Gabriella Jenei: Referential Cohesion in Academic Writing • A descriptive and exploratory theory- and corpus-based study of the text-organizing role of reference in written academic discourse
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Appendices
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Appendix B – Sample analysis for pedagogical purposes: non-specialized text • Teacher instructions for the introduction of RCA analysis (sample text and analysis on the next page):

Appendix B – Sample analysis for pedagogical purposes: non-specialized text

Teacher instructions for the introduction of RCA analysis (sample text and analysis on the next page):

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

  1. Elicit third person singular and plural pronouns (nominative, accusative and possessive as well) – write them on the board. Do the same with demonstratives. Then provide a list of items (perhaps by copying Table 8 (from this book)) and discuss how they may establish reference, and what presupposed items they may have.
  2. Give students the short text below and ask them to circle in the text all the items collected (or from those Table 8).
  3. Ask them to cross out all the items that have a presupposed item, that is, whose reference is clear by pointing to an item, in the same sentence. Check their answers.
  4. Introduce the RCA Table for the analysis. Explain to them that each row represents a sentence, and each column will represent a cohesive chain. When more than one pronoun in the same sentence point to an item, we enter all of them in the same slot in the Table. Presupposed items should also appear in the line of the sentence they appear in.
  5. Analyze a text together, step-by-step either on a computer with a projector or at the board. Doing this together with the students is very helpful to avoid misunderstanding or analytical problems.
  6. Discuss the results: e.g., number of cohesive chains, ties, types of items, presupposed items for the longest chains.
  7. Having finished this analysis together, ask them to create a new Table, and give them a text related to the content of your course.
 

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

HOME ASSIGNMENT: for EAP courses it is best to ask students to analyze a shorter section first (preferably the Methods or Conclusion) from a research article, or (an extract from) one of their previous assignments and a peer’s.
 
Sample RCA table for a non-specialized text
 
An extract from the Wikipedia entry about Ian Curtis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Curtis)

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

1. Curtis was born at the Memorial Hospital in Stretford in Lancashire (now part of Greater Manchester).

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

2. He grew up in Hurdsfield, an area of Macclesfield, and from a young age he exhibited talent as a poet.

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

3. Proof of his ability was his admission at the age of 11 to The King’s School, Macclesfield with a scholarship.

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

4. Despite this, he was not a dedicated student and did not further his education after receiving his O-levels.

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

5. From his high school days, his ambitions and hopes were focused on the pursuit of art, literature, and most importantly, music.

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

6. Curtis was employed in a variety of jobs, including as a civil servant in Manchester and later in Macclesfield.

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

7. Curtis married Deborah Woodruff, whom he met while still at school, on 23 August 1975, when he was 19 and she was 18.

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

8. His widow survives him.

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

9. Their only child, a daughter, Natalie, was born on 16 April 1979.

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

10. She is a photographer.
 
(Non-cohesive items:

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

1 – the (proper noun); 3 – the (specified by a prepositional phrase); 7 – he, he (points to Curtis in the same sentence); she (Deborah – in the same sentence)

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

Note: In sentence 9, their has two presuppositions, Curtis and Deborah – to show that the pronoun refers to both, we moved the two presuppositions to neighboring columns.)
 

Jegyzet elhelyezéséhez, kérjük, lépj be.!

A
B
C
D
1
Curtis
 
 
 
2
he, he
 
 
 
3
his (ability), his (admission)
 
his admission with a scholarship
 
4
he, his (education), his (O-levels)
this
 
5
his (high school days), his (ambitions)
 
 
 
6
 
 
 
 
7
 
Deborah Woodruff
 
 
8
his (widow), him
 
 
 
9
their (only child)
 
Natalie
10
 
 
 
she
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