The main goal of this study is to investigate cohesive devices in selected british poems and in selected american poems. Firstly, the thesis aims at identifying the lexical and grammatical cohesive devices used in the british poems and in the american poems which are written by a modern poets. Secondly, the thesis aims at conducting a contrastive linguistic analysis between these poems in order to find out the similarities and differences in the use of grammatical and lexical cohesive devices. The present study attempts to find out the frequency and distribution of their occurrence in both texts.
This term paper is divided into two parts. One part deals with the theoretical background whereas the other section is about the empirical part of the study. In this section, a number of British poems and American ones will be analysed in the light of the adopted model which is based on Halliday and Hasan’s approach to cohesion. Eight poems have been selected for the analysis. Four of them are written by the modern British poet Thomas Hardy and the other four are written by the modern American poet Walt Whitman.
Cohesion is a kind of significant connection within a text. Gutwinski defines cohesion as the relations that are established among the sentences and the clauses of a text. Such relations are normally indicated by particular grammatical and lexical features. Hatim and Mason consider cohesion as one of the indications of coherence. They state that cohesion refers to the ways in which this underlying coherence is reflected on the surface of the text- the cohesion, or sequential connectivity of the surface elements -are much more likely to be language-specific or text-specifi. Stoddard points out that cohesion are a mental construct. Remarkably, this definition shows that cohesion is a process of interpretation. In this case, it involves mental effort on the part of the reader. That is to say, cohesion involves looking for certain grammatical or lexical items that contribute to convey meaning and link clauses and sentences. Consequently, information is conveyed in orderly way elements. McArthur states that cohesion is a feature by which it can be determined whether something is a text and not a set of unrelated sentences.
Table of Contents
1. Abstract
2. Theoretical Background
2.1 Definition of Cohesion
2.2 Cohesive Devices
2.2.1 Reference
2.2.2 Comparison
2.2.3 Substitution
2.2.4 Ellipsis
2.2.5 Conjunction
2.2.6 Lexical Cohesion
3. Practical Study
3.1 The Use of Grammatical Cohesion
3.1.1 The Use of Reference
3.1.2 The Use of Conjunction
3.1.3 The Use of Ellipsis
3.1.4 The Use of Substitution
3.2 The Use of Lexical Cohesion
3.2.1 Repetition
3.2.2 Collocation
3.2.3 Synonymy
4. Conclusion
5. Bibliography
Research Objectives and Core Themes
The primary objective of this study is to conduct a contrastive linguistic analysis of cohesive devices within selected British and American poetry, identifying the specific grammatical and lexical mechanisms that establish text connectivity. By examining works from modern poets, the study aims to quantify the frequency and distribution of these devices to reveal patterns and variations in poetic structure.
- Investigation of grammatical cohesive devices (Reference, Conjunction, Ellipsis, Substitution)
- Examination of lexical cohesive devices (Repetition, Collocation, Synonymy)
- Contrastive analysis between Thomas Hardy (British) and Walt Whitman (American)
- Quantitative assessment of linguistic connectivity in modern poetry
Excerpt from the Book
2.1 Definition of Cohesion
According to Gutwinski (1976: 27), cohesion is a kind of significant connection within a text. Gutwinski defines cohesion as the relations that are established among the sentences and the clauses of a text. Such relations are normally indicated by particular grammatical and lexical features. Hatim and Mason (1990: 195) consider cohesion as one of the indications of coherence. Hatim and Mason state that cohesion refers to “the ways in which this underlying coherence is reflected on the surface of the text- the cohesion, or sequential connectivity of the surface elements -are much more likely to be language-specific or text-specific”. Stoddard (1991, as cited inTsareva, 2010: 6) points out that cohesion are “a mental construct”.
Remarkably, this definition shows that cohesion is a process of interpretation. In this case, it involves mental effort on the part of the reader. That is to say, cohesion involves looking for certain grammatical or lexical items that contribute to convey meaning and link clauses and sentences. Consequently, information is conveyed in orderly way elements. McArthur (1992, as cited in Wichmann, 2000: 74) states that cohesion is a feature by which it can be determined whether something is a text and not a set of unrelated sentences.
Summary of Chapters
1. Abstract: Provides an overview of the study's goal to investigate and contrast lexical and grammatical cohesive devices in modern British and American poetry.
2. Theoretical Background: Defines the concept of cohesion through various linguistic perspectives and outlines the five primary types of cohesive devices.
3. Practical Study: Details the empirical analysis of eight selected poems by Thomas Hardy and Walt Whitman, focusing on the frequency of cohesive markers.
4. Conclusion: Summarizes findings, noting that American poems generally contain a higher density of cohesive devices and showing a clear preference for repetition over omission.
5. Bibliography: Lists the academic resources and linguistic literature used to support the theoretical framework of the study.
Keywords
Cohesion, Cohesive Devices, Grammatical Cohesion, Lexical Cohesion, Reference, Conjunction, Ellipsis, Substitution, Repetition, Collocation, Synonymy, Contrastive Linguistic Analysis, British Poetry, American Poetry, Text Connectivity
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research investigates how cohesion is achieved in modern British and American poems through the use of specific grammatical and lexical devices.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The study covers the theoretical definitions of cohesion and the practical application of cohesive devices such as reference, substitution, ellipsis, conjunction, and various lexical markers.
What is the primary objective of the analysis?
The goal is to conduct a contrastive linguistic analysis to identify similarities and differences in how modern British and American poets use cohesive devices to create connected, meaningful text.
Which scientific methodology is utilized?
The study employs a contrastive linguistic analysis based on the model established by Halliday and Hasan, focusing on the quantitative frequency and distribution of cohesive markers.
What does the main body of the work address?
It provides a theoretical overview of cohesion, followed by an empirical study that analyzes eight specific poems by Thomas Hardy and Walt Whitman.
What key terminology characterizes this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as grammatical cohesion, lexical cohesion, anaphora, cataphora, repetition, collocation, and synonymy.
Why are American poems found to have more cohesive devices?
The study concludes that American poems demonstrate a higher number of cohesive devices primarily because they are generally longer in length than the selected British poems.
What is the role of repetition in the analyzed poems?
Repetition is identified as the most frequently used lexical cohesive device, with a notable inclination toward its use by both British and American poets over other strategies like ellipsis.
- Quote paper
- Sajjad Abed Ali Shareef (Author), 2017, Cohesion in selected british and american poems, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/372244
