AnalysisoftextualCohesioninNewsReport

刘盛兰

【Abstract】Cohesion embodies the non-structural resources in English discourse and indicates the latent continuity existing in the text.On the basis of cohesion theory，this paper analyzes textual cohesion of the selected news reports form BBC website，in order to explore the way of structuring the text and realizing the meaning of the text.

【Key words】textual cohesion，news report

1.Introduction

According to Halliday，Cohesion refers to the non-structural resources for discourse[1].It indicates the relations of meaning existing within the text [2].The target text is a news report selected from BBC website.By analyzing textual cohesion of the text，the paper tends to explore the mechanism for how text is structured and how cohesive elements function to realize the meaning of the text.

2.Textual cohesion in selected news report

2.1 Conjunction

Conjunction shows the logical relationships and sequences existing between different segments of the article[3].There are three types of conjunctive relations： elaboration，extension and enhancement[4].In the selected text：

[Line 9]It added： “By 2012 Oxford believes teachers will have two years of running the syllabus and（causal） will be familiar with content and student performance，and （causal） therefore （casual） be able to predict those getting the A* grade with more confidence.” （Extension）

It is worth noting that the same conjunction may categorize into different conjunction type under variable context.Take ‘and as an example，all the ‘and in the selected text except ‘and in line 9 belongs to elaboration category，indicating the apposition of two elements.However，in line 9，there is a slightly change of the usage of ‘and，which means causal like ‘so，‘consequence.Since there will be two year for teachers to get prepared，it is probable that teacher will be familiar with teaching content and students performance.The varied meaning and detailed usage of conjunctions largely depend on the contextual information.

2.2 Reference

Reference refers to the participant element appeared in the text can be used to retrieve the information follows[1].Reference also functions to track the participants that the writer or speaker introduces in the text[2].

[Line 5]In a statement，it said academic ability and potential are assessed through a range of measures.

[Line 6]These included attained grades，the personal statement，predicted grades and academic reference，then also aptitude tests for around 85% of applicants and written work in some subjects.

[Line 7]“Where candidates are shortlisted，their performance at interview is also taken in to account，” it added.

[Line 8]The university said it had waited untilthe new A* syllabus had bedded in before including them in conditional offers.

In the first part of the selected news，it mainly about Oxford University uses the new top grade to select students wishing to study math and science next year.‘These in line 6 links back to ‘a range of measures in line 5.‘Their in line 7 refers back to ‘candidates.‘It at the end of line 7 is decoded as referring to ‘a statement in line5.In line 8，the definite article ‘the indicates that ‘the university has appeared in the text，so we need to refer back to earlier part of the text to identify which university it is，that is ‘the Oxford university and also in the subtitle.Moreover，‘the new A* syllabus refers back to ‘A* grade while also in line8，personal reference ‘them stands for ‘candidates in line 7.

3.Conclusion

In the analysis above，reference and conjunction are used to analyze the selective news report.Selection of words forms hyponym or synonym，create semantic ties and share identity reference.They function together，producing a meaningful and interpretable texture.Since the form of literature of the target text is news report，the structure and formation of news report should be brief and clear，in order to satisfy the function of informing.

References：

[1]Halliday， M.A.K.An Introduction to Functional Grammar[M].London： Edward Arnold （Publisher） Ltd.1984.

[2]Brown， G.and Yule， G.Discourse analysis[M].Cambridge： University of Cambridge.1983.

[3]Eggins， S..An Introduction to Systemic Functional Linguistic [M].London： Biddles Ltd.1994.

[4]McCarthy， M.Discourse Analysis for Language Teachers[M].Cambridge： University of Cambridge.1991.