A Review of A Grammar of Speech 21
Turning fi rst to point 1, Brazil argues that in example (17) the two a
elements^8 fail to result in the creation of an intermediate state. The fi rst
intermediate state is realized only by the production of the N element I.
(17) Every Sunday after church I go to the pub
a a N V A
Init State
The a elements every Sunday after church suspend but do not discharge the
speaker’s obligation to produce the expected N element.
Point 2 only applies where the suspensive element interrupts a chain.
Example (18) from Brazil (p. 63) demonstrates:
(18) This woman fi nally asked her
N a V N
Init State Inter State 1
The N element anticipates a following V element. The interrupting suspens-
ive a element fi nally does not relieve the speaker from this commitment and
so the speaker is obliged to resume the chain from the point immediately
prior to the suspensive element and produce a V element.
2.2.3.2 Extensions
Brazil recognized that on occasions speakers may have exhausted all the
possibilities that progress along one of the routes made available by the
simple chaining rules allows, without achieving target state (p. 57). He
provides the example:
(19) We want............ to search your car
N V V'Completion of the minimal NV chain fails to achieve target state. To attain
target state the speaker must follow a longer route; in this case, one extended
by the production of a V' (non-fi nite verbal element). Production of a V'
element may result in the achievement of a target state as example (20)
demonstrates.
(20) Georgia expects Nigel to return
N V N V'
Init State Inter State 1 Inter State 2 Inter State 3 Tar State