The question of discourse representation 113Table 3. Illustrative excerpt from a multi-level discourse description: representa-
tional and expression levels
Interpersonal
ActRepresentational
DescriptionExpression
Description
A 151
p 171
Cl 171
e 171
f 201 Prp 231
likeV
x 251 RP 281
JayN
x 252 RP 282
KayNThe above is offered as a feasible way of representing discourse for the
purposes of FDG. As it stands, for the sake of readability it does not em-
ploy a fully formal notation, though if necessary, for instance if it were to
be incorporated into a computing system, a properly formal version could
be developed from it.
- Conclusion
In this chapter a framework for the representation of discourse has been
proposed which is intended to accommodate the main phenomena of inter-
est to analysts and to be compatible with FDG. An important feature of the
representation is that it treats context as a separate level of description. Un-
doubtedly the framework stands in need of further development, but it does
hopefully serve to indicate how the various and numerous phenomena of
discourse can be seen to fit together into a coherent whole.
References
Asher, Nicholas
1993 Reference to Abstract Objects in Discourse. Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Bolkestein, A. Machtelt
1998 What to do with topic and focus? Evaluating pragmatic information.
In: Mike Hannay and A. Machtelt Bolkestein (eds), 193–214.
Clark, Katerina and Michael Holquist
1984 Mikhail Bakhtin. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press.