The Problem Of "Evaluative Enhanced Theme"

Fawcett (2010: 128-9):

Moreover, similar problems would arise for Halliday's analysis of what are termed in the Cardiff Grammar evaluative enhanced theme constructions (i.e., 'extraposition' in the terms of formal grammar) such as It's marvellous to see you again). 

In my view the component of the grammar that would handle Halliday's analyses of such structures will never be built — if only because there are vastly preferable approaches to the problem of modelling such structures.

Blogger Comments:

[1] This is misleading, because it is untrue. Problems do not arise because it is not structures that are conflated, but elements, as previously explained.

[2] To be clear, in SFL Theory, such constructions involve a 'postposed Subject' and are analysed along the following lines:

It	's		marvellous	[[to see you again]]
Theme	Rheme
Sub-	Finite	Predicator	Complement	-ject
Car-	Process		Attribute	-rier
nominal group	verbal group		nominal group	(clause embedded in) nominal group

Here the Theme is simply it, and the Subject and Carrier are realised by an elaborating paratactic nominal group complex (Halliday & Matthiessen 2014: 199):

It	[[to see you again]]
1	= 2

That is,

• the Theme is not evaluative — the evaluation is given rhematic status, and
• the Theme is not enhanced — the Subject is realised by an elaborating nominal group complex.