Here are some key aspects of the subject matter of text linguistics:
1. Text Structure:
* Cohesion and Coherence: How text elements are connected (cohesion) and how they make sense as a whole (coherence).
* Text Types and Genres: Identifying different types of texts (e.g., news articles, poems, emails) and their characteristic features.
* Discourse Markers: Words and phrases that signal relationships between clauses, sentences, and paragraphs (e.g., "however," "therefore," "in addition").
* Information Structure: How information is organized in a text, including topic and comment, theme and rheme.
2. Text Function:
* Pragmatics: The study of how language is used in context, including speaker intentions, audience expectations, and social conventions.
* Speech Acts: How language is used to perform actions (e.g., making a request, giving a command, asking a question).
* Intertextuality: The way texts relate to and draw upon other texts, creating a network of meaning.
* Textual Meaning: The overall meaning and interpretation of a text, taking into account its context and audience.
3. Text Analysis:
* Methods of Text Analysis: Using various tools and techniques to analyze and understand text, including discourse analysis, conversation analysis, and corpus linguistics.
* Applications of Text Linguistics: Applying text linguistic principles to various fields, such as translation, communication studies, language teaching, and digital humanities.
In short, text linguistics explores how language is used to create meaning and understanding in written and spoken communication. It delves into the intricate ways texts are structured, the functions they serve, and the meanings they convey.