Complementarity: Managing Contradiction

Material Doing & Relational Being As Complementary Perspectives On A ‘Quantum Of Change’

Halliday & Matthiessen (1999: 132): 

Figures of doing and being can be interpreted as complementary perspectives on a ‘quantum of change’. 

Construed as doing, a change appears as a change in the thusness of a participant. 

Construed as being, the change appears as an achieved or attainable result.

Consider a causal consequence such as [doing:] ‘he washed it’ —<so>—> [being:] ‘it was clean’. 

This quantum of change may be construed as two figures, as it is here (He washed it, so it was clean.). 

Alternatively, it may be construed as one figure, in which case it may adopt either point of view. 

If construed as doing, he washed it clean, the figure is elaborated with a result. 

If construed as being, he made it (be) clean, the figure is enhanced with an agentive Attributor. 

The wording he cleaned it embodies both perspectives in a single process.

he	washed	it	clean
Actor	material	Goal	resultative Attribute
Agent	Process	Medium	Range
Attributor	relational	Carrier	Attribute
he	made	it	clean

Actor	Process: material		Goal
he	cleaned		it
Attributor	Process: relational	Attribute	Carrier