Abstract:

The present work is aimed at disclosing the rhetoric value of verbal means of expressing causativity and their significance for teaching students of English to enhance discourse communicative efficiency. The object of investigation is seen through the prism of discourse functional relations as defined by T. van Dijk back in 1981, i.e. the specific semantic role/function of utterances in respect to each other, which is based on semantic links between propositions and on relations between the described facts and their properties in ‘possible worlds’. In terms of functional linguistics such interactions of utterances are more precisely qualified as pragmasemantic relations.
The paper gives ground for the premise that studying functional (pragmasemantic) relations in discourse is a topical aspect of language training, especially for the sake of developing students’ analytical, systemic and communicative competences. In this respect causative relations are of primary importance, since it is this semantic interaction that is universal for any type of discourse, and builds up the proper logic of both mental operations and their verbal actualisation. Methods of the functional analysis used in the research prove to fit well for exposing these processes as reflected in English fiction.

The author comes to certain conclusions which have to be taken into account in classroom techniques. Firstly, causativity makes the foundation of discourse sense integrity, systemacy and cohesion. Secondly, causative relations may be verbalised either explicitly or implicitly. While explicit verbal means are semantically quite unilateral, implicit expression of causativity is usually enriched with complementary pragmasemantic meanings. The latter case deserves special attention at English lessons as mastering such linguistic devices people become more efficient in achieving their communicative purposes. Thirdly, the causative utterances acquire different functional loading depending not only on the selected language units expressing causative meaning, but also on the order of the components placement (whether the cause precedes or follows the consequence).

With all this in mind, students come to understand that manipulating discourse units which form causative relations, they can transform the cumulative sense of speech into the framework that best contributes to the overall communicative impact on the partner. Such skills are of significant importance when they are directed at harmonising communication, especially in situations of compromise search, disputes or discrepancies.

Keywords:

English as a foreign language, functional linguistics, discourse analysis, functional relations, causativity, teaching methods, communicative impact.