Cohesion and Coherence in Textual Analysis
Cohesion
For a text to be cohesive, the sentences must be linked by elements that define semantic relationships. Cohesion, an inter-sentential relationship, organizes sentences within a text. A text isn’t merely the sum of its sentences, but the product of transphrastic relations between them.
Grammatical Cohesion
1.1 Reference and Anaphora
Anaphora is a relationship where one item requires the presence of another for interpretation. Mechanisms to handle anaphora include:
- Lexical Substitution (Synonyms): Replacing words with synonyms (e.g., student – apprentice, school – college).
- Pronominalization: Using pronouns to replace other words.
- Lexical Pronouns: Generic words replacing specific ones (e.g., thing, element, all).
- Grammatical Pronouns: Personal, possessive, etc.
- Pro-Adverbs: Adverbs substituting words in specific contexts.
- Ellipsis: Omitting a known element that the reader can reconstruct.
- Nominal Ellipsis: Missing noun or noun phrase.
- Verbal Ellipsis: Missing verb or verb phrase.
- Determiners: Articles, demonstrative and possessive adjectives, establishing relationships like unknown-known, transmitter-receiver, nearby-far.
1.2 Deixis
Deixis connects speech to the communicative context using indexicals (pronouns and adverbs) that indicate real referents like person, time, and space.
- Personal Deixis: Speaker (I, we) and addressee (you).
- Spatial Deixis: Here, there.
- Temporal Deixis: Now, before, after.
Linking (Connectors or Textual Markers)
Sentences in a text have various relationships (coordination, subordination, opposition, logic, temporal) expressed by linking words.
- Coordinating Conjunctions: And, nor, but.
- Subordinating Conjunctions: Although, as, when.
- Grammatical Links: First, previously.
Lexical Cohesion
Lexical cohesion, the “meaning of words,” is the backbone of textuality. It arises from semantic relationships between words. Words are linked because the real-world actions and objects they represent are related.
Types of Lexical Cohesion
- Repetition: Intentional repetition of words.
- Antonyms: Words with opposite meanings (e.g., young – adult).
- Ordinate Series: Words related to the same referent (e.g., parent, teacher, adult).
- Generalizing Words: Summarize a broad category (e.g., thing, event, people).
- Cohesive Chains: Phrases conceptually linked (e.g., arch, ball, goalkeeper).
- Semantic Fields: Defined by cohesive chains, guiding the text’s theme.
Coherence
Coherence refers to information processing. A coherent text is structured logically based on the communication situation. It establishes what information is communicated and how (order, precision, structure). Incoherent texts lack organization, repeat ideas, and lack a clear schema.
Aspects of Coherence
- Amount of Information: Depends on context, purpose, audience, and communication type.
- Quality of Information: [The original text ends abruptly here]