25.12.2013 Views

0 INTRODUCTION

0 INTRODUCTION

0 INTRODUCTION

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

1. THE CONCEPT OF NOMINALIZATION<br />

The complex semantics of nominalizations is also the topic of a volume edited by<br />

Rathert and Alexiadou (2010). The importance of this work lies in the fine distinctions<br />

established in the semantics of nominalizations across languages (including Germanic<br />

languages such as German and English, Uralic languages such as Hungarian, and<br />

Romance languages such as Italian and French), as well as on the different theoretical<br />

points of view adopted by the contributors, namely formal and lexical semantics, lexicalfuctional<br />

grammar, and discourse representation theory, among others.<br />

1.3.5. Nominalization as an instance of grammatical metaphor<br />

Within the framework of Systemic Functional Linguistics, authors such as Halliday (2004<br />

[1985]; see also Halliday and Martin 1993, Banks 2008) see nominalizations as instances<br />

of grammatical metaphor. Human language is “a complex semiotic system, having<br />

various levels, or strata” (Halliday 2004 [1985]: 24), namely phonetics and phonology<br />

(both belonging to the expression domain) and, on the other hand, lexicogrammar and<br />

semantics (both belonging to the content domain). The key strata for the explanation of<br />

grammatical metaphor are those of the content domain, namely, lexicogrammar and<br />

semantics. As is well known, language is a key tool for interacting with other people. To<br />

carry out this task, language must deal with factors that go beyond the linguistic system.<br />

Thus, language must make sense of reality and social relations and try to organize them<br />

into words. This task is carried out in two stages. The first is the transformation of<br />

experience and interpersonal relationships into meaning (stratum of semantics). The<br />

second deals with the transformation of meaning into words (stratum of lexicogrammar).<br />

34

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!