Cover -- Half-title -- Series-title -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Preface -- Introduction -- I Discourse structure -- 1 The study of discourse -- 1.1 Discourse Modes -- 1.2 Approaches to the study of texts -- 1.2.1 Linguistic features and discourse structure -- 1.2.2 The linguistic approach -- 1.3 Overview of key ideas -- 1.3.1 Situation type, text progression, subjectivity, surface structure presentation -- 1.3.2 Multiple analysis of text passages -- 1.4 Conclusion -- 2 Introduction to the Discourse Modes -- 2.1 The entities introduced in texts -- 2.1.1 Classes of situation entities -- 2.2 Text progression in the temporal modes -- 2.2.1 Narrative progression -- 2.2.2 Description: static, with spatial advancement -- 2.2.3 Report: deictic advancement -- 2.3 Text progression in the atemporal modes -- 2.3.1 Progression as metaphorical motion -- 2.3.2 The Information mode -- 2.3.3 Argument -- 2.4 Foreground and background in text passages -- 2.5 Rhetorical and linguistic background -- 2.5.1 Traditional rhetoric: background -- 2.5.2 The rhetorical "forms of discourse" -- 2.5.3 Other discourse classifications -- 2.5.4 Linguistic features of texts by genre -- 2.5.5 Other linguistic studies of texts -- 3 Text representation and understanding -- 3.1 The pragmatic background for discourse interpretation -- 3.2 Types of inference -- 3.3 Mental models and representations -- 3.4 The analysis of text passages in Discourse Representation Theory -- 3.4.1 The linguistic analysis and Discourse Representation Theory -- 3.4.2 Discourse Representation construction rules and structures -- II Linguistic analysis of the Discourse Modes -- 4 Aspectual information: the entities introduced in discourse -- 4.1 Aspectual categories -- 4.1.1 The two components of aspectual systems -- 4.1.2 The Event and State situation types.

4.1.3 Viewpoint and situation type -- 4.1.4 Coercion -- 4.2 General Statives -- 4.3 Abstract Entities -- 4.4 Linguistic correlates of situation entities -- 4.4.1 Situations: the temporal properties -- 4.4.2 The linguistic correlates of General Statives -- 4.4.3 The linguistic correlates of Abstract Entities -- 4.5 Aspectual information in Discourse Representation Structures -- 4.5.1 Interpreting situation type -- 4.5.2 General Statives: interpreting situation type -- 4.5.3 Abstract entities in a Discourse Representation Structure -- 4.5.4 Viewpoint information in the DRS -- 5 Temporal and spatial progression -- 5.1 Sentences in context: patterns of tense interpretation -- 5.1.1 Continuity: Narrative mode -- 5.1.2 Anaphora: Description mode -- 5.1.3 Deictic pattern: Report, Information, Argument -- 5.2 Introduction to the temporal system of English -- 5.2.1 Simple sentences -- 5.2.2 Sentences with complement clauses -- 5.3 Tense interpretation in Discourse Representation Theory -- 5.3.1 Principles for tense interpretation -- 5.3.2 Single sentences -- 5.3.3 Narrative passages -- 5.3.4 Description: Full Anaphora -- 5.3.5 Report: temporal advancement -- 5.4 Spatial information in language -- 5.5 Features of temporal expressions -- 6 Referring expressions in discourse -- 6.1 Atemporal text progression and Primary Referents -- 6.1.1 Determining the Primary Referent -- 6.1.2 Primary Referents in text fragments -- 6.1.3 Primary Referents and Discourse Representation Theory -- 6.2 Referring expressions -- 6.2.1 Closed systems -- 6.2.2 Pronouns -- 6.2.2.1 Stressed and unstressed pronouns -- 6.2.2.2 Reflexive pronouns -- 6.2.2.3 Null pronouns -- 6.3 The familiarity status of referring expressions -- 6.3.1 Patterns in discourse -- 6.3.1.1 Continuity -- 6.3.1.2 Referring expressions and discourse organization.

6.4 Referring expressions and Discourse Representation Theory -- III Surface presentational factors -- 7 Subjectivity in texts -- 7.1 Responsibility for subjectivity -- 7.2 Expressions of communication -- 7.3 Contents of mind -- 7.4 Evaluative and evidential subjectivity -- 7.5 Perception and perspectival sentences -- 7.5.1 Perception -- 7.5.2 Particular standpoints -- 7.6 Formalizing the interpretation of subjectivity -- 7.6.1 The approach -- 7.6.2 Compositional rules -- 7.6.2.1 Rules for subjectivity I: communication -- 7.6.2.2 Rules for subjectivity II: contents of mind and evidentiality -- 7.6.2.3 Rules for subjectivity III: perception and perspective -- 7.7 Summary and conclusion -- 8 The contribution of surface presentation -- 8.1 Presentational factors -- 8.2 The topic-comment partition -- 8.2.1 Aboutness -- 8.2.2 Topic phrases in sentences -- 8.2.3 Sentences without topics -- 8.2.4 Notions of topic -- 8.2.5 Determining the topic phrase of a sentence -- 8.3 The Focus-Background partition -- 8.3.1 Properties of focus phrases -- 8.3.2 Focus and semantic interpretation -- 8.3.3 Contrastive and emphatic focus -- 8.3.3.1 The relation between contrast and emphasis -- 8.3.3.2 Types of contrastive focus -- 8.3.3.3 Summary and comment -- 8.4 Dual partitioning and the representation of topic and focus -- 8.5 Conclusion -- 9 Non-canonical structures and presentation -- 9.1 Non-canonical constructions -- 9.2 Argument constructions -- 9.2.1 Non-canonical subjects -- 9.2.2 Inversion -- 9.2.3 Argument preposing and postposing -- 9.3 Non-argument preposing: Adjuncts -- 9.4 Multi-clause sentences -- 9.5 Paragraphs -- 9.6 Presentational information in Discourse Representation Structure -- IV Discourse Modes and their context -- 10 Information in text passages -- 10.1 The Discourse Modes -- 10.1.1 Subjectivity -- 10.1.2 Presentational progression.

10.1.3 Patterns of organization in texts -- 10.2 Multiple analyses of text passages -- 10.3 Formalization in Discourse Representation Structures -- 11 Discourse structure and Discourse Modes -- 11.1 Organizing principles of texts -- 11.1.1 Hierarchical structure -- 11.1.2 Functional units -- 11.2 Discourse relations -- 11.2.1 Background of discourse relations -- 11.2.2 Current approaches -- 11.2.3 Classes of discourse relations -- 11.3 Discourse Modes and text structure -- 11.4 Conclusion -- Appendix A: The texts -- Appendix B: Glossary -- References -- General index -- Index of names.