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some elements of group structure are typically not filled by ‘words’: for
instance, qualifiers in nominal groups are almost always rank shifted
groups or clauses. Furthermore, when an element of group structure can
be filled by a single word, it can equally well, in many cases, be filled by
a higher unit: for example, the completive to a preposition can be a single
word (as in ‘in cities’), but this can be expanded into a nominal group
with more than one element of structure (as in ‘in all the largest cities’).
Another problem is that some elements of group structure can be filled by
items which are not obviously ‘words’ in any meaningful sense, and yet
have to be treated as ‘functioning as a word’ in a Hallidayan model.
Examples include complex prepositions such as ‘in spite of’, ‘because of’,
and complex conjunctions such as ‘in order that’.
In order to resolve these problems, Fawcett removes from the theory
any expectation that elements of group structure will be filled by a
particular kind of unit, or indeed by any kind of unit at all. Some elements
of group structure are indeed filled by units, but others may be expounded
directly by items (for instance, the element p could be expounded directly
by the item ‘in spite of’).
Fawcett’s use of the notion of filling allows him to use the internal structure, or
constituency, of units in his definition of class, instead of Halliday’s criterion of function
in the next highest unit of the rank scale. He points out (Fawcett, 1974, p. 10) that there is
no one-to-one relationship between unit and element of structure (Butler, 1985, p. 96):
Thus, for example, the Adjunct element of clause structure can be filled
by adverbial groups such as ‘very quickly’, prepositional groups (or, as
Fawcett calls them, ‘prepend groups’) such as ‘for a month’, or nominal
groups such as ‘last week’. Fawcett also allows the A element (as well as
the S and C elements) to be filled by a clause.
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING
Butler, C.S. (1985), Systemic Linguistics: Theory and Applications, London, Batsford Academic
and Educational, chs 1, 2, and 6.
Halliday, M.A.K. (1961), ‘Categories of the theory of grammar’, Word, 17:241–92.
K.M.