Discourse Description: Diverse Linguistic Analyses of a Fund-raising Text

DISCOURSE DESCRIPTION: DIVERSE LINGUISTIC ANALYSES OF A FUND-RAISING TEXT......Page 2
Editorial page......Page 3
Title page......Page 4
Copyright page......Page 5
Table of Contents......Page 6
Introduction......Page 8
I. TEXT ORGANIZATION......Page 18
1.2 Meaning is Distinct from Form......Page 22
1.3 The Communicator is Central......Page 23
2.1 The Structure of the Message......Page 24
2.1.2 The Relations Joining the Units......Page 25
2.1.4 The Purposive Chain......Page 26
2.1.5 Schematic Patterning......Page 27
2.2.1 The Source of the Orientational Elements in a Message......Page 28
2.2.2 Orientational Elements: Message Support......Page 29
2.2.3 Orientational Elements: Message Prosodies......Page 30
2.3 The Realisation of the Message......Page 31
3. The Analysis of the Message: Approach and Method......Page 32
4.0 Model and Method......Page 33
4.1 The Unity and Initial Boundary of Cognitive Paragraph 14-15......Page 34
4.2 The Structure of Paragraph 14-15......Page 35
4.3 Orientational Elements in Paragraph 14-15......Page 37
5.0 Method of Analysis......Page 39
5.0.2 Evidence Relating to Import......Page 40
5.1.1.2 Evidence from Import Spans......Page 41
5.1.1.3 Defence of Boundaries......Page 43
5.1.2 The Message Schema......Page 44
5.1.3 The Purposive Chain......Page 46
5.2.1 Orientational Support......Page 47
5.2.2.2. Value Prosodies......Page 48
5.2.3.2 Prominence Marked by Departure from Norms......Page 49
5.3 The Visual Representation of the Message......Page 51
6.1 Significant Insights of this Approach......Page 52
Notes......Page 54
1. Aims of Discourse Analysis......Page 56
2. Varieties of Structure......Page 58
3. Introduction to Rhetorical Structure Theory......Page 59
3.1 Underlying Assumptions......Page 60
3.2 Terminology and mechanisms of RST......Page 64
3.3 Steps in performing an RST analysis......Page 68
4. RST Analysis of the ZPG Letter......Page 70
5. Alternative Analyses......Page 76
6.1 Centrality at the Whole-Text Level......Page 78
7.1 Relations, Relational Propositions and Explicit Signals......Page 80
7.2 "Subordination"......Page 83
8. Status of RST......Page 85
9. Conclusion......Page 86
Appendix: Relation Definitions......Page 87
Notes......Page 92
References......Page 94
1. Introduction......Page 96
2. Why Analyze Text?......Page 97
3. Reasons for Different Approaches in Identifying the Structure of Text......Page 98
4. Theory and Method for the Analysis Utilized......Page 99
4.1 Top-Level Structure......Page 100
4.2 Macropropositions......Page 103
4.3 Micropropositions......Page 104
4.4 Attributes of the Method......Page 105
5. Analysis of the Fund-raising Letter......Page 106
References......Page 123
The Discourse Strategy of an Appeals Letter......Page 126
1. The schema/superstructure......Page 127
2. The Macrosegmentation of the Text ('Chunking')......Page 129
3. The microsegmentation of the text......Page 131
3.1 The Structure of Main Paragraph I (segments 4-10)......Page 133
3.2 The structure of Paragraph II (Segments 11-17)......Page 136
3.3 The Structure of Main Paragraph III (Segments 18-23)......Page 138
4. Conclusion......Page 140
Appendix: Constituent Display of Appeal Letter of Noverber 22,1985......Page 141
Notes......Page 143
References......Page 145
Analysing the Letter......Page 148
PART 1: 1. INTRODUCTION TO METALANGUAGE......Page 149
2. The Unit of Written Sentence......Page 153
3. Question Criteria......Page 154
4. The Notion of Clause Relations as Framework......Page 155
5. Clause Relations for a Fund-Raising Letter......Page 158
6. Linguistic Features of Advertising......Page 161
7. The Discourse Role of the Imperative Clause......Page 164
8.2 The Background to Vocabulary 3......Page 166
8.3 Updating Vocabulary 3......Page 168
9.1 The Present Approach......Page 169
9.2 The Notion of Lexical Uniqueness......Page 170
(1) SPECIFICS OF IDENTITY......Page 171
(2.1) SPECIFICS BY CLAUSE FOR OPEN-CLASS UNSPECIFICS......Page 172
9.4 Syntactic Criteria for the Noun 'Problem'......Page 173
10.1 A Statement about Research......Page 175
10.2 Implications for the Description of Clause (Sentence) Relations......Page 177
PART 4: EXAMINATION OF THE LETTER IN THE FRAMEWORK OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS......Page 178
References......Page 185
1.1 General Background and Approach......Page 188
1.2 Premises......Page 189
1.3 Organization of this Chapter......Page 190
2.2 Clause and Lexical Connections......Page 191
2.3 Complex Mediating Questions......Page 192
2.5 Overall Analysis of the Text......Page 193
3.1 Basic Theoretical Framework......Page 195
3.2 Origins and Definition......Page 196
3.3 Combinations of Relations......Page 197
3.4 Depicting Combinations in Practice......Page 198
3.5 Other Complications......Page 200
3.7 Summary of Relational Connections......Page 202
4.1 The Topics......Page 204
4.2 Basic Continuity......Page 205
4.3 Associated Connection — Background......Page 206
4.5 Multi-Stage Associations......Page 207
4.7 Indicating Lexical and Relational Connections......Page 208
5.1 Background......Page 209
5.2 Complex Analysis......Page 210
5.3 Major Concepts......Page 211
5.4 Minor Concepts......Page 212
6.1.1 Problem-Solution Features......Page 213
6.1.2 Lexical Connections......Page 214
6.1.3 Clause Relations......Page 215
6.2.1 The Writer's Intention......Page 216
6.2.2 Reader Reaction and Interpretation......Page 217
6.2.3 Nucleus/Satellite and Hierarchy......Page 218
6.3.1 Detailed Analysis......Page 219
6.3.2 Relational Affinities......Page 220
6.4.1 Uniqueness......Page 221
6.4.2 Problems and Extensions......Page 222
6.4.3 Toward a Text Grammar......Page 223
References......Page 224
Schedule of Lexical Connections (Figure 3)......Page 235
0. Introduction......Page 244
1. The Referential Structure — What is Being Talked about......Page 248
1.1 Events......Page 250
The list of Referential Events......Page 253
1.2 Macro Structure......Page 259
1.3 Event Structure......Page 261
1.4.1 Identities......Page 263
2.1 General Characteristics......Page 264
2.2 Business Letter......Page 266
2.3 Request Discourse......Page 267
2.4 Lower Levels of Grammatical Structure......Page 273
3. Phonological Analog: Letter Lay-out......Page 275
4. Conclusion......Page 276
References......Page 277
II. LEXICO-GRAMMATICAL APPROACHES TO THE TEXT......Page 280
The Flow of Ideas in a Sample of Written Language......Page 284
1. Spoken Language Preliminaries......Page 285
2. Written Language......Page 289
3. Identifying Separate Ideas......Page 292
4. Distinguishing Accessible and New Information......Page 298
5. Findings......Page 305
6. Summary......Page 310
0. Introduction......Page 312
1.2 Syntactic Form of the ZPG Letter......Page 313
2. Two Properties of Subjects: Definite and 'Old'......Page 314
2.1 Definiteness......Page 316
2.2.1 Old/New: Focus-Presupposition Constructions......Page 317
2.2.2 Old/New: in the Hearer's Head......Page 318
2.2.3 Old/New: in the Discourse-Model......Page 320
2.2.4 Inferrables......Page 321
2.2.5 Containing Inferrables......Page 324
2.2.6 Information-Status: A Summary......Page 326
3. Goal and Methodology......Page 327
3.2 Coding for Information-Status......Page 328
4. Analysis......Page 329
4.1 The Effect of Information-Status on Subjecthood......Page 330
4.2 The Effect of Definiteness on Subjecthood......Page 333
5. Discussion......Page 334
6. Afterthoughts: The Form of Inferrables......Page 335
Notes......Page 337
References......Page 339
0. Introductory......Page 344
1. Theme......Page 345
2. Information Structure (Given and New; Information Focus)......Page 348
3. Mood and Modality......Page 353
4. Transitivity......Page 357
5. Clause Complexes......Page 360
6. Lexical Cohesion......Page 363
7. Nominalization and Grammatical Metaphor......Page 365
8. Summary......Page 373
References......Page 374
1. How is a Text Like a Clause?......Page 376
2. Experiential Meaning (Constituency Structure)......Page 377
3. Interpersonal Meaning......Page 379
4. Prosodic Realisation......Page 381
5. Gradable Systems......Page 383
5.1 Clause Systems......Page 385
5.2 Nominal Group......Page 388
5.3 Verbal Group (Complex)......Page 390
5.4 Lexis......Page 391
6. Macro-Proposals......Page 392
7. Evaluation by Degree......Page 396
8. Interpersonal Structure and Genre......Page 409
References......Page 410
Collocation and Field of Discourse......Page 414
Appendix: Should Canada Get Bigger, or Better?......Page 424
References......Page 426