Discourse Coherence Static And Dynamic Analysis

Text is not only a static product, but also a dynamic process. That is, text is not only the result or product of language using, but also the interaction between speaker and listener (writer and reader). When text is considered as a product, its cohesion and propositional relevance play an important role on textual coherence. Furthermore, propositional relevance, which shows the semantic connections between propositions, supplements textual cohesion, which stresses on formal connections between language units but neglects the fact that coherence shows the semantic relevance on the deep layer of a text. Therefore, for a static analysis on textual coherence, both textual cohesion and propositional relevance should be employed. However, this static approach towards textual coherence cannot account persuasively for the coherence of some spoken texts which often lack of cohesive mechanism and implicitly coherent, because text is also a dynamic process, i.e. it cannot do without the interaction between speaker and listener (writer and reader). Hence, in order to obtain a whole image of textual coherence, it is also necessary to employ a dynamic analysis on a text, especially a spoken text. And when a dynamic analysis is involved, both the theory of Conversational lmplicature and Relevance Theory should be employed, because Relevance Theory supplements the theory of Conversational lmplicature by offering the latter a psychological interpretation of textual coherence. Thus, in order to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the coherence of a text, both a static and dynamic analysis should be employed in the perspectives of form,semantics, pragmahcs and cognition.This paPer consists of six chaPters. The first chapter servcs as anintroduction. The second chaPter deals with the Previous researchcs ontext analysis and the definition of text. The third chapter malnly dealswith the previous studies on textua1 coherence. The fOurth chaPtershows the static aPProach of anaIyzing texthel coherence by employingthe theory of Cohesive Harmony and the 1heory of Macrosbocture. Thefifth chaPter demonstrates the dynamic approach of analyzing textualcoherence by employing the theory Qf Conversatioml ImPlicature andRe1evance Theory. The sixth chaptCr is the cooclusion.