A Functional Perspective On Disjuncts

Traditionally, studies on disjuncts have been carried solely on the syntactic level, thinking that disjuncts have only commentary function and are optional elements in sentences. This paper attempts to fully discuss functions of disjuncts from both the pragmatic and textual perspectives. It is thought that disjuncts play a very important role in constructing a coherent text and can not be replaced or neglected. It can make the readers feel at ease to co-operate with the writer in constructing a coherent text. In the first chapter, the author briefly reviews adverbials as a whole class of linguistic units, its importance in the research study, its origin, the different waysof its classification and its position in the sentence and the reasons for the change of its position in the sentences.In the second and the third chapters, disjuncts, as a distinctive class of adverbials, are considered particularly by the author. The author describes in detail the various aspects of disjuncts, including their classification, their typical meaning, grammatical realization, clausal position and the importance of their study. A detailed comparison among disjuncts, adjuncts and conjuncts is also mentioned in order to infer the particular characteristics of disjuncts.The main part is the fourth chapter. In this chapter the author explores the textual and pragmatic functions of disjuncts. Generally itis considered that conjuncts and conjunctions are important means of coherence. The author has no intention to deny their importance but want to argue that disjuncts can also be used to realize the coherence of a text. Conjuncts cannot capture all the complex relations between sentences or clauses. Coherence is not restricted to objective logical connections, and a text is the product of the negotiation between the writer and the reader rather than a product of logical relations between propositions. Based on this consideration, the author tries to explore the textual functions of disjuncts from the perspective of their interpersonal function. Furthermore, according to Verchueren's pragmatic theory, the interpersonal function of disjuncts is closely connected with their pragmaticfunction. While the commentary and evaluative functions of disjuncts can also be explained by Grice's pragmatic theory. Thus the four functions of disjuncts, namely, interpersonal function, commentary function, textual function and pragmatic function, are closely connected with one another. Therefore, the author's perspective on the functions of disjuncts is given a full account in this chapter, responding well to the title of this thesis, namely, A Functional Perspective on Disjuncts...