Fawcett's Claim That Clusters Do Not Function Directly As Clause Elements

Fawcett (2010: 213):

The human proper name cluster (hpnclr) always and only fills the head of a nominal group. Three of its most frequent elements are title (t), one or more forenames (fl, f2, etc), and the family name (fn). Other classes of cluster also name objects, e.g., the address, date, and clock time clusters. See Fawcett (in press) for more details of these.

Occasionally, when a cluster fills the head of a nominal group and there is no other element in it, the cluster may at first appear to function as a direct element of the clause. Examples of the two classes of cluster described here can be seen in the underlined portions of This is my father's or She admired Sir Terence Conran. But this is not evidence that they are functioning directly as elements of the clause, any more than is the occurrence of the items his in This is his and him in She admired him. These are all simply cases of what is termed "singularly branching". Compare examples such as He's not the Terence Conran who I knew twenty years ago.

Blogger Comments:

[1] To be clear, Fawcett (in press) is still unpublished, 21 years after the first edition of this book.

[2] This is misleading, because it is the opposite of what is true. Whether these wordings are termed nominal groups (SFL Theory) or clusters within nominal groups (Cardiff Grammar), they serve functions at clause rank. In SFL Theory, their experiential and interpersonal functions can be identified as follows:

The absurdity of Fawcett's claim can be demonstrated by removing the cluster (nominal group) serving as the final participant from each of these clauses.

[3] This is misleading, because the term 'singularly branching' — merely the notion of a unit (nominal group) composed of a single element (head) — says nothing about whether or not these units function "directly" as clause elements. Fawcett (pp245-6):

Componence is normally represented diagrammatically by lines going down the page, either vertically or diagonally. The lines start from the unit and branch out downwards to the elements below. Sometimes only one element of a unit is used, and in such cases of what is sometimes termed singulary branching there is simply a vertical line from the unit down to the element.