Entry #8 - Beyond the sentence - Chapter 3 Summary

Chapter 3 - What makes a text make sense?

A text needs:

.Coherence:

             Follow a chronological order

             The reader derives from the text

             Reader <-> text interaction

Coherence has two perspectives:

Micro level: Sentence by sentence
                  Reader’s expectations of sentence meaning

Macro level: Text topic - text organization
                    Answers reader questions

.Logical relationship:

                      Implicit logical connection

                      Temporal

                       Additive

                       Adversative

                        Casual

.Sentence information: is predictably distributed
Topic ----> THEME ---> Old information
Comment ---> RHEME ---> New information

Cohesion:  Elements hang together

Texture:  Communicative purpose
               Listeners and readers: guidance → previous sentence→ encapsulation / Following sentence → prospection

Text sense:

  Co- text (associated text)

Context

Accidental juxtaposition

Rogue sentences (prevent coherence)

Sentence insertion

Internal pattering: previous sentences → following sentences    

Principles: End weight : new information
                  Passive constructions: for emphasis
                                                          Mini context.
                                                          Cleft         sentences
                   Macro Level coherence:  topics title
                                                           Text content=keyw
                                                           Lexical texture
                  Lexical chains use:semantically related word

Schema : The way knowledge is mentally represented

Scripts: the way we expect things happen: a list

Macro scripts:  

From general to particular

From whole to part

From including to included

From large to small

From nearer to further

From possessing to possessed

From now to then