In attribution, some entity is being said to have an attribute. This means that it is being assigned to a class; and the two elements that enter into this relation, the attribute and the entity that ʻcarriesʼ it, thus differ in generality (the one includes the other) but are at the same level of abstraction. So for example my brother (Carrier = member) is 'tall' (Attribute = class) ʻmy brother belongs to the class of people who are tallʼ. This specifies one of his attributes; but it does not serve to identify him – there are other tall people besides. The only means of identifying something by assigning it to a class is to make that a class of one member.
- Halliday (1985), a pag.124