Johanna, Thanks so much for all of the references, esp. the ones on discourse analysis and linguistics. I agree that it is a gold mine for linking grammar and rhetoric. Sarah Wilson At 03:52 PM 12/02/1999 -0800, you wrote: >The field of discourse analysis is an excellent source on grammar and >rhetorical structure. It may be hard to read because it is written for >linguists, but it's very worth one's while to dig into it. > >Here are a few things to look for: > >Cumming, Susanna, and Tsuyoshi Ono. 1997. Discourse and grammar. In van >Dijk, Teun A., _Discourse as structure and process_. Sage publications, >Thousand Oaks, CA. This is a short reading with many recommended >readings, including: > >Ono, Toshiyushi and Sandra Thompson. 1996. 'What can conversation tell >us about syntax?' ub O. Davis, ed., _Descriptive and theoretical modes >in the new linguistics_. Amsterdam: Benjamins > >Ochs, Elinor, E. Schegloff and S. Thompson. 1996 _Grammar and >interaction_. Cambridge U Press. > >See also work by Knud Lambrecht, for example:1994. _Information >structure and sentence form. Topic, focus, and the mental >representations of discourse referents. Cambridge U. Press. > >Most of these deal with spoken language, but many of the principles >carry over to written texts. Work by Talmy Givon is also useful, esp. >certain chapters of his 'Syntax: a functional/typological introduction' >(Benjamins, I think). > >Discourse analysis is a large field that I am only now scratching the >surface of. But I believe discourse (that is, sentences connected into >texts) is where the true insights about grammar lie. In other words, I >don't think we can really understand grammar unless we study what it is >used for, i.e. to organize information in texts. The traditional focus >on the sentence is insufficient. > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >Johanna Rubba Assistant Professor, Linguistics >English Department, California Polytechnic State University >One Grand Avenue • San Luis Obispo, CA 93407 >Tel. (805)-756-2184 • Fax: (805)-756-6374 • Dept. Phone. 756-259 >• E-mail: [log in to unmask] • Home page: http://www.calpoly.edu/~jrubba > ** >"Understanding is a lot like sex; it's got a practical purpose, >but that's not why people do it normally" - Frank Oppenheimer >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >