Functions Of Cohesion And Coherence In The College English Reading Comprehension

The paPer first points out and analyzes the present situation and PrOblems inthe teaching of col1ege English reading comPrehension in China: great importanceis Mhed to the analysis of words and sentences on the synactic level, but littleattention is given to the analysis of the text on the macrotrictUral level.Combining these problems with the development of reading theories, the authorputs fOrward the textal cohesion and coherence reading method.Cohesion and coherence are the most fimdamental teXtual criteri4 the core ofthe textual analysis. The paPer analyzes the functions of cohesion and coherenceon the different levels of Eng1ish reading comPrehension in the allemPt toestablish the cohesion and coherence method of reading.The cohesion theories of Halliday and Hasan lay great weight on thesemanic relation betWeen different linguistic elements, and divided cohesion intotwo kinds: granunatical cohesion and lexical cohesion. Hoey has developed thistheory and he maintains that textual cohesion is mainly realized through thelexical means, and thus has established his lexical pattems in text. Halliday'scohesion theory is restrained in the clause, and the Chinese scholar Hu Zhuanglinhas pushed a step further the textual cohesion theory and has formed themulti-level cohesion system. Based on this system, the paPer analyzes thefunctions of the cohesive devices moSt closely related to the English readingcomprehension.lIIAs to the hallard of coherene, Halliday and Hasan first pointed out thatcohesion was the necessary condition of coherence, and later they put forward theidea of cohesive chains, cohesive harmony and the consistence of register toensur the reaiization of coherenCe. In fac, cohesion is nOt the prerequsite ofcoherence, and it is only the possible means tO be adopted to realize coherence.And the textual cohernce is the result of cohesion, the consisteot register andteXtual thefore. Of these three faCtors, regiStCr and textual smiCfore are bothrestr3ined by coniext. And pragmatics StUdies the langUage used in concreteconteXts. Therefore, the author mainly analWes the interpretaion of the teXt frOmthe perspectives of coniexts, Which include lingulstic collteXt, sitalional collteXt,cuharal coniext, and pragmatics.In thes paPef, the author trCats cohesion and coherence as twO differentconcepts, but in fact they are more often intermven and interdependellt, andcannot be sePaIaed from one another. Cohesion realizes the connection betWeenthe lingustic elements and the proposition they exPress Whle coherence refers tothe whty of the conunwhcative acts. Cohesive devices are maiuly grammaticaland lexical Whi1e coherence can be realized both through granunatical and lexicalmeans, and through the lineedZation of the information. Cohesion in the teXt canlead readers to fmd the textual coherence. But the formal cohesion is restrained bythe semantic coherence. Cohesion and coherence, as two basic and closely relatedfeatUres of the text, are the Anpotw means adoPted to convey information inIVpractical conununication, Which on the one hand are the result of the aUthr'schoice. And on the other hand, they are featUres readers should figUre out andmake use of during textual inierpretation.The aUthor conducted an experimellt, Which lasted one year and a half, Whichproved that the textUal reading method has great advtages.