ABSTRACT
Text is thus the process of instantiation; and we can characterize it by reference to the system as the selection of systemic options unfolding through time. Throughout this book, we have given many examples of how selections are made clause by clause - or group/phrase by group/phrase - in the creation of text, and how the structures that realize these selections build up patterns as the text unfolds. Let us consider one example involving all three metafunctions in the domain of the clause. Text 9-1 below shows the beginning of a casual dinner table conversation among family and friends. Kate has just served a fish dish that she's prepared and Craig turns this into a topic of conversation by making an appreciative comment.
