Coherence
1. Introduction
Coherence of discour analysis is a core problem. Becau of the complexity of the coherence itlf, there is no systematic standards and methods of the explanation on the coherence. Halliday and Hasan (1976,198 5) first put forward the four categories on grammatical cohesion and the means of lexical cohesion, they think that coherence is formed on the basis of cohesion, and cohesion is an esntial condition for coherence (1985:94). This theory has caud many queries and criticisms of scholars.
Enkvist (1978:110) points out that cohesion is neither an necessary nor the sufficient condition to realize the coherence of a text. Brown and Yule (1983:66224) hold the view that people explain a discour according to a hypothesis that discour is coherent not the form markers of discour. Widdowson (1978:28-31) points out thinks that cohesion can be considered as symbolic language relations between proposition and proposition; while coherence is the relation between the illocutionary acts. Stubbs (1983:96) also thinks that a
reader or listener can give or create the discour coherence on his own cognitive ability That is more worthy of our attention. Givon (1995) has argued that the discour coherence is not in the external discour but in the psychological coherence in the mental text. He regards coherence as a psychological phenomenon, a kind of subjective behavior which was continually negotiated by recipient or both parties in communication process to be understood. In addition, de Beaugrande and Dressier (1981), Hobbs (1979), Cook (1994), McCarthy (1991), Fries (1983), Reinhart (1980) and Hoey (1991,2001) also parately analyze the esnce, mechanism and performance characteristics of coherence from different aspects.
截交线Many domestic scholars have also explained and supplemented the theory (such as Cheng Yumin, Huang Guowen 1988; Hu Zhuanglin1994; Zhu Yongsheng1996;1997; Zhang Delu, 1999;2000 etc.). Generally speaking, Chine and foreign scholars’ criticism and amendments to Halliday and Hasan are roughly summarized as the following three points: first, the cohesion is an important condition for the coherence of a text, but form cohesion of a language can not necessarily cau mantic coherence; Second, the disc胚胎发育全过程
理学是什么专业our coherence is the results of interaction of utterance and context factors, and it is realized in the pret of pragmatics and reasoning when communicated in social and cultural context or situational context in which; Third, the discour coherence is a kind of mental reprentation, is the result of mental interaction between both sides in the certain communication in a cognitive context.
The criticisms and revisions of the theory does not deny it, but develop and perfect it from different scopes. In fact, later in Halliday’s analysis he mentions how important the register is to discour coherence. And he only gives no clear definition to the phenomenon of coherence. Halliday and Hasan (1976:4) take the view that cohesion is a mantic concept which exists in the internal discour, and it is an important means to improve the coherence of a text. And coherence refers to the connexity of an utterance or some different parts of the text in the n of meaning, this meaning connexity is not only transparent, also can be opaque (Zhu Yongsheng 1996). We think, discour coherence is multidimensional, which was not only embodied in mantic level, but also in pragmatic level and mentally interactive level of both sides in communication. Therefor
有那么一天e the rearch of the coherence of a text should be started with the three aspects, and to hold it holistically and dynamically. All the different views and theories of Chine and foreign scholars can be analyzed in the framework of the speech act theory.
2. The Definition of Coherence
太阳休眠
In the past two decades, foreign language schools have en a greater importance on textual coherence. Although different linguists believe that coherence is the esntial property of a text，they approach the concept from different angles．
Van．Dijk interprets coherence from the perspective of mantics．He believes “coherence is a mantic property of discour，bad on the interpretation of each individual ntence relative to the interpretation of other ntences”（1973：）．
Halliday's full attention is given to tho cohesive devices such as reference，substitution，ellipsis，conjunction and lexical cohesion.
Widdowson一个月来两次月经（1978）believes coherence is a pragmatic concept．Coherence is the r
elationship between illocutionary acts．
Beaugrande（1981），coherence is defined as the procedures which ensure conceptual connectivity测绘资质管理，including（1）logical relations，（2）organization of events，objects and situations，（3）continuity in human experience百家争鸣的意思．It concerns “the way in which the components of the textual world which underlie the surface text are mutually accessible and relevant”（1981：4）
In Brown and Yule's opinion（1983），coherence is the result of the interaction of the text and the receiver．It is provided by readers' processing of the text．
We can e that they focus on different aspects of discoursal coherence. Coherence is a multi-level notion.
(1) At the mantic level. Coherence is established through cohesive devices and propositional development
(2) At the pragmatic level. Coherence is often achieved through the illocutions or implicat
ures of discour in linguistic communication on certain occasions
(3) At the mutual mental interactive level. Coherence is considered as a process of mental interaction between the producer and the receiver. It is about interlocutors’ interaction.
To sum up, coherence is the study of the connectedness in multi-level notion, varying from mantic level, to pragmatic level and to mental level.
