Course : Introduction to Linguistics II (Εαρ. 2024-'25) - Sections Α-Καρ & Π-Ω

In this class, first we discussed the answers to the self-assessment test on pragmatics.

Then, we moved to another domain of linguistic inquiry, so-called text linguistics (TL) or discourse analysis (DA), which is concerned with the analysis of text and conversation, that is, language beyond the level of the sentence.

We specifically focused on the distinction between cohesion and coherence. A text is coherent if it is possible to construct a coherent representation of that text. In contrast, cohesion refers to the explicit marking of the relations between the parts of the text. The coherence of a text can be signalled through cohesive links. 

Specifically, coherence can be established in one of two ways: a) by repeated reference to the same referents in a text, called "referential coherence", and b) by linking text parts with coherence relations like cause-consequence and contrast, called "relational coherence". We analyzed both types of coherence, as well as the linguistic devices used for this purpose. 

For more detail, please study the lecture slides and the relevant pages from Yule (p. 143-145) and Dirven & Verspoor (p. 184-191).

For next week, please prepare exercises 5 and 7 from the Handout on TL/DA.