a sandy beach.

2. On the wall of the prison there hangs a mural.

3. There appeared on the screen twenty-two skillful football players.

4. There emerged from the balcony the queen of England.

5. Out of the fog there loomed an apparition.

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Summary

Basically, there are three types of relational processes namely attribute, identifying and possessive. In attributive relational clauses, there is a participant known as the Carrier. The Carrier is assigned an Attribute and the former is mapped onto the Subject of the clause while the latter is mapped onto the Complement of the clause. In Identifying relational clauses, one participant is equated to another. The participant which is identified is the Identified and the participant that identifies the Identified is known as the Identifier. Possessive relational clauses have two participants the Possessor and the Possessed usually linked by the verb have. Existential process clauses comprise a participant (the Existent), the word there and usually the verb be.