Process types

Lengua Inglesa II
Tom Morton
 The semantic representation of
clauses.

A clause represents a pattern of experience, conceptualised

as a semantic configuration. A semantic configuration consists
of:
processes, participants and circumstances.

The dog bit the postman yesterday

participant process participant circumstance

 Process types (overview)
• material: processes of ‘doing’ (kick, run, paint, construct, dig,
write, repair, send, give)

• mental: processes of ‘experiencing’ or ‘sensing’ (see, hear,

know, feel, believe, think, like)

• relational: processes of ‘being’ or ‘becoming’ in which a

participant is characterised, or identified, or situated
circumstantially (be, seem, stand, lie, become, turn, get)

• verbal (say, tell),

• existential (there is a problem),

• behavioural (laugh, cry).

Process Type Sub-category Example

Material Event (happening) The sugar dissolved.

The lion sprang.
Action (doing) She stirred the coffee.
The lion caught the tourist.
Mental Perception She saw the car.
Cognition She forgot his name.
Tim realised that he was in a big city.
Affection She liked his music.
Relational Attributive Maggie was strong
Peter has a piano.
Identifying Maggie was our leader.
The piano is Peter’s.
Behavioural She laughed
Verbal She said what she wanted.
Mike told us his plan.
Existential There was once a beautiful princess.
 Material Processes

Actor: the Actor of a process

can be either: The Prime resigned
Minister

• the Agent of the process Actor: agent Process:

(must be an animate entity material
capable of conscious action)

Lightning struck the oak tree

• Inanimate Agent or
Force (where the Actor Actor: force Process: Goal
is not animate) material
The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,
And seeing that it was a soft October night,
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.

From The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot

 Goal: The goal can be either:
Affected (if the Goal exists before the process but is affected by it):

The avalanche buried the climbers

Actor: force Process: material Goal: affected

Effected (if the Goal is created by the process):

Mary made an omelette

Actor: agent Process: Goal: effected
material
 Recipient and Beneficiary
Recipient: participant to whom the action is directed and who
receives the goods:

I gave the kids some money

Actor: agent Process: material Recipient Goal: affected

Beneficiary: participant for whom some service is done: I’ll make

you an omelette.

I will make you an omelette

Actor: agent Process: material Beneficiary Goal: effected

 Range
Ranges are participants specifying the scope of the action:

She sang a new song.

They played some games.
He ran a good race.

Ranges are often associated with what are sometimes called delexical
verbs. In ‘he dined at eight’ ‘dined’ is lexical. English also allows you to
say ‘He had dinner at eight’, where ‘dinner’ is a range and ‘had’ is
delexical. More examples:

Have an argument, a chat, a drink, a quarrel

Make a comment, a suggestion, a mistake, a payment
Take a shower, a walk, a photo, nap, leap
Give a presentation, a kiss, a push, a shove
Actor and Goal with Ergative verbs: the Subject of an
intransitive clause with an ergative should be seen as the Goal,
not the Actor:

The glass broke

Goal: affected Process: material

Actor and Goal in passive sentences: in a passive sentence,

what was Object in the active sentence becomes the Subject, and
keeps the same semantic role:

You will be made an omelette

Beneficiary Process: material Goal: effected

 Exercise: Participants with material
processes
Identify the participant roles in the following sentences:

1. She built the house for the kids.

2. The house was built for the kids.
3. Bill climbed the mountain.
4. Paul dug a hole.
5. I was attacked by three thugs.
6. The piano has been polished by the maid.
7. The children were sent presents by their grandparents.
8. Three thugs attacked me on the street.
9. They made a fatal mistake.
10. Most people can sing one or two Beatles songs.
 Mental Processes
Senser: the one who sees, feels, likes, etc.
Phenomenon: the participant which is perceived, known, liked,
etc.

The rider heard a noise

Senser Process: mental Phenomenon

I thought that she was coming

Senser Process: mental Phenomenon

That you like ice-cream pleases me

Phenomenon Process: mental Senser
 Clause rewriting exercise
Rewrite each of the clauses so that the senser coincides with the
subject, e.g.
(a) The results delighted us.
(b) We were delighted with the results.

(1) Neither of the proposals pleased the members of the

commission.
(2) His presence of mind amazed us.
(3) The dramatic increase of crime in the cities is alarming the
government.
(4) The fact that she seems unable to lose weight worries her.
(5) Will the fact that you forgot to phone annoy your wife?

Downing & Locke, 2006: 170

 Answers

(1) The members of the commission were not pleased by/with

either of the proposals.
(2) We were amazed at/by his presence of mind.
(3) The government is alarmed at/by the dramatic increase of
crime in the cities.
(4) She is worried by the fact that she seems unable to lose
weight.
(5) Will your wife be annoyed by the fact that you forgot to
phone?
 Verbal Processes
Sayer: the one who speaks the message.
Verbiage: what is said.
Addressee (if present): the one who is spoken to.

John said something

Sayer Process: verbal Verbiage

John told me to go
Sayer Process: verbal Addressee Verbiage

“Get out of here!” she screamed

Verbiage Sayer Process: verbal
 Relational Processes
These processes are mostly those with ‘be’ and ‘have’ as the main verb (also
‘seem’, ‘appear’, and also words of sensing when the Complement is an
adjectival phrase (I felt sad). These verbs do not in general passivise. We will
identify 2 main types here:

John is very sick.

Carrier Process:relational Attribute

John is the president

Carrier Process:relational Attribute/identifying

That book is mine

Possessed/Carrier Process: relational Possessor/Attribute
 Existential Processes

These are processes of existing or happening. The only participant is the

Existent. Existential processes don’t just state that something exists, but
expand it in some way, often by adding quantitative information or the location
of the Existent:

There are some people in the park

Process:existential Existent Circumstance: locative

Example Process Participant(s) Attribu Circumstance
te
1. We carried our material agent + affected
luggage
2. The spectators material agent manner
cheered
enthusiastically.
3. The gardener dug a material agent + effected locative
hole in the garden.
4. She gave me a material agent + rec +
bracelet for my affected + ben
daughter.
5. A stone broke the material force + affected
window.
6. The water boiled. material affected
7. The window broke. material affected
8. The dog died. material affected
(happening)
9. I can smell the gas. mental senser +
(perception) phenomenon
Example Process Participant Attribute Circum
stance
10. He slipped on the material affected locative
ice. (involuntary)
11. I can’t understand mental senser +
their objections. (cognition) phenomenon
12. We believe that he mental senser +
is right. phenomenon
13. Phil knows the mental senser +
answer. phenomenon
14. Tom is mean relational carrier characterising
(att)
15. That car is mine. relational possessed possessor
(poss)
16. He remained the relational carrier
leader. (att)
17. The water feels relational carrier current
cold (att)
18. I didn’t say that verbal sayer +
verbiage

Adapted from From Downing & Locke, 2006: 166