[b-greek] Re: Discoourse cohesion, Zero Anaphora & Maj Text

From: clayton stirling bartholomew (c.s.bartholomew@worldnet.att.net)
Date: Mon Dec 04 2000 - 13:36:39 EST


on 12/04/00 9:40 AM, Matthew Brook O'Donnell wrote:

>
>>
>> The use of a full explicit name to indicate a participant who is already
>> predominate in the larger discourse reduces the level of cohesion between
>> the discourse segments.
>
> I'm not sure I agree with you here. A reference to a participant is still a
> cohesive tie, whatever the form. From the textual stand point a full reference
> to a participant adds another element to the participant chain and thus builds
> cohesion.
>
>> The use of an anaphoric pronoun or zero anaphora to
>> indicate the same participant forces the reader to "remember" the
>> participant and thus increases the discourse cohesion between the discourse
>> segments. Of course there are other good reasons for using a full explicit
>> noun phrase to name a participant. I was just highlighting one aspect of the
>> question.
>>
>
> The psychological/cognitive effect of a full reference is not necessarily
> linked
> to the textual cohesion. Even with a full reference the reader may have to do
> some 'remembering' as to what and who the participant is in the discourse.
>
>> You have an interesting e-mail address.
>>
>
> Oh? Why is that?
>
>>

Matt,

So we are talking on list now? Your previous response was private.

A full noun phrase used to indicate a participant is a means of introducing
new participants or reintroducing old participants who have not been active
in the discourse for a significant span or where there are a number of
participants active and some confusion over person dexis is possible, for
example in a dialog.

The Majority Text will sometimes supply a full noun phrase where the
participant is still active, prominent in the discourse and there is no
real possibility of confusion with regard to person dexis. This redundant
level of explicit person dexis reduces cohesion since the use of an
anaphoric pronoun or zero anaphora signals to the reader that the
participant indicated is the "fellow we were already talking about." If you
supply a full noun phrase to indicate the "fellow we were already talking
about" then we loose this information. The reader isn't made aware that this
is participant they should be already be familiar with.

 

Clay


--
Clayton Stirling Bartholomew
Three Tree Point
P.O. Box 255 Seahurst WA 98062



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