Cohesion Theory

As a major concern of discourse analysis, cohesion and coherence are emerging in pairs. Owing to the cross-disciplinary aspect of discourse analysis, many linguists have thus far made considerable investigations into this area of study from varied perspectives. This paper illustrates a systematic discussion of the different views concerning the relationship between cohesion and coherence, and set forth the author's opinions on how to interpret the relationship between these two concepts by defining the devices of cohesion.The realization of coherence of discourse depends on the devices of cohesion, but overt cohesive devices cannot for the discourse. Overt and covert cohesive devices appear alternatively and cooperate with each other in constructing coherent discourse, but the role of covert cohesive device should not be neglected. Firstly, this paper defines and classifies cohesion and coherence, and then interprets the significant role of four main covert cohesive devices in the realization of coherent discourse, proving that all coherent phenomenon can be explained by cohesion theory. Finally, this paper integrates theory with practice and discusses its practical value from the perspective of stylistics.