Theme: Seven standards of textuality.

Aim: - to make an introduction of the subject, its aims and principles

    - to activate students’ to brainstorm on the questions

    - to provide a summary of key items

    - to link the students experience with learning

    - to make learning two-way process

 

Activity descriptions:

I. Speaking on the subject, its aims and principles, the object of investigation

II. Introduction of the list of basic and supplementary literature

III. Presentation of the themes of lectures, seminars, tutorials, individual work

IV. Presentation of the linguistic terms, notions, and the lecture

 

Questions for brainstorming:

1) What is coherence? What are its characteristic features?

2) What is cohesion? What is its characteristic features?

3) What is intentionality? What is its characteristic features?

4) What is informativity? What is its characteristic features?

5) What is situationality? What is its characteristic features?

6) What is intertextuality? What is its characteristic features?

7) What are the reasons that we have to develop standards of textuality in writing and texts?

8) Can you suggest strategies to teach these types of textuality?

 

Problems to discuss:

- Coherence

- Cohesion

- Intentionality

- Informativity

- Situationality

- Intertextuality  

The list of literature:

1. Валгина Н.С. Теория текста. Учебное пособие. Москва. Логос. 2003 г.

2. Тураева З.Я. Лингвистика текста. Москва «Просвещение» 1986 г.

3. ван Дейк Т.А. Язык. Познание. Коммуникация. Прогресс. 1989 г.

4. Филиппов К.А. Лингвистика текста. Курс лекций. Санкт-петербург. 2003 г.

5. Robert de Beaugrande and Wolfgang Dressler. Introduction to Text Linguistics. Longman. 1983

6. Brian Paltridge. Discourse Analysis. London. 2010

7. Barbara Johnstone. Discourse Analysis. USA. 2002

8. Selivanova E.A. The principles of the linguistic theory of the text and communication. – K.,2002

9. Tchirova I.A., Goncharova E.A. Multidimensionality of the text: understanding and interpretation. – S-Pb., 2007

10. Panchenko N.V. & al. Text theory. - M.,2010

11. Zimnaja I.A. Lingual psychology of speech activity.-M.-Voroneg, 2001

12. Kolshansky G.V. About linguistic method of text outcome// Linguistic questions-1983-No 3-P.44-51

13. Blokh M.Y. A Course in Theoretical English Grammar. – M., 2000. – p.229-236, 261-272

14. Гальперин И.Р. Текст как объект лингвистического исследования. М., 1981

15. Лотман Ю.М. Анализ художественного текста. – Л., 1972

 

 

A text will be defined as a communicative occurrence which meets seven standards of textuality. If any of these standards is not considered to have been satisfied, the text will be communicative. Hence, non-communicative texts are treated as non-texts.

1. Cohesion concerns the ways in which the components of the surface text, i.e. the actual words we hear or see, are mutually connected within a sequence. The surface components depend upon each other according to grammatical forms and conventions, such that cohesion rests upon grammatical dependencies. In using the term cohesion we wish to emphasize this function of syntax in communication. (Sticking together) (recurrence is the straightforward repetition of elements or patterns, partial recurrence is the shifting of already used elements to different classes, parallelism is repeating a structure but filling it with new elements, paraphrase is repeating content but conveying it with different expressions, proforms is replacing content-carrying elements with short placeholders of no independent content, ellipses is repeating a structure and its content but omitting some of the surface expressions. One can also insert surface signals for the relationships among events or situations in a textual world, namely by using tense, aspect, junction. In spoken texts, intonation can also signal importance or newness of content.) Cohesion in other words is grammatical peculiarity of a text (usage of pronouns, nouns, verbs, adverbs, conjunctions, etc.). cohesion refers to the relationship between items in a text such as words, phrases, clauses and other items such as pronouns, nouns and conjunctions. This includes relationship between words and pronouns that refer to that word. It also includes words that commonly co-occur in texts (collocation) and the relationship between words with similar, related and different meanings (lexical cohesion). Cohesion also considers semantic relationships between clauses and the ways this is expressed through the use of conjunctions. Lexical cohesion refers to relationships in meaning between lexical items in a text and in particular, content words and the relationship between them. The main kinds of lexical cohesion are repetitions, synonymy, antonymy, hyponymy, meronymy, collocation.

2. Coherence concerns the ways in which the components of the textual world, i.e. the configuration of concepts and relations which underlie the surface text, are mutually accessible and relevant. In other words coherence means, knowledge about the text, meaning or sense of a text, configuration of concepts and relations expressed in the text, the study of language meaning of a text, situation and procedural attachment of producing and receiving texts: how a topic might be developed (frames), how an event sequence will progress (schemas), how text users or characters in textual worlds will pursue their goals (plans), and how situations are set up so that certain texts can be presented at the opportune moment (scripts).

Coherence is traditionally described as the relationships that link the ideas in a text to create meaning for the readers. Many composition texts and writing handbooks describe coherence in three ways: 1) connectedness between sentences, 2) use of explicit cohesive devices at the paragraph level, 3) use of connective devices such as pronouns, repetitive structures and transitional markers.

Coherence includes the following five features: 1) A macrostructure that provides a pattern characteristic and appropriate to its communicative purpose. Macrostructure is an outline of the main categories or functions of the text. It helps writers and readers understand how sentences in a text are related to each other and how they contribute to the overall coherence of a text. The communicative purpose plays an important role in determining the macrostructure for writers. For example, when the writer’s purpose is to tell a story, it is common to arrange the events using a chronological pattern. When the writer’s purpose is to propose a solution to a problem, a pattern of situation, problem, solution, and then evaluation may be used. When the purpose is to debate a controversial issue, the writer could arrange the ideas so both sides of the issue are examined, followed by a conclusion in which the writer weighs the pros and cons of each side. 2) An information structure that guides the reader in understanding how information is organized and how the topic of text is developed. Simply summarized, coherent texts often comply with the principle of giving old information before new information. 3) Connectivity of the underlying content evidenced by relations between propositions. A proposition is an assertion. It is through the relationships between propositions that the coherence of a text is established. For instance, a proposition that is not supported or developed can easily become a mere generalization. In order to develop coherence in writing, it is helpful to justify a proposition or exemplify it with elaboration. 4) Connectivity of the surface text evidenced by the presence of cohesive devices. Cohesive devices are words or phrases that help to establish relationships between different sentences or between different parts of a sentence. Some examples are pronoun references (he, she, it, this, that), conjunctions (but, also, therefore, however) and content lexical ties such as repetition, synonymy/antonymy and superordinates/hyponymy. 5) Appropriate metadiscourse features. Metadiscourse markers in texts help readers organize, interpret and evaluate information. Some examples are logical connectives (therefore, but), sequencers (firstly, secondly, finally), certainty markers (certainly, no doubt), and hedges (can, may)

Cohesion and coherence indicate how the component elements of the text fit together and make sense.  

3. Intentionality concerns the ways in which one situation or event affects the conditions for some other one. Intentionality designates all the ways in which text producers utilize texts to pursue and fulfil their intentions. (utterance, goal, state, problem-solving, production, evidence, belief, recurrence, plan attachment)

4. Acceptability concerns the text receiver’s attitude that the set of occurrences should constitute a cohesive and coherent text having some use or relevance for the receiver, e.g. to acquire knowledge or provide co-operation in a plan. This attitude is responsive to such factors as text type, social or cultural setting, and the desirability of goals.

5. Informativity concerns the extent to which the occurrences of the presented text are expected vs. unexpected or known vs. unknown or uncertain. The term informativity is used to designate the extent to which a presentation is new or unexpected for the receivers.it is usually the content.

6. Situationality concerns the factors which make a text relevant to a situation of occurrence. The term situationality is a general designation for the factors which render a text relevant to a current or recoverable situation of occurrence.

7. Intertextuality concerns the factors which make the utilization of one text dependent upon knowledge of one or more previously encountered texts. Intertextuality is to subsume the ways in which the production and reception of a given text depends upon the participants’ knowledge of other texts.

These standards function as constitutive principles of textual communication. There must exist regulative principles that control textual communication rather than define it. A) the efficiency of a text depends on its use in communicating with a minimum expenditure of effort by the participants. B) the effectiveness of a text depends on its leaving a strong impression and creating favourable conditions for all aiming goal. C) the appropriateness of a text is the agreement between its setting and the ways in which the standards of textuality are upheld.

1. COHESION is a continuity of occurrences that stick together and thus contribute to the stability of the text. It is based on syntax.

 

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe. She had so many children she didn’t know what to do.

"She" is a co-referent to "old woman" – personal reference.

 

1. COHERENCE is present when a text makes sense because there is a continuity of senses which holds a text together – it has to be semantically and logically OK.

 

George entered the room. He saw Mary cleaning the table.

John fell and broke his neck. (?) John broke his neck and fell.

 

1. INTENTIONALITY concerns the text producer’s attitude that the set of occurrences should constitute a cohesive and coherent text instrumental in fulfilling the producer’s intentions, e.g. to distribute knowledge or to attain a goal.

 

Customer: When is the Windsor train? ß ambiguity [which sense is actually intended?]

Official:            To Windsor?

Customer: Yes.

Official:      3:15.

 

1. ACCEPTABILITY concerns the text receiver’s attitude that the set of occurrences should constitute a cohesive and coherent text having some use or relevance for the receiver, e.g. to acquire knowledge or provide co-operation in a plan.

 

I’m too busy for talking just now.

I don’t care to talk about it.

 

1. INFORMATIVITY concerns the extent to which the occurrences of the presented text are expected vs. unexpected or known vs. unknown/certain.

 

The sea is water. Vs. In addition to being water, the sea is also a solution of gasses and salts.

The second sentence carries a higher order of informativity than the first one.

 

1. SITUATIONALITY concerns the factors which make a text relevant to a situation of occurrence.

 

 

SLOW CHILDREN AT PLAY

A traffic sign has to very economic with words, because drivers speeding by do not have the time to read elaborate passages.

 

1. INTERTEXTUALITY concerns the factors which make the utilization of one text dependent upon knowledge of one or more previously encountered texts.

SLOW CHILDREN AT PLAY

RESUME SPEED

 

It is hard to make sense of the second sign if the first sign was overlooked.