Modes of Discourse: The Local Structure of Texts

by Carlota S. Smith

Overview

In studying discourse, the problem for the linguist is to find a fruitful level of analysis. Carlota Smith offers a new approach with this study of discourse passages, units of several sentences or more. She introduces the key idea of the "Discourse Mode", identifying five modes: Narrative, Description, Report, Information, Argument. Smith analyzes the properties that distinguish each mode, focusing on grammatical rather than lexical information. The book also examines presentational matters: topic and focus; variation in syntactic structure; and subjectivity, or point of view.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521120623
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	10/01/2009
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Linguistics , #103
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Carlota S. Smith is Centennial Professor of Linguistics at the University of Texas. She is the author of The Parameter of Aspect (second edition, 1997). Her current research is at the interface of syntax, semantics and pragmatics, especially in texts.

Table of Contents

Preface; Introduction; Part I. Discourse Structure: 1. Introduction to the discourse modes; 2. Discourse modes; 3. Text representation and understanding; Part II. Linguistic Analysis of the Discourse Modes: 4. Aspectual information: the entities introduced in discourse; 5. Temporal and spatial progression; 6. Referring expressions in discourse; Part III. Surface Presentational Factors: Introduction to Part III; 7. Subjectivity in texts; 8. The contribution of surface presentation; 9. Non-canonical structures and presentation; Part IV. Discourse Modes and their Context: 10. Information in text passages; 11. Discourse structure and discourse modes; Appendix A. The texts; Appendix B. Glossary.