Functions Of Anaphora In Text

This dissertation studies the functions of anaphora in text from a functional-cognitive perspective.The functional-cognitive approach is proposed as a method that can be applied to the present research. This approach is based on both the functionalist framework and cognitive linguistics. It incorporates the functional and cognitive perspectives so that the two perspectives can be complementary and compatible with each other in the study of anaphora. With the functional-cognitive approach, this dissertation proposes a theoretical framework of anaphora. The proposed framework consists of three major functions of anaphora: textual function, interpersonal function and cognitive function.The textual function of anaphora is explored from the lexical, grammatical, semantic and textual levels. At the lexical level, anaphora is featured by the properties of definiteness and lexical congruence. Definiteness helps construe the foundation of identification, and lexical congruence contributes to the identification of anaphora. Differences in the degree of both definiteness and lexical congruence may affect the density of anaphoric information and anaphora tracking. The finding reveals the role of lexical congruence in anaphora production.At the grammatical level, the textual function of anaphora is investigated from the aspects of grammatical relations and immediacy principle. Grammatical relations relating to clausal process types and the types of anaphora as participants can help account for the subject-object switch of anaphora. The immediacy principle governing anaphora at the grammatical level can account for the specific cases of anaphora tracking. The analysis shows that the perspective of grammatical relations provides a clausal strategy for the interpretation of anaphora at the grammatical level.At the semantic level, anaphora is featured by both the connectivity and increment of anaphoric information. Connectivity of anaphoric information guarantees the stability of anaphoric information in textual progression. Increment of anaphoric information contributes to the flow of textual information through different shades of semantic meanings encoded in different anaphoric forms.At the textual level, the role of anaphora is explored from the topical and cohesive relations that anaphora realizes in text. Topicality of anaphora is crucial to anaphora's realization of topical relations, and continuity of anaphora influences topical continuity. Anaphora's realization of cohesive relations is reflected from the ways it forms cohesive chains. The analysis reveals that anaphora plays an indispensable role in the creation of texture through weaving textual relations.The interpersonal function of anaphora is explored from the writer-society and writer-reader relationships. Through such anaphora devices as repetitive first-person pronouns, objectivation of subject, switch of reference point and antecedent embedment, the writer constructs his relationship with the society and conveys his underlying attitude and viewpoint. The writer-reader relationship involves the writer's seeking common ground with the reader through anaphora. Anaphora devices used by the writer in seeking common ground with the reader show addresser-exclusive and addressee-inclusive features. By different anaphora devices, the writer seeks from the reader shared beliefs and attitudes, agreement, sympathy and support.The cognitive function of anaphora is explored from the perspective of reader-text relationship. The reader uses three cognitive strategies in anaphora retrieval: frame-based integration of anaphoric information, context-constrained inference, and memory-related retrieval of anaphoric information. Investigation of the cognitive function of anaphora reveals that to achieve the maximal communicative effect, the anaphora tracking process on the part of the reader should be in agreement with the anaphora production process on the part of the writer to the largest degree.To testify the theoretical explorations of the three functions of anaphora, an applicational research is conducted on the distribution of anaphora in three sample texts. A comparative study of the findings in the three sample texts testifies some features discussed in the three functions of anaphora.Based on theoretical explorations and applicational research, this dissertation draws the conclusion that anaphora constitutes a system of three functions– textual function, interpersonal function and cognitive function. These three functions render anaphora as a network of relations, and anaphora is both the means of realizing experience into textuality and the end in which the construction of experience and textuality can be revealed. The present research has implications for anaphora study, methodology, textual analysis and educational linguistics.