On Martin's Modularity

Bateman (1998: 9):

This leads to an important strand in the discussion that also runs through many of the later chapters: the concept of modularity. English Text distributes its linguistic work across lexicogrammar and the four components of discourse semantics. What some approaches would therefore have tried to include in their exchange structure analysis, Martin separates out, allowing other components to contribute. This simplifies the overall account in a number of ways, and also opens up the significant topic of interaction between modules.

Blogger Comments:

The thought that didn't occur to Bateman here is that the architecture of Systemic Functional Linguistic theory is not modular, but dimensional; see also here.  Halliday & Webster (2009: 231):

In SFL language is described, or “modelled”, in terms of several dimensions, or parameters, which taken together define the “architecture” of language. These are 

(i) the hierarchy of strata (context, semantics, lexicogrammar, phonology, phonetics; related by realisation); 

(ii) the hierarchy of rank (e.g. clause, phrase/group, word, morpheme; related by composition); 

(iii) the cline of instantiation (system to instance);  

(iv) the cline of delicacy (least delicate to most delicate, or grossest to finest);  

(v) the opposition of axis (paradigmatic and syntagmatic);  

(vi) the organisation by metafunction (ideational (experiential, logical), interpersonal, textual).

Misunderstanding the architecture of the theory in this way creates serious theoretical inconsistencies in Martin's model, as will be demonstrated on this blog in the critiques of Bateman's review of Martin's Chapter 6, and has already been demonstrated here.