Linguistic Foundations: Textual Cohesion and Communication Units

The Communication Unit: The Statement

The statement is the fundamental unit of communication and the minimum message. Its key features include:

• Minimum unit of sense: It is a complete, autonomous grammatical and syntactic unit.
• Speech: It lies between two major pauses.
• Written language: It appears between two periods.

The Text: A Coherent Set

A text is the maximum unit of communication, consisting of specific contents united by cohesion. All elements must be linked through appropriate mechanisms.

Classification of Texts

• Narrative: Events occurring over time.
• Descriptive: Representing or painting landscapes with words.
• Expository: Presenting ideas.

Intention of the Issuer

• Referential: Reporting on facts.
• Expressive: Revealing the author's feelings.
• Appellative: Attempting to convince the receiver.
• Poetic: Seeking literary effects.
• Metalinguistic: Discussing the language itself.

Language Levels

• Vulgar: Individual slang.
• Colloquial: Spontaneous expression.
• Standard: Common language usage.
• Cultured/Specialized: Formal lexicon and technical usage.

Transmission and Context

• Channel: Oral or written transmission.
• Number of speakers: Monologue (one person) or dialogue (multiple).
• Field of use: Personal, academic, professional, social, family, or literary contexts.

Textual Adequacy

Adequacy is the property of a text that meets social, personal, and regulatory requirements. A text is appropriate when it adapts to:

• The speaker: Fits the person emitting the message.
• The situation or place: Fits the context.
• The purpose: Adjusts the tone and level of formality.
• Social rules: Respects group norms and politeness.

Mechanisms of Cohesion

Cohesion refers to linguistic resources that help perceive the unity and coherence of a text.

Connectors and Discourse Markers

These elements indicate the union and progress of statements:

• Semantic connectors: Used to follow an idea, oppose it, or indicate a consequence.
• Metadiscursive markers: Organizers that list, reformulate, or explain.
• Conversational markers: Indicators of contact, evidence, and acceptance.

Repetition and Ellipsis

• Repetition: Occurs at the phonic, grammatical, and lexical-semantic levels to maintain cohesion.
• Ellipsis: A process of removing parts that the receiver can easily supply, thereby uniting the text.