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Iv - University of Salford Institutional Repository

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elevant issues encountered in text-linguistics or discourse analysis.<br />

Unlike the covert text, in which a wealth <strong>of</strong> meanings and associations<br />

can be epitomized in a single word or phrase, the overt text normally<br />

consists <strong>of</strong> a longer sequence <strong>of</strong> sentences internally strung up to<br />

project a full, undivided and overall meaning.<br />

TEXT AND NON - TEXT<br />

Now, what are the criteria by which we can tell a text from a non-<br />

text? Before we attempt to answer this question, let us make a<br />

distinction between text and discourse. Despite the fact that there<br />

are different approaches to text and discourse, I feel more inclined<br />

to regard discourse as being more inclusive, in the sense that<br />

discourse comprehends all texts. A discourse possesses a broader<br />

spectrum than a text. Basically texts or discourses subsume all<br />

communicative utterances, whether written or spoken. As such, a text<br />

)1<br />

is not simply a larger 'rank' than a sentence. It may be 01 Longer than a<br />

X<br />

single word. Likewise, it may be compiled <strong>of</strong> elements without<br />

sentence-status. What is even more important than text<br />

characterization is text actualization. The actualization <strong>of</strong> a text<br />

is, simply, the arrangement <strong>of</strong> textual elements to make up a text. The<br />

process <strong>of</strong> actualization can be explored in terms <strong>of</strong> the text-<br />

producer's capacity to organize the textual elements in such a way as<br />

to make the text both meaningful and intelligible to text-receivers.<br />

For, language operates thorough a set <strong>of</strong> systems and intersystems.<br />

These intersystems, which linguists generally call virtual systems, do<br />

not help people to communicate in socio-cultural interaction. People<br />

55

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