Abstract
The structural analysis, as one of the types of descriptive approach, has traditionally been used to study the linguistic units in hierarchy. This analysis has made great contribution to all levels, including the level of syntax because syntax is by nature hierarchic. In sentence we cannot say or write two things at the same time. The sentences have to be presented one after the other, in linear order. Therefore the problem is how to signal hierarchies through linear presentation. One of such attempts has been made by the representatives of Prague School of Linguistics (Mathesius, 1967). The `Praguean` influence has been widespread and long-lasting. Its main emphasis lay on the analysis of language as a system of functionally related units. The notion `unit` reminds in some way the Saussurean influence. In particular, it led to the distinction between the phonetic and the phonological analysis of sounds, the analysis of the phoneme into distinctive features as well as of the theme-rheme or communicative structure of sentence.
Highlights
More common approach to defining text is communicative or functional
Enkvist explains the difference between text and discourse as follows (Enkvist, 1989, 371-372): Those who are fond of this distinction usually define it in terms of whether we look at a text as divorced from its situational context, or as discourse and part of a situation, to cite a classis example, as long as No Smoking sign is on the desk of a linguist, who studies its linguistic structure as such and apart from its original situational context, it remains a text
The theme is used in linguistics as part of an analysis of the communicative structure of sentence
Summary
More common approach to defining text is communicative or functional. W. Dressler and R. de Beaugrande identifies “the seven standards of textuality: cohesion; coherence; intentionality; acceptability; informativity; situationality; intertextuality” (Dressler and de Beaugrande, 1980:20). Later R. de Beaugrande emphasizes the role of a text in the process of communication (de Beaugrande, 1981:9): Language occurrences may have the surface format of single words or sentences, but they occur as texts: meaningful configurations of language intended to communicate. G. Kolshanski considers text from this angle (Kolshanski, 1981:89)
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