Fact As Projection, Act As Expansion

Halliday (1994: 269):

Embedded Projections

Halliday (1994: 263):

Embedded Expansions

Halliday (1994: 243):

Embedding vs Taxis

Halliday (1994: 242):

Types Of Embedding

Halliday (1994: 242):

Subject In Non-Finite Enhancing Clauses

Halliday (1994: 238):

Qualifier

Halliday (1994: 187-8):

Rank Shift As An Alternative To Metaphorical Class Shift

Halliday & Matthiessen (1999: 261):

… we find that rank shift sometimes operates as an alternative to class shift of this metaphorical kind. In examples A-1 and A-2, there is metaphorical class shift:

A-1 a cow is a ruminating quadruped [verb: adjective; process => quality]

A-2 your escape was a miracle [verb: noun; process => thing]

In B-1 and B-2, on the other hand, there is rank shift but no class shift; these are the agnate congruent forms:

B-1 a cow is a quadruped that chews the cud/ that ruminates

B-2 it was a miracle how/that you got away/ you escaped

Here 'ruminate' and 'escape' remain as process, without shifting in class. This now helps to explain the meaning of forms such as C-1 and C-2:

C-1 a cow is a cud-chewing quadruped

C-2 it was a miracle you/your getting away

These represent a kind of semantic compromise, a means of having it both ways. The junction is now as it were symmetrical, with the time line removed, so that 'chew + cud', 'you + escape' are simultaneously both figures and (parts of) elements. What the grammar is construing here is an exchange of functions without shifting class; the figure takes on a special kind of clausal structure which conserves the transitivity relations.

Metaphor And Rankshift

Halliday & Matthiessen (1999: 259-60):

Rank shift is not inherently metaphorical. There is a parallel here between rank shift and class shift. In origin, both these could be described as metaphorical semogenic processes: a verb or adjective is metamorphosed into a noun (a shift of class, e.g. strong : strength, lose : loss), a clause is metamorphosed into a group (a shift of rank, e.g. they went bankrupt : their bankruptcy). 

But as a synchronic relation neither of these necessarily involves metaphor; there may be no systematic alternation such as there is between a metaphoric and a congruent form. We have already discussed non-metaphorical forms of class shift, under the heading of transcategorisation. Similarly, in the following examples of rank shift, where a clause is rankshifted to function either as Head (1,2) or as Qualifier (3, 4) of a nominal group, no grammatical metaphor is involved.

1. [[Not having a proper job]] made my life unbearable

(semantically) non-projected figure as participant

(grammatically) clause (as Head of nominal group) functioning (as Agent) in clause structure: "act" type

2. [[How they escaped]] was a mystery

(semantically) projected figure as participant

(grammatically) clause (as Head of nominal group) functioning (as Carrier) in clause structure: "fact" type

3. That woman [[(who was) sitting behind the desk]] reminded me of Tracy

(semantically) non-projected figure as quality

(grammatically) clause functioning as Qualifier of nominal group ("defining relative" clause)

4. The idea ([that anyone would visit/ of anyone visiting]] seems incredible

(semantically) projected figure as quality

(grammatically) clause functioning as Qualifier of nominal group

Grammatical Syntagm, Rank Scale & Rankshift

Halliday & Matthiessen (1999: 9-10):

[A] sequence of classes is called a syntagm to distinguish it from the (function) structure. It specifies constraints on the units serving within the clause — the units on the rank below the clause on the grammatical rank scale. The rank scale determines the overall constituency potential in the grammar: in English, clauses consist of groups (/ phrases), groups consist of words, and words consist of morphemes. The units below the clause on the rank scale are all groups (nominal, verbal adverbial, etc.) or phrases (prepositional phrases), or else clauses that are shifted downwards on the rank scale to serve as if they were groups or phrases. Such down-ranking is known as rankshift. This has the powerful effect of expanding the resources of grammar by allowing the meaning potential of a higher-ranking unit to enrich that of a unit of lower rank.