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Text Type and Texture
Texture - the quality that makes a text 'hang together' as a text - is a key focus of investigation in discourse analysis. This volume provides a systematic overview of recent research on textual resources that are used to construct texture, and on the ways in which these resources are deployed diff... Read more
Published: 2008
Pages: 306
eBook: 9781845532147
Texture - the quality that makes a text 'hang together' as a text - is a key focus of investigation in discourse analysis. This volume provides a systematic overview of recent research on textual resources that are used to construct texture, and on the ways in which these resources are deployed differently in different text types. Theme is the major resource that is explored in the first part of this book. The opening papers set out the current understanding of Theme and explore aspects of the concept that remain controversial in the field. This is followed by an examination of thematic choices in a range of text types. Issues raised include the different kinds of meanings appearing in Theme that are particularly significant for each genre, the ways in which these relate to the broader socio-cultural context, and the ways in which thematic choices interact with other kinds of texturing. In the second part of the collection, the scope widens to include an examination of other resources, particularly the contribution to texture made by patterns of interpersonal choices, in Theme and more broadly, across texts as a whole. The volume closes with an overview and illustration of a methodological approach by which our understanding of texturing can be further extended.
| Cover | Cover | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Contents | v | ||
| Preface | vii | ||
| Acknowledgements | viii | ||
| List of contributors | ix | ||
| Introduction | 1 | ||
| Part I The current understanding of the concept of Theme | 3 | ||
| Part II Thematic choices in a range of text types | 3 | ||
| Part III Interpersonal patterns and prosodies | 5 | ||
| Part IV Methodological approach extending the understanding of texture | 5 | ||
| References | 6 | ||
| Chapter 1 | 8 | ||
| 1.1 Introduction | 8 | ||
| 1.2 Personal background | 10 | ||
| 1.3 Theoretical background: systemic theory | 12 | ||
| 1.4 Investigating the textual metafunction in written English: past efforts | 18 | ||
| 1.5 Investigating the textual metafunction in written English: suggestions for future projects | 26 | ||
| 1.6 Conclusion | 37 | ||
| Acknowledgements | 39 | ||
| Notes | 40 | ||
| References | 42 | ||
| Chapter 2 | 45 | ||
| 2.1 Starting points | 45 | ||
| 2.2 Issues in the delimitation of theme | 46 | ||
| 2.3 Conclusion | 65 | ||
| Notes | 66 | ||
| References | 67 | ||
| Chapter 3 | 70 | ||
| 3.1 Introduction | 70 | ||
| 3.2 The nature of theme | 71 | ||
| 3.3 Field and genre | 72 | ||
| 3.4 Materials and methods | 72 | ||
| 3.5 Results and discussion | 74 | ||
| 3.6 Summary and conclusion | 87 | ||
| References | 90 | ||
| Appendix | 92 | ||
| Chapter 4 | 94 | ||
| 4.1 Background | 94 | ||
| 4.2 The study | 95 | ||
| 4.3 Thematic choice | 97 | ||
| 4.4 Analyses | 100 | ||
| 4.5 Conclusions | 104 | ||
| References | 106 | ||
| Chapter 5 | 108 | ||
| 5.1 Introduction | 108 | ||
| 5.2 Setting up the notions of ‘conventional’ and ‘instantial’ subjects | 109 | ||
| 5.3 Setting up the notions of ‘conventional’ and ‘instantial’ contextual frames | 115 | ||
| 5.4 Results: modifications in the texture of theme in first and later papers | 118 | ||
| 5.5 Changes in theme texture as writers gain experience: the interplay of subject and contextual frame | 121 | ||
| 5.6 Conclusion | 122 | ||
| References | 123 | ||
| Chapter 6 | 125 | ||
| 6.1 Introduction | 125 | ||
| 6.2 Insights from the literature on political interviewing | 126 | ||
| 6.3 Insights from the literature on texture | 129 | ||
| 6.4 Situational coherence | 130 | ||
| 6.5 Generic coherence | 137 | ||
| 6.6 Conclusion | 148 | ||
| References | 149 | ||
| Chapter 7 | 151 | ||
| 7.1 Introduction | 151 | ||
| 7.2 Projection in the present study | 153 | ||
| 7.3 Data and analysis | 155 | ||
| 7.4 Findings | 157 | ||
| 7.5 Discussion | 167 | ||
| 7.6 Conclusion | 168 | ||
| Notes | 169 | ||
| References | 170 | ||
| Appendix 1 | 173 | ||
| Chapter 8 | 175 | ||
| 8.1 Introduction | 175 | ||
| 8.2 Influences on the writer as s/he writes | 176 | ||
| 8.3 Theme as the starting point of a sentence | 176 | ||
| 8.4 Text as interaction | 185 | ||
| Notes | 190 | ||
| References | 190 | ||
| Chapter 9 | 191 | ||
| 9.1 Introduction | 191 | ||
| 9.2 A framework for the analysis of textbooks | 198 | ||
| 9.3 Analysis | 201 | ||
| 9.4 Discussion | 210 | ||
| 9.5 Conclusion | 212 | ||
| Notes | 214 | ||
| References | 214 | ||
| Chapter 10 | 216 | ||
| 10.1 Introduction | 216 | ||
| 10.2 The positioning of Attitude in higher–level theme | 220 | ||
| 10.3 The function of attitude in higher-level themes | 224 | ||
| 10.4 Strategies for predicting, reinforcing and consolidating attitudinal stance in phases of text | 225 | ||
| 10.5 Conclusion | 230 | ||
| References | 231 | ||
| Chapter 11 | 234 | ||
| 11.1 Introduction | 234 | ||
| 11.2 Stereotyping and prejudice | 236 | ||
| 11.3 Modality | 239 | ||
| 11.4 Data and methodology | 241 | ||
| 11.5 Analysis | 242 | ||
| 11.6 Final remarks | 247 | ||
| Acknowledgements | 249 | ||
| Notes | 249 | ||
| References | 250 | ||
| Chapter 12 | 252 | ||
| 12.1 Tackling a text | 252 | ||
| 12.2 Preparing | 252 | ||
| 12.3 Tools | 257 | ||
| 12.4 Exploring | 259 | ||
| 12.5 Consolidating – register and genre | 273 | ||
| 12.6 Motivation | 280 | ||
| Notes | 282 | ||
| References | 282 | ||
| Index of Terms | 285 |