A functional linguistic theory that links predicate structure and lexical properties to syntactic configuration and discourse contribution by means of an explicit linking algorithm and macroroles (commonly Actor and Undergoer), without invoking transformational movement; it treats grammar in layered representations (semantic, logical, syntactic, discourse) and derives clause structure from predicate-argument structure and pragmatic constraints.

Principle

Syntactic constituency and voice are determined by mappings from predicate-argument structure and lexical templates to macroroles and surface positions via a systematic linking procedure rather than by derivational transformations.

Demonstration

Illustrative scenario: A transitive verb lexically encodes an Actor and an Undergoer; in a language where the linking algorithm maps Actor → subject and Undergoer → object, a passive-like alternation arises when discourse prominence or valence-changing morphology causes the Actor to be demoted and the Undergoer to map to subject—RRG predicts the surface change by reassigning macroroles, not by positing movement.

Misapplication

Treating macroroles as identical to traditional thematic labels (e.g., equating Actor with Agent in every case) or assuming RRG permits transformational derivations; the error is conflating a macrorole-based linking account with role labels or movement-based syntax.

Consequence

Adopting RRG changes analysis and typological prediction: empirical claims about voice, word order, and alignment derive from lexical templates, macrorole linking, and discourse-pragmatic factors rather than from movement operations, affecting how comparative and descriptive studies are formulated.

Reversal

When lexical or morphological systems encode fine-grained role distinctions (e.g., elaborate case systems or ergative splits), the simple Actor/Undergoer mapping may require supplemented mechanisms or additional parameters to capture alignment asymmetries; RRG's linking principles remain but must be adapted to language-specific encoding.

Boundary

Within: analyses of clause structure that derive syntactic positions from predicate-argument structure and discourse prominence; Outside: generative-transformational accounts that derive word order by movement operations or that treat syntax as autonomous from predicate properties.

Semantic Tension

Tension between a predicate-driven, non-derivational account of syntax (emphasizing lexical and discourse constraints) and syntactic theories that explain surface configurations via derivational movement and abstract syntactic engines.

Synthesis

RRG reframes syntax as the outcome of lexical predicate structure interacting with discourse roles: understanding a clause requires tracing how predicate templates and pragmatic prominence determine macroroles and their mapping to surface positions, not reconstructing movement histories.