Syntactical units as bounded discourse formants in communicative and narrative pragmatics

Abstract

In exploring the viewpoints and methodology of text linguistics, the paper presents the results of the author?s research into the role of syntactical units in relation to the units of semantic nature in the formation of the complete structure of a given text as a unit at the level of language pragmatics. The research was done by means of interpretation of language samples in the field of two functional styles, with a focus on defining the role of syntactical structures in the formation of bounded (situational) discourse. The object of examination is (a) the communicative language, by which term the author understands the language of the speaker?s/writer?s report in the casual practice of communication, here - in the practice of school lectures/textbooks in the field of primary curriculum in the domain of natural and social sciences. The author does this by applying the typical instruments of our text linguistics in the analysis of chosen textbook discourse samples. In addition, the author presents his interpretations of syntactical structures? role in the formation of (b) the narrative discourse/text, by applying the same instruments of text linguistic analysis, here - on the selected sample taken from the work of a typically Belgrade-style example of literary language written by Slobodan Selenic. Naturally - all these function in their respective segments of definitions or descriptions (portrayals).