The use of sequencers in academic writing - Université de Caen ...

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In both examples, the ideational content of the text is structured by linguistic items (d’une
part/ d’autre part; firstly/ secondly). These sequencing devices are items belonging to the
domain of textual metadiscourse, whose function is to allow the understanding of the primary
message by making explicit the organisational structure of the propositional content (Hyland
1998). Building our conception of metadiscourse on Hyland’s typology 1 , we focus on his
category of frame markers as they best represent what we call organisational metadiscourse
markers. A further categorisation of these markers has been developed: Our new subdivision
consists of sequencers (elements used to introduce a sequence in the discourse), topicalisers
(elements indicating the introduction of a new subject), illocution markers (elements
indicating the illocutionary act the writer has been realising in the discourse) and reviews/
previews (elements anticipating or repeating a stage in the discourse).
Our understanding of sequencers is based on the theoretical framework of discourse and
cognition proposed by Charolles (1997) and on the methodological outline of MIL (marqueurs
d’intégration linéaires) described by Jackiewicz (2002). Following these authors’ approach,
sequencers can be classified into three types: spatial sequencers (linguistic elements relative
to space), temporal sequencers (introducing a temporal sequence) and numerical sequencers
(elements relative to enumeration).
The series of a sequence follow certain structural parameters. We defined a reference
structure of a sequence, drawing both on the analysis of some instances of these structures and
on the study of different theoretical models, notably the one by Jackiewicz & Minel (2003).
– A typical sequence has to be introduced by an introductory phrase, clearly stating the
main federative idea with the help of a quantifier and a classifier. The introductory phrase
can be a separate phrase before the organisational frame, it can be a proposition at the
head of the same phrase containing the sequencer, or it can be situated after the several
series of the sequence;
– Each series constitutes an organisational frame, and each organisational frame has to
be opened explicitly by a sequencer, or implicitly by another linguistic item which signposts
the beginning of its series;
– The sequencers are organised as follows: the first sequencer is the ‘indicator’, followed
by the ‘intermediate’ sequencer and the ‘closing sequencer’. If there are only two sequencers
in a sequence, the last sequencer automatically makes up the ‘closing sequencer’;
– A sequence should preferentially be homogeneous; it is not homogeneous if it contains
constituents belonging to two different series, if the sequence is incomplete or not explicitly
closed, or if the sequence presents a certain variability concerning the classifier;
– A minimal sequence should be two-fold, but there is no restriction as to a maximum of
series in a sequence;
– The sequencers are independent of the propositional content of the phrase, and as such
are supposed to be mostly placed at the beginning of the sentence, either without or
before a punctuation marker;
– The scope of the individual sequencers can be on an intra-sentential level, or on an intersentential
level;
– Another sequence can be embedded in the main sequence, and if this is the case, the
same structural parameters apply to it.
Ideally, following these parameters, a sequence should look like this:
1. Hyland’s taxonomy of textual metadiscourse is five-fold, containing transitions, frame markers, endophoric
markers and code glosses (Hyland 1998).
Schedae, 2006, prépublication n°5, (fascicule n°1, p. 35-40).