Title: Literary Texts and Direct Speech Representation: Explorations in the Discoursal Values of Direct Quotation as a Textual Strategy
Abstract:Direct quotation as a textual strategy has different functions in different text-types.In informationoriented text-types, such as scientific texts, one of the most prominent functions of direct quotat...Direct quotation as a textual strategy has different functions in different text-types.In informationoriented text-types, such as scientific texts, one of the most prominent functions of direct quotations is their contribution to the enhancement of the information load of the text.That is to say, direct quotations in the informationoriented text-type contribute to the 'ideational meaning' of the text.In more speakeroriented and subjective texts, such as advertisements and journalistic texts, direct quotations mostly contribute to the 'textual meaning' of the text.Defining direct quotations as a textual strategy and believing that this strategy adds different dimensions of meaning to the semantic realm of a text in different text-types, in this paper the attempt is to see what dimensions of meaning are added to literary texts through using direct quotations and explore the discoursal values of this textual strategy in the literary text-type.For this purpose three literature texts (one short story and 2 poems) were chosen to be analyzed in terms of the presence of direct quotations in the texts with some speculations on their discoursal functions.We found out that direct quotations are 'thematically motivated' elements in literature texts, reinforcing the theme of the text and creating aesthetic effect in such texts.On the basis of the findings of our present study, we suggest that there are no generic conventions determining the presence or absence of this textual strategy in different text-types.However, this textual strategy has different functions in different text-types and these values are governed and determined by the communicative intention and attitude of the producer of the text as well the meta function or the overall function of the text-type to which the text belongs.Read More