Conjunction; A Grammatical Cohesion in Discourse Analysis

Conjunction

Conjunctive elements are cohesive not in themselves but indirectly, by virtue of their specific meanings; they are nor primarily devices for reaching out into the preceding (or following) text, but they express certain meaning which presuppose the presence of other components in the discourse (Halliday and Hasan, 1976: 226). Hasan and Halliday (1976: 238) adopt a scheme of just four categories, namely additive, adversative, causal, and temporal. According to Halliday in An Introduction to Functional Grammar (1985: 303), cunjuction is classified into elaboration, extention, and enchancement.

1)        Elaboration

Elaboration means one clause that expands another by elaborating on it (o some portion of it) by restating in other words, specifying in grater detail, commenting, or exemplifying (Halliday, 1985: 196). There are two categories of elaborative relation, namely apposition and clarification.

a)        Apposition

According to Kridalaksana (1993: 16) apposition is a word or phrase which explains other preceding phrase or clause. In this type of elaboration some element is re-presented, or restated, either by exposition or example. Look at the example below:

(1)   Expository: in other word, that is (to stay), I mean (to say), to put it another way.

(2)   Exemplifying: for example, for instance, thus, to illustrate.

b)       Clarification

Here, the elaborated element is not simply restated but reinstated, summarized, made more precise or in some other way clarified for the purposes of discourse:

(1)   Corrective: or, rather, at least, to be more precise

(2)   Distractive: by the way, incidentally

(3)   Dismissive: in any case, anyway, leaving that a side

(4)   Particularizing: in particular, more especially

(5)   Resumptive: as I was saying, to resume, to get back to the pint

(6)   Summative:  in short, to sum up, in conclusion, briefly

(7)   Verifactive: actually, as a matter of fact, in fact

2)        Extension

Extension means one clause expands another by extending beyond it by adding some new element, giving an exception to it, or offering an alternative (Halliday, 1985: 197). Extension involves either addition, adversative, or variation.

a)        Addition

Additive conjunction acts to structurally coordinate or link by adding to the presupposed item divided into positive (and, also, moreover, in addition) and negative (nor).

b)       Adversative

It is conjunction which relates two clauses that state contras each other (Kridalaksana, 1993: 117). It acts also to indicate contrary to expectation and signaled by but, yet, on the other hand, however.

c)        Variation

Variation includes replacive ‘instead’, subtractive ‘except’ and alternative ‘or’ types.

(1)   Replacive: on contrary, instead

(2)   Subtractive: apart from that, except

(3)   Alternative: alternatively

3)        Enhancement

Enhancement means one clause expands another by embellishing around it by qualifying it with some circumstantial feature of time, place, cause or condition (Halliday, 1985: 197). The various types of enhancement that create cohesion are spatio-temporal, manner, causal-conditional, and  matter.

a)        Spatio-temporal

Spatial relations are being used as text-creating cohesive devices and the most apparently spatial cohesion is in terms of metaphorical space, for example there in there you’re wrong. Whereas temporal conjunctions are then, next, afterwards, just then, before that, in the end, at once, soon, next time, next day, meanwhile, at this moment, etc.

b)       Manner

Manner conjunctives create cohesion by comparison and by reference to means. They are likewise, similarity, in different way.

c)        Causal – conditional

In many types of discourse the relation of cause figures very prominently as a cohesive agent. Some cause expressions are general, others relate more specifically to result, reason or purpose: so, then, therefore, in consequence, on account of this, for that purpose, etc. While conditional conjunctions are subdivided into positive (then, in that case, in that event, under the circumstances), negative (otherwise, if not), and concessive (yet, still, though, despite this, however, even so, all the same, nevertheless).

d)       Matter

Here cohesion is established by reference to the ‘matter’ that has gone before. Typical expressions are here, there, as to that, in that respect, in other respect, elsewhere.