Abstract
The article deals with the problem of relation of two linguistic categories – interrogativity and text cohesion – in a literary text. The aim of the research is to study the role of ‘why’ questions in text cohesion in Waterland by G. Swift. As part of the study, a database of interrogative contexts was formed, which includes general questions, special questions and disjunctive questions. Methods of semantic analysis, stylistic analysis, contextual analysis, syntactical analysis were used in the research process. The paper provides the results of analysis conducted to reveal the functions of ‘why’ questions in text cohesion on the micro-level (lexical and semantical cohesion, syntactical cohesion) and macro-level (plot and composition, imagery, themes and idea) of the literary text. There were found means of text cohesion such as lexical and syntactical repetitions. On the level of lexis, such various types of repetition were discovered as complete lexical repetition, partial repetition, synonymic and antonymic repetition, deixis, repetition of the interrogative adverb ‘why’. On the level of syntax, the analysis demonstrates a tendency to formal incompleteness of interrogative structures, on the one hand, which allows us to assume an implicit type of text cohesion, and, on the other hand, a tendency to formal complexity of interrogative structures, with parenthetic clauses, adverbial participial phrases and homogeneous parts of the sentence being frequently used. Stylistic analysis of ‘why’ questions shows that anaphora, antithesis, syntactical parallelism, parenthesis, ellipsis and aposiopesis are among the means of text cohesion in the text under consideration. The analysis of the novel on the macro-level demonstrates that ‘why’ questions function in the plot development, facilitate semantical cohesion between chapters, form thematical and conceptual unity of the literary text, and serve to promote the unity of imagery. The author concludes that ‘why’ questions facilitate the processes of semantical and syntactical compression, which are considered the main mechanisms of text production.
Highlights
Просьба ссылаться на эту статью в русскоязычных источниках следующим образом: Гладкова К
Проанализируем следующий пример: Why was it that this revolution in the name of liberty and equality ended with an emperor?. Why was it that this revolution which did achieve lasting reforms could not do so without fear and terror, without the piling up, in the streets of Paris alone, of six thousand corpses, not to mention the thousands of corpses in greater France or the unnumbered corpses of Italians, Austrians, Prussians, Russians, Spaniards, Portuguese, Englishmen – which were to be strewn over the battlegrounds of Europe? Why is it that every so often history demands a bloodbath, a holocaust, an Armageddon? And why is it that every time the time before has taught us nothing? [ibid.: 145] Данный контекст объединен общей микротемой, в частности, описываются события французской революции, а в целом автор рассуждает о трагических изменениях в истории и в жизни простого человека
Наряду с неполнотой и формальным упрощением вопросительных конструкций наблюдается тенденция к синтаксической усложненности вопросов “why”, например, рядами однородных членов предложения, причастными оборотами, уточняющими конструкциями и парентезой, например: Why was it that this revolution which did achieve lasting reforms could not do so without fear and terror, without the piling up, in the streets of Paris alone, of six thousand corpses, not to mention the thousands of corpses in greater France or the unnumbered corpses of Italians, Austrians, Prussians, Russians, Spaniards, Portuguese, Englishmen – which were to be strewn over the battlegrounds of Europe? [ibid.: 145]
Summary
Просьба ссылаться на эту статью в русскоязычных источниках следующим образом: Гладкова К. Свифта “Waterland” характеризуется усиленным вопрошанием, что позволяет подробно изучить способы языковой реализации категории интеррогативности в художественном тексте, а также ее роль в процессе образования связности текста.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
