A Grammar of Spoken English Discourse - The Intonation of Increments

22 A Grammar of Spoken English Discourse

However, if production of the V' element fails to result in the achievement
of target state Brazil maintains (p. 59) that the intermediate state after a V'
element is the same as that which would have been precipitated by the pro-
duction of a V element. Some examples from his corpus clarify. The same
state is reached in the chain after the V' elements to search and leaving in
(21) and (23) as it is after the V elements searched and left in (22) and (24)
respectively. To achieve target state the speaker must produce the following
N or A element.

(21) We want to search your car

N V V' N

(22) They searched her car

N V N

(23) She drove off leaving the man on the pavement

N V V' N A

(24) She left the man on the pavement

N V N A

In Brazil’s words:

It is this ability to trigger a doubling back in what we are representing as

a left-to-right progression, so as to start a second run through a specifi ed

part of the rule system, that distinguishes V' from other kinds of element.

(p. 59)

Production of the extended subchain may lead to the achievement of
target state as in (21) and (23) above. If it fails to reach target state, the
speaker is obliged to produce one or more following subchains until target
state has been achieved, e.g. (25).

(25) She had to wait hoping to get some help

N V V' V' V' N

2.2.3.3 Summary

Brazil introduced two types of subchains: suspensions and extensions. A
suspension does not result in the creation of an intermediate or target state.