Article.

Viktoriya Andrushchenko

УДК 81’42

COHERENCE INTERLEVEL-LINGUISTIC MANIFESTATION WITHIN A BELLES-LETTRES STYLE TEXT FORMATION

The coherence category interlevel representation in correlation with the prominent text features within a supra-phrasal unity of the English language belles-lettres style text whole is characterized. Text levels interrelation and unity by means of the coherence category linguistic realization within the English language belles-lettres style text structure is revealed.

Keywords: coherence proper, coherence, cohesion, integrity, segmentation, continuum, supra-phrasal unity, formal, semantic, communicative, paradigmatic levels.

The research of text categories spectrum (I.R. Halperin, O.I. Moskalskaya, A.P. Zahnitko etc.), coherence and integrity, in particular, from the point of view of their correlative interrelation with the categories of segmentation and continuum, appears to be a vector of text linguistics functional analysis. The latter determines the necessity of these text categories integrative representation study at the junction of definite levels within a belles-lettres style text structure owing to coherence (cohesion / coherence) language markers manifestation that enables to conceive a belles-lettres style text pattern contensive-sense completion and comprehend its thematic-informative filling. Until now the problem of text characteristics, its units, and levels differentiation as well as their mutual predetermination and interdependence by language factors of the prominent text category realization – coherence (I.R. Halperin, O.I. Moskalskaya, A.P. Zahnitko etc.) – has been failed to be interpreted definitely. All this witnesses the relevance of the research and specifies the purpose of the analysis that resides in coherence linguistic formalization qualification as a determinant text feature of the English language belles-lettres style text unity interlevel organization. The purpose demands the consideration of the following tasks: 1) trace of coherence correlation peculiarities both with the categories of integrity, segmentation and continuum and levels (formal, semantic, communicative, paradigmatic) of a text whole; 2) ascertaining the significance of coherence linguistic expression for the English language belles-lettres style text level layers unification as well as its contensive-informative conceptualization and implicit-paradigmatic and sense-communicative completion recognition.

Сoherence (cohesion / coherence) together with the categories of continuum and segmentation has always been considered by linguists as the most essential text category that provides text integrity, since a belles-lettres style text pragmatic focus has its own specificity reflected within text structure in regard with linguistic units of its materialization [Гальперин 2007; Загнітко 2011; Москальская 1981].

At that, a number of special language units (coherence), indicating at direction of information development (either prospective or retrospective) and marking the introductory informational fragment sense relation to the other one or the whole text (integrity), in general, determine consistent thematic interpretation (continuum) of an addresser’s message as well as different text fragments logical combination (segmentation) in more meaningful semantic blocks.

It is evident that text coherence, activating its other categories, turns out to be immediately interrelated with them. Due to linguistically marked means of coherence manifestation analysis (cohesion /coherence) it is possible to state retrospective-prospective narration of events within a text (continuum) and establish boundaries of text continuum segmentation into supra-phrasal unities (SPUs) that is aimed at an addressee’s text-informative message integrity (that is an addresser’s idea, intention, motive) grasp and conceptualization.

A SPU, as a reduced (miniature) scheme of a text whole (I.R. Halperin, O.I. Moskalskaya, A.P. Zahnitko etc.), is regarded to be determinant and the longest syntactic text unit represented by either contact or distant unification of two or more independent sentence structures (introduction, development and ending) by means of coherence language markers realization that is dichotomically manifested by cohesion (formal coherence) / coherence (semantic coherence) correlation. In fact, sentences integration within a SPU, as a text itself, is characterized by proper structural-semantic formation, certain sense-thematic completion and definite communicative-pragmatic integrity.

Therefore, a SPU appears to be a formal-semantic unit of a sense level which boundaries are established according to its structural-semantic parameters: 1) formal expression (cohesion) of semantically marked language units (coherence) within contact or distant combined independent sentences of a text formation; 2) sense completion (a definite microtheme narration as a part of global text macrotheme, providing its integrity); 3) communicative filling (continuum –retrospective-prospective relations that witness syntactic and semantic independence of a SPU even beyond the context [Фигуровский 1974: 111] (segmentation)).

The problem of the main text features distinguishing corresponds with the issue of their interrelation with a text formation levels examining, their mutual interaction and predetermination, particularly, within a belles-lettres style text structure, that determines a range of a text whole delimitation criteria into minimal units in regard with text levels.

It is a well-known fact that text study as a linguistic category in linguistics is carried out in several planes: semantic (language signs interaction while expressing some meaning; language signs distribution and option to make an utterance sound more expressive etc.), grammatical (grammatical categories formalization; syntactic synonymy and variants, their transformation possibilities; textual-grammatical categories), pragmatic-communicative (text as a message, its locutionary, illocutionary and perlocutionary parameters; hermeneutics), compositional (study of literature) (grammatical and semantic means interrelation within a text formation) [Бойчук 2008: 263].

Most researchers regard a level-aspectual approach to be prominent for internal text structure analysis, since the latter is an integrative system of syntagmatic-horizontal (plane of expression) and paradigmatic-vertical (plane of content) relations.

As a result, I.Ya. Chernukhina suggests any text examining (as well as any belles-lettres style text unity) in respect of such aspects: formal, contensive (sense), functional (communicative) and pragmatic [Чернухина 1984: 7-8].

The most significant constituents of a text structure (communicative-mental activity) turn out to be an author (addresser), a reader (addressee), reflected reality, knowledge about which is expressed in a text, and a language system, from which an author chooses the linguistic means that allows him embodying his creative concept adequately [Бабенко 2009: 13]. The enumerated components correspondingly reveal integration of a text whole levels through which a text unit is studied: the latter are formal-syntactic, contensive-semantic and communicative-paradigmatic.

Among these text levels: formal (coherence language devices), communicative (theme / rheme – new and the already known information interrelation) it is the semantic one that should be put special attention to. All text constituents – from longer (a complex syntactic whole) to shorter (a word) – must be semantically combined with each other and interrelated with text global content (paradigmatic level). The semantic relation, being a text basis, specifies its unity and integrity. The rest partial lexical, formal-grammatical and other manifestations of coherence are determined by a text general semantic idea [Бабенко 2009: 182].

We, in our turn, share all the linguists’ views at a text as a definite structured and semantically organized parameter owing to correlative integration of formal-grammatical, contensive-semantic and functional-paradigmatic levels provided with the coherence category language markers expression.

At that, it is possible to identify primary text categories with its levels of their interrelation: cohesion (formal level), coherence (semantic level), continuum and segmentation (communicative level), integrity (paradigmatic level).

Hence, a modern view at a text turns out to be a complex unification of the defined approaches and the latest conceptions of the latter study in regard with which text – a level (a range of formal, semantic, communicative, paradigmatic levels (I.Ya. Chernukhina, A.P. Zahnitko etc.)) horizontally and vertically structured contensive-functional thematic-rhematic whole of a number of segmented text units – supra-phrasal unities (I.R. Halperin, O.I. Moskalskaya, A.P. Zahnitko etc.), which formal-semantic and communicative-sense organization is determined by the uppermost characteristic of the categorical text apparatus manifestation – the category of coherence (cohesion / coherence) (L.H. Babenko, I.R. Halperin, A.P. Zahnitko etc.) – in its correlation with text categories of integrity, segmentation and continuum due to language means of its expression, since the option of the latter is predetermined by an addresser’s intentionally marked idea (I.Ya. Chernukhina, A.P. Zahnitko) codified within a belles-lettres style text.

Consequently, the research of coherence linguistic realization comes to be possible at the junction of level (formal, semantic, communicative and paradigmatic) layers within a belles-lettres style text formation.

In this case, it is reasonable to analyze at least one SPU extracted from the English language belles-lettres style text unity:

1. The alarm-clock went off, jerking Martin out of sleep with a suddenness that would have given headache to one with less splendid constitution. 2. Though he slept soundly, he awoke instantly, like a cat, and he awoke eagerly, glad that the five hours of unconsciousness were gone. 3. He hated the oblivion of sleep. 4. There was too much to do, too much of life to live. 5. He grudged every moment of life sleep robbed him of, and before the clock had ceased its clattering he was head and ears in the wash-basin, and thrilling to the cold bite of the water (London 2004: 131).

The formal level within the examined SPU is represented by 1) lexical repetition of the nouns the clock, sleep, life; 2) the substitution of the antecedent of the prepositive sentence structure, denoting a proper name, Martin by the demonstrative-substitutive word he of the postpositive sentences; 3) periphrastic repetition of the lexeme sleep; 4) synonymic (synonymic-syntactic) repetition hated – grudged; 5) derivational repetition sleep – slept, life – live; 6) deictic-functional elements: conjunctions (that, though, and etc.), prepositions (of, with, before etc.), adverbs (soundly, instantly, eagerly etc.), intensifying particles (too), articles (a, the) etc.

The semantic level is marked by a spectrum of thematically homogeneous lexical units to denote concepts “sleep, night rest”: the alarm-clock, sleep, slept, the oblivion of sleep etc.

The communicative level is represented by a simple theme-rheme chain or linear thematic sequence (TS) (according to F. Danes) with а constant theme, where new rhemes (synsemantic sentence structures of SPU) join the theme (T), introduced by the rheme of the introductory utterance, while the theme itself remains unchanged: 1 (T) / (R) → 2 (R) → 3 (R) → 4 (R) → 5 (R).

The paradigmatic level coincides with the semantic (sense) one or sense integrity of a belles-lettres style text formation, in general, that lies in unity of its theme. By that, the whole text theme (in this case, microtext – SPU) is considered to be a sense nucleus of a text, its generalized (condensed) content [Moскальская 1981: 114]. Within the given microthematic context there is an implicit microsense of the analyzed belles-lettres style text global macrosense – the main protagonist’s irresistible desire not to spend a minute of his precious life in vain even for so necessary for each person, from the physiological point of view, need as sleep in order to manage to enjoy all the sweets of life as well as make the dearest dreams come true.

Thus, communicative-paradigmatic level of text continuum development is aimed at vertical vector of its integral conceptual-thematic content perception, since formal-semantic – at horizontal one.

It is essential to point out that a belles-lettres style text system analysis through the prism of text levels unity (formal, semantic, communicative and paradigmatic) enables to trace to a greater extent three most significant constituents of the latter – form, structure and content.

The study of a text structure is the key for its sense interpretation, since a text structure does not only express the content of the latter, but reflects interdependence and interconnection of text formal and contensive planes elements.

Just a text whole, its levels and units, peculiarities of its composition, structured and marked by a spectrum of linguistic devices of coherence formal-semantic materialization, are known to be determinant while embodying an addresser’s concept, providing information development and an author’s pragmatic intention realization, codified within a belles-lettres style text, forming idea about it, as, indeed, a structural-contensive and communicative-paradigmatic systemic-integral organization.

Thereby, the perspective of further research of the elucidated study involves a deeper analysis of the categorical coherence linguistic manifestation, detailed trace of its correlative interrelation with the rest of text features, units and levels within other foreign languages that will immediately contribute to working out an effective and comprehensive horizontal-vertical algorithm concerning belles-lettres style text structures examination as well as description of their formal, semantic, communicative and paradigmatic completion and filling.

References. 

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Sources and Abbreviations

London 2004: London, J. Martin Eden : [novel] [Text] / J. London. – London : Macmillan and Company Edition, 2004. – 367 pp.

Схарактеризовано рівневий вияв категорії зв’язності у співвідношенні із провідними текстовими ознаками в рамах надфразної єдності художньотекстового цілого англійської мови. Продемонстровано взаємозв’язок та єдність текстових рівнів англомовної художньотекстової структури засобами мовної реалізації категорії зв’язності.

Ключові слова: зв’язність, когезія, когерентність, цілісність, членованість, континуум, надфразна єдність, формальний, семантичний, комунікативний, парадигматичний рівні.

Available 9 January 2015.