JoLIE 10:1/2017

 

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THE LOGICO-SEMANTIC RELATION OF EXPANSION FROM A FUNCTIONAL PERSPECTIVE IN SCIENTIFIC TEXTS

 

 

Mădălina Cerban

University of Craiova, Romania

 

 

 

Abstract

 

When we analyse a clause complex we take into account the ideational metafunction of language and we are interested in the ways a clause can combine with further clauses in order to form a clause complex. According to Halliday (1994), clauses within complexes are interrelated grammatically in two systems, taxis and logico-semantic. In this paper we are going to analyse only one part of logico-semantic system of a language, namely the expansion which includes the meanings realised by conjunctions. The paper is made up of three parts. In the first part we make a short presentation of the taxis and logico-semantic systems, pointing out the ways they combine within clause complexes. The second part analyses the three major types of expansion: elaboration, extension and enhancement that can be finite (paratactic and hypotactic) or non-finite. Elaboration represents the adding of a non-essential new element to the message, but which gives more information and it can be either paratactic or hypotactic. The paratactic type emphasises, exemplifies or further specifies the initial clause. The hypotactic elaboration is realised by non-restrictive relative clause, providing some kind of description or comment. The extension has two basic meanings: addition and variation. This type of expansion is mainly paratactic. The enhancement refers to the circumstances within the clause. Enhancing relations are more frequently found in combination with hypotaxis, but we will also analyse the paratactic links, paying attention to the conjunctions that may signal different semantic relationships. At the end of the second part, we discuss the most important conjunctions that can mark different logico-semantic relationships. The third part gives examples of cases in which the expansion phenomenon is difficult to identify.

 

Key words: Clause complex; Expansion; Paratactic; Hypotactic.

 

 

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How to cite this article: Cerban, M. (2017). The logico-semantic relation of expansion from a functional perspective in scientific texts. Journal of Linguistic and Intercultural Education – JoLIE, 10(1), 37-49. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29302/jolie.2017.10.1.3

 

 

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