'Sniff' And 'Taste' Serving As Material (Not Behavioural) Processes

the cat	’s sniffing	the flower
I	’m tasting (‘sampling’)	the wine
Agent Actor	Process: material	Medium Goal

Blogger Comment:

In Deploying Functional Grammar (Martin et al. 2010: 107), these are erroneously analysed as behavioural clauses.  There are several reasons why such clauses are not behavioural, for example:

1. the Medium of a behavioural clause is a Behaver;
2. the Range of a behavioural clause is a Behaviour;
3. an Agent is rare in behavioural clauses (she burped the baby, you make me laugh);
4. the probes for material processes apply: what is the cat doing to the flower? what am I doing to the wine?

'Answer' Serving As Material Process

He	is answering	the telephone
He	is answering	the question
Actor/Agent	Process: material	Goal/Medium

Ascriptive Being (Instantiation) Realised As Existential Clause?

The system of a language	is ‘instantiated’	in the form of text
Medium	Process	Rôle: guise
Existent	Process: existential

A 'material' interpretation (abstract creation) is ruled out by the unmarked present tense.

Complement As Unmarked Theme

which	I	would	miss	very much
topical Theme	Rheme
Complement	Subject	Finite	Predicator	Adjunct
Phenomenon	Senser	Process: mental		Manner: degree