I. Brainstorming

Can you list some relationships between clauses?

II. Clause relations

The relations between clauses are analyzed on two dimensions. Halliday refers to them as taxis (dependency), and the other as logico-semantic relation.

The interdependency between clauses has two kinds. If the clauses are equal in status, the relation is called parataxis. If they are not equal, the relation is called hypotaxis. The two kinds of relation can be combined in a clause in a complex. E.g. You do this and I’ll do that.

The logico-semantic connections between clauses are either expansion or projection. If a clause elaborates, enhances or extends the meaning of a related clause, the logico-semantic relation is termed expansion. E.g. I have a part-time job, I am a packer.

Projection is different from expansion in that one of the clauses is the representation of a verbal or mental process, of which the other clause is the product. E.g. he said: “I will be the winner.” He thought he would be the winner. Projection has its unique function because it makes it clear who is responsible for the proposition or information.

III. Basic textual patterns

Relations can occur either at the global level (i.e. the general structure of the discourse) or at the local level (i.e. the inter-clausal relations). Inter-clausal relations refer to the connectedness between orthographical sentences or meaning units as clauses, whereas the non-clause relations, the relations between groups of clauses can be called discourse/textual pattern.

Textual pattern are actually culture-bound. In English, some patterns (e.g. Problem-solution, general-specific, claim-counterclaim, cause-consequence, instrument-achievement, etc.) are more popular than others. Problem-solution contains four components: 1) situation (which provides a context for the pattern); 2) problem (or aspect of a situation requiring a response); 3) response (to the problem); and 4) evaluation. E.g.

Situation: I was on sentry duty.

Problem: I saw the enemy approaching.

Response: I opened fire.

Evaluation: I beat off the attack.

Discourse pattern can be recognized either through adding certain discourse signals to clarify the sentence relation or changing the monologue into a dialogue by supplying potential questions proposed by a supposed reader. With this particular text, we could possibly paraphrase it in the following way.

By changing the monologue into a dialogue, the interrelations between sentences can also be made clear.

IV. Genre and text structure

The basic pattern of a text is related to genre, which is a concept originally used in literary theory. Genre is mainly determined by purpose or goal of a text.

A text is a unit of language in use. It fulfills the speaker or write’s purpose of communication in a situational context. A text is an instance of language in use. It is constructed with the resources of language as a system. A text is constructed in a situational context. A language develops in a context of culture. The relation between a text and the language is instantiation. Texts make use of linguistic resources, and meanwhile may add new elements to the linguistic system. The concept of instantiation accounts for the fact that different writers construct different texts, given the same topic, in the same context, out of the same resources.