Text Structure

S V X SV X They looked at the high glass tower. It shone in the sun. Given new given new
• These regular patterns of information structure function to give texts coherence and cohesion.
Coherenபைடு நூலகம்e 连贯
Conform to 符合，一致
Temporal order 时间（时态）顺序
• Note that passage can have cohesion without coherence.
Because I opened the door I went to it. It was raining. I put my coat on. I picked it up. I went outside.
• As clauses are put together to form texts, there is a natural tendency for elements which are new/X/large to reappear in the following clause as given/S/small.
• A consequence of this arrangement is that S elements tend to be given information, and X elements new. A further tendency is for given (S) elements to be small, and new (X) to be large because if something has already been mentioned it can be represented economically by a short noun phrase. With new information, however, we want as much information as possible – so noun phrases in new slots tend to be expanded with modificaiton.
• The coherence of the above passage lies in less formal links, such as the logical connections between rain and coat-wearing, doors and opening them. The passage also coheres in that it conforms to our notions of what a first-person narrative should be like: tense is consistent, and the series of actions presented is both logical in terms of cause and effect (rain-coatwearing-going outside) and temporal order.
Cohesion 衔接 Cohesive device 衔接手段
Because (1) it was raining, I picked up my (2) coat and (3) put it (4) on. I (5) went to the door and (3) after (6) I (5) opened it (4) (7) went ouside. 1
• Of course, these tendencies in informational structure are simply that – tendencies. To avoid monotony (单调), and produce stylistic effects, writers employ variations on these basic patterns.
Information structure: given to new
• Within clauses, given information (things we already know about from previous clauses, or things we can take for granted) tends to come first, with new information held over for as long as possible. This arrangement aids understanding, as it means that readers move from things they know about, to things they don’t know about.
2
3 4
5 6 7
Subordinating conjunction – links two clauses by cause and effect; Varied reference (照应) to first person – links by shared referent (所指); Coordinating conjunction – links two clauses; Pronoun replacement – links by shared reference to previously mentioned noun phrase; Repetition of pronoun – links by shared referent; Subordinating conjunction – links two clauses by time of event; Ellipted pronoun (I) – links by shared reference to previously mentioned noun phrase.
• Typically, speech tends to use more pronoun replacement and ellipsis than writing. This is because speech takes place within a context – we can check with the speaker who they mean. Writing, unless it is being delieberately obscure, has to be more explicit.
Cohesive device 衔接手段 Coherent device 连贯手段
Reference: cohesion and coherence
• Pronoun replacement, repetition, variation, and ellipsis are all cohesive devices which work by repeated reference to something within the text. This reference can be either forwards or backwards.
• And coherence without formal markers of cohesion:
Rain. I put my coat on. Outside the air tasted fresh.
• Just as clauses have an internal syntax (SVX) and typical patterns of connectivity, so texts show organisational structure. These can consist of formal linguistic features (when they produce cohesion) or they may consist of less formal devices based on such things as field of vocabulary choice, structural mimicry of other text types, predictability of form (when they produce coherence).
Cohesion and coherence
Because it was raining, I picked up my coat and put it on. I went to the door and after I opened it went ouside.
• Cohesion is the formal, linguistic means that texts have for showing that they have structure beyond that of the clause. Cohesive devices include pronouns, repetition, ellipsis (missing things out), coordination, subordination.
Ellipsis (省略)
• Ellipsis is common in speech as a device for economy, but its use in writing treads a fine line between economy and incoherence (where too little information undermines 破坏 understanding).
• There is overlap between cohesion and coherence, and between text and clause structure – all of these elements contribute towards making the difference between a random collection of words and a text. • Although it is usually possible to distinguish between cohesive and coherent devices, this can sometimes be difficult. However, because they share the same function (that of creating texts) it is not always necessary to distinguish them – they are formally rather than functionally different, and for this reason we will consider them together here.