The differentiation of text segments to fulfil specific discourse functions (e.g. to introduce a topic, or to state the time and place of a story), along with the definition of clear textual boundaries that set the text apart from the situational context, are two aspects of the configuration of a text as an autonomous semantic unit. This paper analyzes the opening and closing elements of narrative and expository texts to determine whether they function as well defined boundaries, and fulfil a specific discourse function with respect to the text as a whole. The population for this study consisted of 120 participants, 10 at each of the Age levels of grade school, junior high, high school, and university, yielding 40 participants in each of three target Languages: English, Spanish, and Swedish. The database included 480 texts divided by Modality (written vs. spoken) and Genre (narrative vs. expository). All text openings and closing were coded for positioning, i.e. the framework used by speaker/writers to introduce or conclude the topic developed in their texts, and for functioning, i.e. the role these elements play in the text. Results showed that, as texts become more “detached” from the situation in which they are produced, their component parts become more functionally differentiated. This process is described first in the openings of narrative and expository texts, and later in the closings of expository texts; narrative closings remain a problematic area of text construction for most speaker/writers in this study, in every Age group. These processes of detachment and internal functional specification of text components occurred earlier in writing than in speech. The cross-linguistic differences found in the study are related to different teaching practices, rather than to language specific features.
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BERMAN, R
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BERMAN, RUTH A.
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JISA, H & A VIGUIE
2005. Developmental perspectives on the role of French on in written and spoken expository texts. Journal of Pragmatics 37:2 ► pp. 125 ff.
Katzenberger, Irit
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2016. Categories of Referential Content in Expository Discussions of Conflict. In Written and Spoken Language Development across the Lifespan [Literacy Studies, 11], ► pp. 271 ff.
Perera, Joan, Melina Aparici, Elisa Rosado & Naymé Salas
2016. Introduction to Written and Spoken Language Development Across the Lifespan. In Written and Spoken Language Development across the Lifespan [Literacy Studies, 11], ► pp. 1 ff.
Ravid, Dorit
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2014. Narrative Development In Arabic: Story Re-Telling. In Handbook of Arabic Literacy [Literacy Studies, 9], ► pp. 153 ff.
REILLY, J, A ZAMORA & R MCGIVERN
2005. Acquiring perspective in English: the development of stance. Journal of Pragmatics 37:2 ► pp. 185 ff.
Reilly, Judy & Lara Polse
2016. Perspectives on Spoken and Written Language: Evidence from English Speaking Children. In Written and Spoken Language Development across the Lifespan [Literacy Studies, 11], ► pp. 125 ff.
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2013. Later language development in narratives in children with perinatal stroke. Developmental Science 16:1 ► pp. 67 ff.
Stavans, Anat, Batia Seroussi & Sara Zadunaisky Ehrlich
2019. Literacy-Related Abilities’ Effects on Argumentative Text Quality Structure. Journal of Literacy Research 51:3 ► pp. 315 ff.
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2005. The effect of literacy, text type, and modality on the use of grammatical means for agency alternation in Spanish. Journal of Pragmatics 37:2 ► pp. 209 ff.
Tolchinsky, Liliana
2019. Evolving Structure of Descriptive Texts and Learners’ Abilities. Journal of Literacy Research 51:3 ► pp. 293 ff.
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 15 april 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers.
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