Cosmogonic Myth Through Systemic Functional Linguistics [4]

Genesis (1:4):

4. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

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From the perspective of Systemic Functional Linguistic theory, this symbolism from Abrahamic mythology can be interpreted as further construing the genesis of construing experience as meaning through language.

The first clause construes the phenomenon as a domain of the mental perception of the creator of meaning:

and	God	saw	the light
	Senser	Process: mental: perception	Phenomenon

That is to say, the creator of meaning sees what language construes of experience as meaning.

The second clause attributes a positive value (attitude) to the phenomenon:

that	it	was	good
	Carrier	Process: attributive	Attribute

and construes the attribution as a cognitive projection of the creator of meaning (God saw…).  This introduces the ascription of interpersonal values (attitudes) to experiential phenomena by the creator of meaning; cf the notion of 'categorising on value' in the neuroscience (TNGS) of Edelman (1992).

The third clause construes the creator of meaning as the cause of the distinction between mutually-defining phenomena:

and	God	divided	the light from the darkness
	Senser	Process: mental	Phenomenon

* This treats the light from the darkness as a nominal group complex realising the Phenomenon (the 'something') that was divided.