A Dynamic Perspective On Interpersonal Cohesion

Research on cohesion exhibits two trends:an extension to interpersonal meaning and the development of a dynamic perspective. It has been argued that interpersonal choices from such systems as Interpersonal Deicticity, Engagement, Attitude can serve cohesive functions, while such concepts as’logogenesis’and’discourse semantics’provide a dynamic perspective on how texture is created. The present study is an attempt to address’interpersonal cohesion’-defined as the semantic ties set up in a text by interpersonal logogenetic patterns-through an analysis of academic book reviews (ABR) written in English. The aim of the study is to explore how interpersonal choices unfolding in a text form logogenetic patterns, and how such patterns serve the textual function of linking successive clauses into coherent text spans. ABR is chosen because previous studies adopting a dynamic perspective are mainly concerned with spoken discourse, everyday written genres such as news or literary genres, whereas ABR is a formal written genre potentially rich in both interpersonal and textual meaning.Altogether20ABR texts published in2014in three leading academic journals on applied linguistics, Applied Linguistics, The Modern Language Journal and TESOL Quarterly, were used as data. Aided by UAM Corpus Tool, data were coded for choices from the Interpersonal Deicticity, Engagement and Attitude systems, and close observations were made regarding whether these choices occur consistently in successive clauses. Four logogenetic patterns emerged from the data:1)’asserted assessment’, formed by [interpersonal deicticity:time+attitude+engagement: monoglossia];2)’attribution’, formed by [interpersonal deicticity:time+engagement: extra-vocalization];3)’assertion’, formed by [interpersonal deicticity:time+engagement:monoglossia];4)’reinforced judgment’, formed by [interpersonal deicticity:time+interpersonal deicticity:judgment+attitude]. All these patterns serve to link successive clauses, while the first and second patterns also serve to link successive paragraphs. This study proves that interpersonal logogenetic patterns can perform textual functions, meanwhile revealing the mechanisms of interpersonal cohesion in ABRs specifically and in evaluative academic genres in general, and offering implications for the teaching of academic writing.