14. Now, we can distinguish between Outer Processes that impinge upon the environment and could be observed or detected from outside, such as ‘bringing’ or ‘jumping’, versus Inner Processes that do not and could not, such as ‘knowing’ or ‘hoping’. In general, Outer ones commonly form Commands, as in [220-21], whilst Inner ones rarely do, as in [222-23].
[220] Waiter! Bring back the pudding! (Alice) [221] Jump, George! Jump! Oh, jump! (Lord Jim)
[222] Know me to be what I am — a cold, hard man. (Eyre)
[223] Do not hope to get at any good author’s meaning without those tools. (Sesame)
15. Two essential factors for relating Participants to Processes emerge from practical tests I call Colligations of Denial. In Denial of Intention, you’d say you ‘didn’t mean to’ do or be something; in Denial of Control, you’d say you ‘couldn’t help’ doing or being it. These Colligations can sort out Processes and Verb Phrases at some Delicacy, witness [224-27] rather than, say [224a-27a].
[224] It’s alright, Josie, I didn’t mean to break your arm (conversation)BNC [224a] ??It’s alright, Josie, I couldn’t help breaking your arm
[225] I didn’t mean to bite your head off. (Garden of Desire) [225a] ??I couldn’t help but bite your head off.
[226] He couldn’t help noticing that the man didn’t have a thumb. (Crow Flies) [226a] ??he didn’t mean to notice that the man didn’t have a thumb
[227] Tolkien could not help seeing a part of himself in Saruman (Road to Middle-Earth) [227a] ??Tolkien didn’t mean to see a part of himself in Saruman.
The social function of pleading to be excused leads to Denials of Intention for Actions you could hardly have ‘meant’ to do anyway, like ‘spilling the soup’ [228], ‘causing a kerfuffle’ [229] or ‘being an idiot’ [230].
[228] She found Will mopping up the remains of his soup from the stone-flagged kitchen floor. ‘Sorry, misses, didn’t mean to spill it’ (Shoemaker’s Daughter)
[229] I thought we were on for charades. I didn’t mean to cause a kerfuffle. (Dynmouth) [230] I didn’t mean to be an idiot! (conversation)BNC
An alternate plea to be excused for not doing something can use the Affirmative ‘meant to’ (having the Intention but not acting on it), often followed by ‘but’ to introduce an expedient impediment to Control.
[231] I’m so sorry. I meant to be at the station, but these people came to look over the house and I couldn’t get away. (Distance Enchanted)
[232] I meant to phone up this morning for an appointment for Doctor, but I forgot all about it. (medical consultation)BNC
My data show no uses of an Affirmative like ‘could help it, but did it anyhow’.
16. Dispositive Processes have the Prototype ‘doing to’ and apply not just in the narrow everyday sense of ‘get rid of’ (like ‘disposing of waste’) [233], but also in the broader sense of ‘have at your disposition and deal with’ (like ‘disposing of funds’) [234]. The Prototype Clause Core has ‘Disposer’ as Subject, ‘Disposition’ as Verb Phrase, and ‘Disposed’ as the Affected Direct Object. The Affected may undergo substantial change, e.g. getting ‘broken’ [235], or even cease to be itself, e.g. getting ‘scoffed’ (devoured) [236].
[233] The Soviet Union disposed of nuclear waste from COMECON countries. (Economist) [234] the Shah no longer disposed of the sort of funds as he had done (Shah’s Last Ride) [235] Cheeky thieves broke the window of Anthony Gordon outfitters (Northern Echo) [236] she’s scoffed a Picnic bar, now she’s scoffing a bloody Crunchie! (conversation)BNC Many Dispositives form Commands, Affirmative [237-38] or Negative [239-40].
[237] On the first unsatisfactory answer, ‘Break his jaw’ is the order of the judge. (Decline) [238] Throw that gun away, and the torch, too (Jimmy)
[239] Do not break any blisters on the burn (Scotsman)
[240] Do not throw rubbish onto an open fire in the living room. (One’s Company)
When Dispositives have Pejorative effects, Intention can be explicitly denied [241-42]. Denying Control is less plausible, as in [241a-42a].
[241] I didn’t mean to offend the memory of your mother. (Ulysses) [241a] ??I couldn’t help offending the memory of your mother.
[242] I’m sure the sentry didn’t mean to prick your niece in the — quite so — with his sword. (Phoney War) [242a] ??the sentry couldn’t help pricking your niece in the — quite so — with his sword.
17. In their Transitivity, most Dispositives offer a clear choice between the Active with Disposer as Subject and Disposed as Object, versus the Passive with Disposed as Subject and Disposer as an Agentive Adverbial [243-46]. In the Dispositive of ‘making do’ — sometimes called ‘Ergative’ — a Disposing Agent ‘makes’ another Disposing Agent perform a Dispositive [247]; or ‘has’ them do it [248]; or ‘has’ it done without mentioning the other Disposing Agent [249].
[243] 150 youths threw stones at New Barnsley RUC [police] station (Belfast Telegraph) [244] Several smoke bombs were thrown by Catholic youngsters (Politics in the Streets) [245] I just devoured a whole packet of Mr Kipling’s Cakes (True Confessions)
[246] 200 hot dogs were devoured by the hungry hikers and bikers (TrailFlash)www [247] She took off her things, and made him do the same. (Chatterly)
[248] I will have the servants throw you in the street (Dark Star Passing) [249] Don’t be nervous, or I’ll have you executed on the spot. (Alice)
The Dispositive is an expansive Process whose Pattern of Subject – Verb – Object occurs in other Processes hardly suggesting Actions of ‘doing to’ (cf. III.27, 42, 51).
18. Productive Processes have the Prototype ‘making’ in the basic sense of ‘producing a Thing’. The Prototype Clause Core in the Active has Producer as Subject, Production as Verb Phrase, and Product as the Direct Object [250-51]; in the Passive, the Product is Subject and the Producer, if mentioned, appears in an Agentive Adverbial after the Verb Phrase [252-53].
[250] The Torquay shop makes a new flavour of ice-cream every day of the year. (Punch) [251] Oliver Stone is making a movie about the life of Jim Morrison. (The Face)
[252] Today the Queen’s official cars are made by Rolls-Royce. (Doll’s House)
[253] One in five pairs of socks sold in Britain is made by Sherwood (Daily Telegraph)
19. At higher Delicacy, in the ‘creating’ Prototype, a Creator works in individual or idiosyncratic ways toward a Creation to be contemplated, e.g., a work of art [254-55]. In the‘manufacturing’ Prototype, a Manufacturer works in cooperative, businesslike ways toward a Manufactured Product to be used or sold [256-57]. Again, both Active and Passive are freely available.
[254] Seurat was a pointillist who filled his canvas with dots. When he stood back, he could see that he had created a superb landscape with figures. (Hansard)
[255] The Way to St. Bernard was created in response to a commission from the Abbey of Cîteaux in France. (Alton Herald)
[256] Associated Windows manufactures double glazing and mirrors. (TV news)BNC [257] These lamps were manufactured by the Komárov Ironworks in 1867. (Prague)
‘Manufacturing’ predominates for the Prototype ‘making’ [258-59], which would hardly collocate with Products being works of art like ‘poems’, ‘paintings’, ‘sculptures’, ‘symphonies’, and so on. The only examples I find in the BNC are for trendy ‘artists’ using techniques that resemble manufacturing [260-61].
[258] he makes furniture (Longshot)
[259] I make movies, sweetheart. That’s my job. (Masai Dreaming) [260] Richter makes paintings of photographs (Belfast Festival)
[261] we’ve had people making sculptures out of scrap from the motorway. (Fox News) For the manufacturing type, Passives can deploy the ‘by’-Pattern to express not mere- ly the Agentive Producer [262], but also the Means [263], or another Process [264]. [262] The bride’s off-the-shoulder dress was made by her mother. (Wedding) [263] Most washbasins are made from vitreous china (Do It)
[264] Cork tiles are made by compressing the bark of the cork tree into a block (Do It) Dispositive or Ergative Productives of ‘making produce’ like [265] are uncommon.
[265] The industry of the inhabitants has made these countries produce a greater quantity of human subsistence. (Population)
20. The Affirmative and Negative Commands in my data are few and are all of the ordinary ‘making’ or ‘manufacturing’ type [266-67], and not the ‘creating’ type illustrated by invented data in [268-69].
[266] Make a soap solution adding a small quantity of ammonia (Centuries of Ink) [267] Do not make coffee with boiling water. (Delicatessen)
[268] *Poet Laureate, make a festive poem for Queen’s Birthday. [269] *Make another hit album for your fans, Bono.
Denials of Intention or Control like [270-71] are not plausible for genuine Productives and do not appear in my data.
[270] *Her mother didn’t mean to make an off-the-shoulder dress but she ran out of cloth. [271] *Seurat’s brushes were so tiny that he couldn’t help making pointillist paintings.
21. Enactive Processes have the Prototype of ‘moving’, usually Intentional [272-74] but maybe not [275-76]. Here, the Prototype Clause Core has ‘Enacter’ as Subject, ‘Enactment’ as Verb Phrase, and Circumstance like Place as Adverbial.
[272] They all moved off together down the tawny dust of the road (Cameron) [273] The stout man ran into the cottage (Brownie Stories)
[274] Two men who fled after bungling a raid on a shop jumped into a getaway car only to find a policeman at the wheel. (Independent)
[275] The Laird was so overcome by grief that he fell down a staircase (Warm Welcomes) [276] Jimbob skidded on a banana skin some thoughtful fan had thrown on the stage. (NME) [277] He stumbled over graves and bumped into headstones (short story)
Rather than Active or Passive, the Transitivity is Medial, with the Enacter as the Medium. A few Process Verbs offer a choice between Dispositive [278-79] or Enactive [280-81], the latter omitting the Humans who guided the Process.
[279] The terrorists then loaded a mortar launcher into the skip and drove the lorry into the council yard, just one hundred metres from the Police Station. (British Army)
[280] The ship sailed out into the blue sea, under the blue sky (Kwaidan)
[281] Sixty vehicles, including six lorries, drove into each other in the dense fog. (Today)
22. The function of the Medium as Subject is clearest for the Prototype of the bodily ‘behaving’ [282-88], which often lacks Intention or Control.
[282] Again she laughed and cried, and I laughed with her. (Frankenstein Unbound) [283] He smiled and frowned in the way she loved. (Armada)
[284] Mr Cottle blushed and then snorted into a handkerchief. (Forest Night) [285] McGillicuddy coughed and spluttered at the innuendo (Sharp End) [286] She sneezed. The cocaine flew in all directions. (Freelance Death)
[287] The chaplain just stared back, and belched like a thunder clap. (Poisoned Chalice) [288] I yawned during sex — and my husband is furious. (Relationships)www
‘Behavings’ too can emulate the Dispositive Clause Pattern of Subject – Verb – Object (cf. III.17). Collocations prefer a body part for the Affected, e.g., blow your nose’ [289], ‘clear your throat’ [290], ‘shake your head’ [291]; or else a bodily event, as in ‘give a snort’ [292], ‘let out a gasp’ [293], ‘shoot a glance’ [294].
[289] Breeze blew her nose fiercely on an earthy handkerchief (Distance Enchanted) [290] She cleared her throat, damning it for its sudden huskiness. (Viking Magic) [291] She shook her head, in amazed disbelief at his stupidity. (Lock)
[292] Barbara Coleman gave a snort of disgust. (Guilty Knowledge) [293] The young private at the wheel let out a gasp of surprise. (Ratking)
[294] Angela shot a glance to the side of the room where her cousin was dozing. (Topaz)
But unlike genuine Dispositives, the Medial flavour of Enacting bodily Processes hardly allows for Passives like ‘*her nose was blown’, or ‘*a glance got shot’.
23. Alternately, a Dispositive Enactive can be Ergative when some Enacting Agent is ‘made’ to perform [295- 98]. Some Processes are shared between the two Enacting Agents, such as ‘marching protesters’ [299] or ‘walking a dog’ [300]. Even if you rudely ‘frogmarch’ somebody [301], you have to march along behind. To my surprise, I found some isolated Passives for ‘being marched’ [302]; and dogs, and even distances, ‘being walked’ [303-04].
[295] Many years before he had made Daniel Miller run for cover (Hide and Seek) [296] I’m going to make you laugh. Then I’m going to make you cry. (Forgotten Fire) [297] The sharpness of the cold made her cough. (Her Living Image)
[299] Warders in riot gear marched the protesters to a segregation block. (Daily Mirror) [300] With extra time on his hands he walked the dog by the Manse. (miscellanea)BNC [301] Some jobsworth steward frogmarched me out of the hall. (Jane Armstrong)www [302] the men were marched in by wives to be fitted out by the tailor (Circle of Friends) [303] all our bitches were walked individually. (Rottweilers)
[304] At the Sponsored Dog Walk held in Hyde Park in June, up to 20 miles each was walked by dogs and owners (Worldwide Fund for Nature)BNC
Some Enactive Verbs suggest aimless Motion, e.g., ‘loitering’ [305], ‘faffing about’ [306], or ‘pottering around’ [307].
[305] Five or six teenagers loiter in front of a newsagent, drinking shandy. (Deliria) [306] he keeps faffing around with the details, he still hasn’t given it to us (conversation)BNC
[307] He’d been pottering around in the big old half-ruined sheds on the other side of the quarry. He hadn’t really got any aim in mind (Diggers)
24. The Distribution of Commands for Enactives is uneven. If done with Intention Affirmative and Negative Commands are plausible [308-11]. Negative Commands to mind your manners would dominate for ‘bodily behaving’ [312-14] — especially ‘laughing’ and ‘crying’, whose social significance may render them hard to ‘bear’ [316-17]; Affirmative Commands are sarcastic challenges, e.g., from a bloodthirsty pirate [318] or a sadistic schoolteacher [319]. Dispositive or Ergative Enactives could be Negative [320-21] or Affirmative [322]. Negative too are Commands about aimless Motions as prompts to discourage idleness [323-24].
[308] Run! run! as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man! (Tell Children) [309] Rush to your local bookstore (Jam!)www
[310] Don’t run away, whatever you do. (Furniture)
[311] Do not rush out and buy the fish yet!! (Starting a New Aquarium)www
[312] Don’t keep coughing so, Kitty! Have a little compassion on my nerves. (Pride) [313] During a talk, don’t belch into a microphone (PhreakNIC)www
[314] Don’t sneeze into your hand and then shake someone’s hand (Cyber Scene)www
[315] Don’t blow your nose in Sweden, or you could end up being slammed against a wall by macho drug squad cops. (John Yates)www
[316] ‘Don’t you laugh!’ she cried. ‘I can’t bear your laugh.’ (Price She Paid)
[317] ‘Don’t cry!’ said Henchard, with vehement pathos, ‘I can’t bear it.’ (Casterbridge) [318] Laugh! Before an hour’s out, ye’ll laugh upon the other side. (Treasure Island)
[319] ‘Cry! Now cry! That’s the next thing to do.’ And Lucy lifted her pinafore to her face and collapsed into a heaving, sobbing little bundle. (Samaritan)
[320] Your old man a hero? Don’t make me laugh! (Paper Faces) [321] Don’t make me cry, get me high, and reply to Sky. (Sky)
[322] Make ‘em laugh, make ‘em cry, the Muppets from Lord Grade’s ATV (TV news)BNC [323] Don’t faff around with discount rates (Mark Nelson)www
[324] Don’t loiter. Shirking won’t do for me. Make haste! Go along! (Bleak House)
For socially significant Enactives like ‘laughing’ and ‘crying’, Denials of Intention or Control are plausible [325-28] Others sound odd, like ‘sneezing’ [329-30] and ‘belching’ [331-32], and examples are rare.
[325] She said, ‘You think we’re a pack of fools, don’t you?’ ‘He said quickly, ‘No. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh at you.’ (Tortoise by Candlelight)
[326] She didn’t mean to cry, but tears came so easily these days (No Enemy)
[327] She couldn’t help laughing at the absurdity of the whole situation. (Stolen Heart)
[328] She couldn’t help crying all the while the wedding went on. (Korea Working Women’s Network)www [329] I didn’t mean to sneeze! It’s just this awful cold. (Getting a Bug)www
[330] He couldn’t help but sneeze as the dust particles rose (Coming Home)www [331] I swear I didn’t mean to belch while talking. (Tom Fulp)www
[332] Belching problem? Can’t help but belch? (Estee)www
25. Developmental Processes have the Prototypes of ‘growing’ or ‘becoming’ that occur without deliberate Intention or Control. The Prototype Clause Core has ‘Developer’ as Subject, and ‘Development’ as Medial Verb Phrase. The clearest Prototype would be the natural evolution of a living organism [333-38].
[333] Mr Earnshaw grew old and ill (Wuthering)
[334] Ronald Reagan only became senile after he left office (Betty Bowers)BNC [335] Edward Bawden was born and died in Essex (Guardian)
[336] After 48 hours the egg has developed into a free-swimming larva. (Embryo) [337] His depression and headache began to fade. (Taped)
[338] Stool frequency decreased and bile acid absorption increased after treatment. (Gut)
26. A few Developmentals like ‘grow’ occur in
Medial [339], Active [340], and Passive [341], plus a Dispositive Developmental of ‘making grow’ [342]. [339] Early potatoes grow well on light sandy soils. (Decisions in Geography)
[340] On these terraces farmers grow potatoes, apricot and almond trees (school essay)BNC
[341] Early potatoes are grown mainly in Cornwall, Kent and the South Western coastal areas of Wales and Scotland. (Potato Marketing Board)BNC
[342] ‘One side will make you grow taller, and the other side will make you grow short-er.’ ‘One side of what?’ ‘Of the mushroom’. (Alice)
27. Developmentals too can occasionally emulate the Dispositive Clause Pattern (cf. III.17, 27, 43, 51): the Developer is the Subject, whilst the Development is distributed between Verb Phrase and Object,
[343] the old man recovered his health and strength again. (Tales from Shakespeare) [344] tortoises get gout if they’re brought to a cold climate too young (Like Out)
[345] Most people I know who have gone through a divorce lose weight — I did — which helps with meeting other women. (BBS Archive)www
28. Developmentals beyond the Developer’s control seem odd in Commands like [346-48]. Adverts apparently Commanding you to Develop like [349-50] are actually smarmy Commands to Dispose of your money. The Command format is intended to suggest that the Development will indeed happen.
[346] Do not die just yet (Green Mansions)
[347] ‘Don’t ever get old’, he said to Jane. (Jane’s Journey)
[348] Cook, Queen of the Nullarbor. Get sick, our hospital needs you. (sign at a railway station in Australia)BNC [349] Get 20 years younger with Reliv ReversAge. (James Hanson)www
[350] Take control of your life, become a happier person. Price: $9.00. (Loyalty Builder)www
Since Developmentals are not performed with Intention or Control, Denials like [351-54] are implausible or gratuitous, and thus uncommon.
[351] Some children did not mean to be born at all. (KnowWare)www
[352] I don’t dislike the little fellow. He couldn’t help being born (The Door)www [353] she didn’t mean to die, but life doesn’t give us do-overs (TeenInk)www [354] There’s nothing to forgive. She couldn’t help dying. (Kaleidoscope)www