Logical meaning, interdependency and the linking particle {na/-ng} in Tagalog

In this paper the linking particle {nal-ng} in Tagalog is interpreted from the perspective of systemic functional linguistics. It is suggested that Tagalog's deployment of this particle to depend one unit on another across a range of grammatical environments argues for a grammatical theory in which constituency and interdependency are seen as complementary structuring principles, reflecting the experiential and logical subcomponents of Halliday's ideational meta-function. In addition, the challenge posed by Tagalog's apparently interpersonal deployments of the linking particle is addressed.