Recategorisation And Memory Through Systemic Functional Linguistics

Edelman (1992: 102, 104):

Since perceptual categories are not immutable and are altered by the ongoing behaviour of the animal, memory, in this view, results from a process of continual recategorisation. By its nature, memory is procedural and involves continual motor activity and repeated rehearsal in different contexts. Because of the new associations arising in these contexts, because of changing inputs and stimuli, and because different combinations of neuronal groups can give rise to a similar output, a given categorical response in memory may be achieved in several ways. Unlike computer-based memory, brain-based memory is inexact, but it is also capable of great degrees of generalisation.

The properties of association, inexactness, and generalisation all derive from the fact that perceptual categorisation, which is one of the initial bases of memory, is probabilistic in nature. It is no surprise that different individuals have such different memories and that they use them in such different fashions.

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From the perspective of Systemic Functional Linguistic theory, each act of categorisation is an instantiation of meaning potential, and memory is the ability to instantiate potential.  On this basis, Edelman can be paraphrased to describe the ontogenesis of semiotic systems as follows:

Since semiotic systems are not immutable and are altered by ongoing behaviour, the ability to instantiate meaning potential, in this view, results from a process of continual re-instantiation. By its nature, the ability to instantiate meaning potential is procedural and involves continual motor activity and repeated rehearsal in different contexts.

The properties of association, inexactness, and generalisation all derive from the fact that the instantiation of meaning potential, the basis of the ability to instantiate meaning potential, is probabilistic in nature.

On the SFL model, a system of meaning potential is probabilistic, with its probabilities continually altered by the frequencies of feature instantiations, over the life-time of the individual.