Text Coherence: A Study From The View Of Cognitive Matrix Domain

Coherence is an essential term or concept in text and one of hot issues of text analysis. Researches related to it have attracted more attention in the past three decades and much progress has been made. After reviewing previous theories concerned with it, we find that few scholars study text coherence from the view of cognitive matrix domain (CMD). Thus, the present thesis makes a tentative study on characteristics and patterns of coherence from this perspective.The current study is based on the spreading activation model and the cognitive matrix domain view. The spreading activation model posits that the information is organized as a network of interrelated data in terms of semantic similarity or semantic relatedness. Once an item is activated or stimulated, the activation will spread along the associative pathways of the network, meaning that some related information will be activated. The cognitive matrix domain view assumes that matrix domain is an assembly of potential and activated cognitive domains which are needed for profiling one concept. Based on these theories, we hold that:(1) The understanding of text coherence happens in the matrix domain.(2) The core of the matrix domain is the topic of a text. Different levels of cognitive domains that compose the matrix domain are basic and meaningful units of the text. Domains within the matrix domain can be seen as some kind of nodes. Once activated, the information will spread along the associative nodes to activate the next domain. This spread of activation serves to unify these interrelated areas of knowledge into a unified network. It is this unified network composed of different levels of domains that guides the topic to develop deeply and keeps the text coherent. It is through different patterns or ways of cognitive domain activation that text users obtain an understanding of coherence.(3) During the process of text users'obtaining coherence, different patterns of cognitive domain activation can enhance the accessibility and the informativity of the information conveyed by a text.The methodology employed in this thesis is the combination of construction of the theoretical framework and application. By applying a text model in the view of cognitive matrix domain into five types of text, namely, exposition, argumentation, narration, description, and instruction, we come to the following findings:(1) From the view of cognitive matrix domain, a whole text consists of explicit and potential texts. The former refers to the text composed of activated cognitive domains and the latter means that of potential cognitive domains. The explicit text takes an explicit or implicit topic, so do the activated second-level and third-level sub-domains. All of these topics play constructive roles in global coherence.(2) In the text model in the view of cognitive matrix domain, text users obtain an understanding of coherence through two patterns of cognitive domain activation: one is coordinate activation which means that cognitive domains at the same level are activated according to the coordinate relation or the sequence of event, time, space, etc.; another is hierarchical activation, implying that cognitive domains at different levels are activated in the light of the following relationships: general-particular, abstract- concrete, whole-part/component, cause-effect, big-small, etc.(3) During the process of text users'obtaining coherence, activated cognitive domains are on the increase and their relationships become more and more diversified. The information conveyed by cognitive domains follows the accessibility and the graded informativeness condition. It is through coordinate and hierarchical activation that the accessibility and the informativity of the information are enhanced.(4) The matrix domain view can facilitate text users'understanding of coherence and the figure of the text model in the view of cognitive matrix domain can vividly represent coherence relations.The significance of this thesis lies in two aspects. First, studying text coherence from the view of cognitive matrix domain raises studies on matrix domain from lexical and syntactic levels to textual level, which widens and perfects researches concerned with it. Second, the introduction of the view of cognitive matrix domain into the field of text analysis offers a new analysis method for text analysis.