Structures and Functions
Structures and Functions
While the two previous chapters focus on how units and relations contribute to text structure and what devices are employed in text organisation, this chapter moves to how structure is oriented towards certain functions. In narrative discourse, a central concern is the encoding of subjectivity. We discuss the main concepts that have been proposed for the analysis of the teller’s engagement with what is being reported: e.g. evaluation, tellability, involvement, performance. We also present the main devices that have been associated with each of these concepts. Non-narrative discourse, on the other hand, relies more on the employment of rhetorical patterns such as the Problem-Solution and other patterns, which are presented here, while evaluation in non-narrative texts crucially relates to modality and other functions such as status, value and relevance. In both discourse modes, functions relate to the texts’ overall generic structures.
Keywords: evaluation, tellability, involvement, performance, rhetorical patterns, modality, generic structure
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