Symbiosis Of Discourse Types In Rhetorical Reciprocity

The tendency to categorize is innate in man and the same is true for discourseclassification. Studies of discourse types, an essential topic of rhetoric andrhetoric-composition, can be traced back to Aristotle’s Poetics and Rhetoric as well asthe composition textbooks of the19thcentury. Many other disciplines, such astranslatology, text linguistics, corpus linguistics, functional linguistics and ESP (Englishfor Special Purpose), have also contributed to the studies of discourse types, thusenriching rhetoric-composition. However, few studies have been made on the symbiosisof discourse types even though this symbiosis is a plain fact. This dissertation, based onthe analysis of existing studies, approaches the symbiosis of discourse types from theperspective of rhetorical reciprocity. It then discusses the theoretical and practicalsignificance of this study for the teaching of English writing in China.First and foremost, the dissertation defines “discourse” and “discourse types.” Adiscourse has a macrostructure and is the product of rhetorical interaction; a discourse isa discourse only in the rhetorical situation; it is a natural, rather than man-made,rhetorical speech act. The term “discourse type” or “text type” as a category ofdiscourse takes both broad and narrow senses in the actual use. In addition to the twoexisting categories of “genres” and “modes of discourse,” the dissertation puts forwarda new category,“strategies of thesis text.” Then, it explores the symbiosis of these threesub-categories in a broad sense from the perspective of rhetorical reciprocity.Types of discourse has evolved from the early genres to the modes of discoursedominating the19thcentury and early20thcentury, up to the strategies of thesis textranging from the1950s to1970s, and have come to be symbiotic today. By means ofhistoriographical and synchronic studies, this dissertation has analyzed the origin,merits and demerits of each discourse type category through investigation of published classical rhetorical treaties and modern composition textbooks. Based on all of this, ithas explored the reasons for and the current situation of the symbiosis of discoursetypes (i.e. genres, modes of discourse, and strategies of thesis text) in rhetoricalreciprocity.A text is composed on the condition that it satisfies a certain rhetorical situationand is decoded in a rhetorical situation, too. Either the production or comprehension ofa text is a rhetorical act. A text is a text only in the rhetorical situation. Based on thisassumption, this dissertation has expounded on the dialectical relationship betweendiscourse types and rhetorical situation by referring to kairos in classical rhetoric,Bitzer’s Rhetorical Situation as well as Burke’s. Discourse types are regarded asreoccurring responses to rhetorical situations, and play a dynamic role in theconstruction of a rhetorical situation. Within this theoretical framework, the dissertationhas explored the key elements of rhetorical interaction: Richards’ MetaphoricalInteraction, Bakhtin’s Dialogue Theory, Burke’s Identification and Habermas’Communicative Action. Then it has elaborated the relationship between rhetoricalreciprocity and the symbiosis of discourse types.Classification is theory-based. Genres, modes of discourse and strategies of thesistext are no exception. This study shows that the classification of genres is based oncultural elements and that genres are social, historical, dynamic and acquirable.Additionally, the classification of genres is complicated, specific, and open. Theclassification of modes of discourse is founded on linguistic features such as grammar,lexicons, syntax, voices, tenses, aspects, etc. Modes of discourse are abstract and closed.The basis for the division of strategies of thesis text is universal thinking such asclassification, definition, comparison, contrast, cause and effect, process, etc. They arealso closed to a certain degree. Taking all this into account and using analogy, thedissertation, acknowledging that culture, language and thinking are inseparable,demonstrates the symbiosis of discourse types in rhetorical reciprocity.This study is of great theoretical and practical significance to the teaching ofEnglish writing in China. Firstly, it provides a new theoretical perspective for teaching English writing in China and explains the key role of the knowledge of discourse typesin English writing. It provides a practical model of how to teach discourse types inEnglish writing, which ultimately will enhance students’ ability to write. Secondly, thisstudy is of great value for the compilation of composition textbooks in China. As iswidely known, the study of composition textbooks in China needs to be improved. Thisdissertation meets this need in a sense. Based on the study of composition textbooks, ithas explored the symbiotic relationship of discourse types in American and Britishcomposition textbooks which has provided valuable reference for the compilation ofEnglish composition textbooks in China. Thirdly, this study is rhetoric-oriented,conducted with the theory of rhetoric and rhetorical interaction. To teach Englishwriting rhetorically can make it more approximate to real life and the whole discourse,thus making it more interesting. Therefore, this study is instructive for the improvementof the teaching of English writing in China.