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Article published In:
Pragmatics
Vol. 28:4 (2018) ► pp.573–598

Where cultural references and lexical cohesion meet

Toward a multi-layer framing analysis

| National Sun Yat-sen University

This study investigates creative product descriptions (CPDs) in an intercultural context, especially with respect to cultural references (CRs) and lexical cohesion. More specifically, it examines (i) how CRs are utilized in CPDs written in English for intercultural communication, (ii) how lexical cohesion can be described in a culturally meaningful and context-sensitive way, and (iii) what role cultural reference terms play in shaping the lexical cohesion of such CPDs. By proposing a multi-layer framing model of cohesion, this paper shows how lexical cohesion results from interactions of four frames activated in the production and reception of a text: sociocultural, generic, interpersonal and conceptual. The study concludes with some practical implications for the writing of CPDs in English for intercultural communication.

Keywords: creative product description, cultural references, intercultural awareness, lexical cohesion, multi-layer framing
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The key concepts and proposed analytical framework
    • 2.1Cultural reference and intercultural awareness
    • 2.2Toward a multi-layer framing analysis of lexical cohesion
  • 3.Method
  • 4.Analyses of CRs and lexical cohesion in CPDs
    • 4.1CR couched in metaphor
    • 4.2Culture-inducing words and/or code-mixing
  • 5.Discussion and conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) 4.0 license.
Published online: 23 October 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/prag.17015.tse
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