VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES TRAN THI HOA MAI AN ANALYSIS OF GRAMMATICAL COHESION USED IN “TH
Referenoe
Exophoric and Endophoric Referens cccesesseceseesecseessesessssasanasiemiessee bênh ) ` 2 Txophoric Reference 3.1.2 Statistical Analysis of Reference Markers Substitution
Reference is a relationship in meaning, where primary reference to a situation is fundamental, and secondary reference within the text is derived from this relationship According to Halliday (1985), it is unlikely that reference initially evolved as an exophoric relation, which links language to external contexts or objects Exophoric reference plays a key role in creating meaning by connecting language to the situational context but does not contribute to linking different parts of the text to achieve cohesion Internal reference, on the other hand, helps integrate passages within a text, ensuring they form a cohesive whole.
While analysing “Zhe Call of the Wild” in detail, we realize that such type of references is widely used, It can be seen in the following examples:
( ) And this was the manner of dog Buck in the fall of 1897, when te Klondike strike dragged men from all the world into the frozen North {Chapter 1)
The book highlights the significance of “the Klondike” and “the frozen North,” emphasizing the historical context of the Klondike Gold Rush, which drew a rush of gold prospectors to the Yukon region near Dawson City, Canada, after gold was discovered in the late 19th century Understanding these linguistic references requires some background knowledge of the social events of that era, as many men traveled to the area driven by the hope of striking it rich during this frenzy of gold prospecting.
Buck's first day on the Dyea beach was like a nightmare (Chapter 2)
In the closing scene of Chapter 1, Jack London depicts Buck and his companions departing on a ship toward a colder environment, signaling a new challenging chapter in their lives As Chapter 2 begins, the narrative shifts to "Buck’s first day on the Dyea," raising questions about the significance of "Dyea"—whether it refers to the Arctic darkness or a specific location in Alaska The author expects readers to understand this setting as part of a broader world where humans, dogs, and other creatures must survive in primal, harsh conditions The Dyea River in Alaska Sets the stage for the grueling journey and the primordial life that awaits Buck and others, highlighting the novel’s themes of survival and adaptation in a brutal environment.
Jack Lendon’s work is closely connected to real life, using his writing to depict social concerns of his time In "The Call of the Wild," almost all exophoric markers direct readers to a familiar world shared by both the writer and the audience The frequent use of the article “he” combined with specific places and definite nouns emphasizes this connection, highlighting Lendon’s focus on real-world references Additionally, the novel employs various other methods of exophoric reference to enhance its realism and engage the reader with the social context depicted.
The following table is detailed analysis of exophoric references by Jack London in
“The Call of the Wild”
Exophioric Reference Number of occurences Frequency (98)
‘Table 3.1: Exophoric Reference in “fhe Cail of the Wild"
Tack London extensively utilizes exophoric references throughout his novel, with all seven chapters containing a total of 390 instances of exophoric referent markers, accounting for 100% of the references The frequency of exophoric references varies across chapters, indicating different levels of reliance on external referents in each section Notably, Chapter Seven exhibits the highest usage, underscoring its significance in the overall narrative structure This consistent employment of exophoric references highlights London's stylistic approach and contributes to the coherence and context of the novel.
Exophoric references are most frequent in the text, with "cxophoris" appearing 81 times, accounting for 20.7% of all referents, and ranking first In Chapter 2, there are only 34 exophoric reference examples, representing 87% of the referents within that chapter, while Chapter 3 ranks second with 72 cases (18.5%) Chapter 6 follows closely with 65 mentions, making up 16.7% The three initial chapters collectively contain around 165 exophoric references (37.5%), which is understandable given their varying lengths Additionally, the number of these referents in each chapter is influenced by the context of the story event, affecting their occurrence frequencies.
The author's deliberate use of numerous exophoric references aligns with Tack London's writing style, reflecting a deep concern for contemporary social issues These references help create a vivid panorama of a society that is fragmented and unfamiliar, resonating not only with the writer's experiences but also with all readers.
As what discussed in previous chapter on “Reference”, endophora may be anaphora, which belongs to preceding toxts, or cafaphora, to following text According to Guide
Telemans (2001-2002) highlights that cataphoric reference is a classic literary device used to engage the reader's attention, often appearing in the opening sentences of a text In contrast, anaphoric reference requires readers to revisit the beginning of the text to achieve full comprehension Understanding these reference types enhances reader engagement and improves overall text clarity.
Relow are some examples of anaphoric and catayhoric reference
Ruck did not read the newspapers, or te would have known that trouble was brewing, not alone for himself, but for every tide-water dog, ( ) (Chapter 1)
The sentence illustrates how the pronouns "he" and "himself" serve as anaphoric references that connect back to "Buck" mentioned earlier Understanding these references is essential for grasping the full meaning of the text, as they clarify the relationship between the pronouns and the character Without paying attention to these antecedents, readers may find it challenging to follow the narrative seamlessly Proper use of anaphoric references enhances coherence and readability, making it easier for readers to comprehend the story.
“he” as well as “hintse/f” and the already mentioned “Buck” Here, “he”, “himself” and
Charles and Hal went out in the evening and brought back six outside dogs, increasing the team to fourteen along with the original six and Zeek and Koona Although the outside dogs had been practically broken in since their arrival, they did not contribute much to the team The new dogs included three chort-haired pointers, one Newfoundland, and two of indeterminate breeds, which Zeek did not seem to know much about.
This text contains various grammatical ties; however, it is important to focus on the use of cataphora Readers need to look ahead to understand the reference, particularly when the sentence points forward to "the huskies obtained at the Rink," ensuring clarity and coherence in the narrative.
During their record trip to the Rapids, the outside dogs aimed to realize their true identity The term “shew” in the phrase “since their landing” refers back to the outside dogs mentioned earlier, establishing anaphoric reference This journey marks a significant milestone in the dogs’ quest for self-discovery and identity.
Lastly, “whey” in “They did not seem to know anything” 1s cataphoric refererent of “these newcomers”, appearing in the final part of the whole text
Surprisingly, wilh rogards to endophors, anaphora is exploited in groalsr number
That is v0 say, in most cases, readers have to move forwards to understand thoroughly the
Jinguistic expressions they are reading ‘The next part of this chapter is the statistical analysis of Reference Markers in “The Call of the Wild”
3.1.2 Statistical Analysis of Reference Markers
In the previous chapter, three types of references were identified: personal, demonstrative, and comparative A detailed table illustrates the frequency of each reference type throughout the novel Understanding these reference types provides valuable insight into the narrative structure and character development within the story Analyzing their occurrences can enhance comprehension of the novel's thematic and stylistic elements.
“To begin with, let us have a look at personal referent items used in this novel
18 ly, “Teek and Koona" are inlopretod
Function Chapter Chapter | Chapter | Chapter | Chapter | Chapter | Chupler
Mascaline | Tiehim Tis | Wis 489 27 | 38 | 180 | 94 | 273 | 305 sngu„ | nhe | Shether Hes | Ha 0 rr 5 ° ca 5 °
Plural Theyhem | there | Their 3 wm | as | a | 138 | 416 | 106 a gtvat deal of personal refercnec, both singular and plural, though different in teums of
The story's frequency of character references aligns closely with both the number and gender of characters portrayed, highlighting consistent gender identification throughout All animals, particularly dogs, are personified and referred to using gender-specific pronouns like "he" or "she," adding depth to their roles beyond mere animals A thorough analysis of the chapters reveals a total of 2,627 instances of personal references, accounting for 100% of character mentions On average, this indicates a deliberate and consistent approach to character portrayal and gender representation within the narrative.
The singular masculine determinative (he/him/his) appears 1,606 times, representing 61.1% of all instances, ranking it as the most frequently used form In contrast, the singular feminine determinative is significantly less common, with only 91 occurrences, accounting for just 3.5% The usage proportions of the singular neuter and plural determinatives are comparatively lower, highlighting a strong dominance of masculine references in the analyzed text These findings emphasize gendered language preferences and can inform SEO strategies focused on gender-neutral or inclusive terminology.
Table 3.2 Personal Reference in “The Cail of the Wild”
Table 3.2 shows that throughout the seven chapters of the hook, the writer has used.
13.4 % and 22 % respectively (351 occurences for its and 579 times for they/themvtheir/thetrs)
Next, the frequency of demonstrative reference can be illustrated by the table below:
Demonstrative N, nf occurences raion Shaker | Ghapler | Chanter | Chapter | Ghapler thu —Chapler
Head Deiie | Adjumet + má k " " mi mt
‘Near = This‘there | This'these 13 6 9 7 17 +5 31 tnơw
Specie Far Thatthose | Tuatose Thee ? 4 ơ wi 2 than)
Xe " Ths 23 | isr | aes | a0 | ane 4m 46 specific
Table 3.3 Demonstrative Reference in “The Cail of the Wild”
Like personal referenec, demonstrative items appear very frequently with a total of
Nominal Ellipdis size enreririrarrirrrreroareee 2
The structure of a nominal group, from a logical perspective, consists of a Head combined with optional modifiers, known as ellipsis within the group These modifiers can be premodifiers, postmodifiers, or both, providing flexibility in how the group is expanded On an experiential dimension, modifiers include elements such as Deictic, Numerative, Pithe, Classifier, and Qualifier, which add descriptive detail In a non-elliptical nominal group, the Head represents the core Thing, whereas in an elliptical nominal group, this element is omitted and replaced by other elements like Deictic, Numerative, or Qualifier This structure allows for efficient and varied expression within nominal groups, essential for clear and precise communication.
In nominal groups, the Head is often accompanied by elements such as Numeratives, Epithets, or Classifiers According to Halliday and Hasan (1976), Numeratives and Ditiics are the most frequently used components, while Epithets are less common and Classifiers are quite rare Therefore, when analyzing ellipsis in nominal groups, focusing primarily on Numeratives and Ditiics is essential, with only a brief consideration of Epithet ellipsis.
Ilalliday and Wasan (1976) highlight that deitic words primarily belong to the determiner class, including demonstratives, possessives, and indeterminates, which form a systematically related network of categories They emphasize that elliptical use of deitic elements significantly contributes to cohesion in Finglish texts Furthermore, deitic elements can be distinguished into specific and non-specific deities, playing a crucial role in maintaining coherence within the discourse.
{la} Specific Deitics ‘his group consists of possessive, demonstrative and the
Possessives include both namninals (Smith's, my father’s) and pronominals (my, your, ete)
‘The latter fimelioning as a Hsad has a spacial forin: mine, ours, yours, his, hers, theirs, whose and its This can be discussed into detail as follows:
(N, of occurences) QM, of ocenrences) Demonstrative | This (89) That (73) Which (18) Whichever (0)
MY, your, our, his (6), her, ils, them, | Whose(ever) Porsessive once, yours
Fable Specific Deitics in “The Call of the Wild”
This analysis highlights the frequent use of demonstratives as determinatives in "The Call of the Wild," with a total of 174 occurrences throughout the novel Among these, "This" appears most often, with a total of 89 mentions, emphasizing its significance in the text The high frequency of demonstratives reflects their important role in establishing context and emphasis within the story, making them key elements in understanding the author's narrative style Optimized for SEO, this summary underscores the crucial role of demonstratives as determinatives in the literary analysis of "The Call of the Wild."
The word “That” appears frequently in the text, totaling 73 occurrences, making it the second most used demonstrative In contrast, “These” and “Those” are used less frequently, appearing only 7 and 5 times respectively Interestingly, there are no instances of “Yhe” used as a demonstrative determiner Overall, “That” dominates the usage among the demonstrative words in the article, highlighting its prominence in the content.
Tntsrrogafive as Demonstrative do appear, bot less oflen, On analysing the book, we ean find 18 occurences of “which” and the other 2 occumences of “whatever”
Demonstratives are employed in the cases the writer wants to emphasize something bul dees not want Lo make a
‘ileration or express in too many words We can see il more clearly in the following instances:
Also, in his gambling, fhe had one besetting weakness faith in a systenm, and this made his đamnatian certain,
Ttis clear in this example that Jack London has used ¢his to replace the phrase “faith in a system’ Similar examples are:
Tie repeatedly provoked Buck, intentionally seeking a confrontation that could ultimately result in severe harm or death for either of them During the journey, Karly's night did not unfold as expected, indicating underlying tension and unresolved conflicts among the group.
On the first day, they traveled thirty-five miles along the Big Salmon River, followed by another thirty-five miles to the Little Salmon River on the second day On the third day, they covered forty miles, bringing their progress significantly closer to the Five Finger region.
In these two casas, this and which can replace the meanings of the whole sentences before tham
Besides, we can give here other examples of speoifie đeitics in the story as follows:
‘Were they in the tent? No, that could not be, elsehe wonld not have been driven out
(Chapter 2) Charles and Hai went ont in the evening and bought six outside dogs, These, added to the six of the original team, and Teck and Koons, { ) (Chapter 5}
Two days later, he returned to his kill and found a dozen wolverines quarrelling over the prey He skillfully scattered them like chaff, causing the fleeing wolverines to abandon their fight and leave behind those that no longer threatened the prize.
“The use of possessives with nominal can be found once, as in the following example:
All that stinring of old instincts which at stated periods drives men out from the sounding cities to forest and plain vo kill things by chemically propelled leaden pellets, the blood lust, the joy to kill — all this was Buck's, only it was infinitely more intimate
As regards possessives with pronominal, throughout this book, we can find only ane case in which “mine” is used and the other 5 cases of “his”
In a gentle tone, he acknowledged their shared lesson, saying, “Well, Buck, my boy, we've had our little lesson, and the best thing we can do now is let it go at that.” This moment highlights the importance of acceptance and learning from experiences, emphasizing the value of understanding your place and moving forward.
(Chapter 1) But Buck was in open revolt He wanted, not to cecape a clubbing, but to have the leadership It'was his by right (Chapler 4)
Despite his illness, Dave resented being taken out, showing his discomfort through grunts and growls as the traces were unfastened He whimperingly expressed his broken-heartedness upon seeing Sol-leks in his usual position, highlighting his deep attachment and pride in his role Ais, though nearly deathly ill himself, felt a fierce sense of pride in his work, unable to bear the idea of another dog taking over his duties.
(Chapter 4) (1b) Non-specific Deities: This group, on the other hand, includes each, every, hoth, any, either, no, neither, some and a, Following is the detailed analysis:
“one” “two" Mot onc ‘unrestricted
Table 3.7; Now-specific Deities im “The Call of the Wild”
Compared to non-specific deictics, the data in Table 3.7 reveals that specific deictics are more frequently used as nominal ellipses in this novel This indicates a preference for specific deictics over non-specific ones in the narrative Additionally, the table shows that not all non-specific deictics listed are employed in "The Call of the Wild," highlighting the author's selective use of deictic expressions to enhance clarity and coherence in the text.
In the article, the non-selective article “a/an” appears six times when referring to singular items, while the more specific “one” occurs twelve times, indicating a focus on particular quantities Notably, there are no instances of “each” or “every,” suggesting these terms are less relevant in the context For non-singular items, the only article used is “all,” which appears seventeen times, emphasizing inclusiveness or totality The unmarked form is predominantly employed, highlighting general references and patterns in article usage This distribution underscores the prominence of “all” in non-singular contexts and the specific referencing of singular items through “a/an” and “one.”
“no”, “some” and “any” are not frequently used, with 3 times, 8 times and 1 time spectively Examples of this group arc as follows:
Thongh nnpursue, they were in a sony plight There was not one who was not wounded in four or five places, while some were wounded grievously {Chapter 3)
‘Then Francois’s lash descended, and Buck bad the satisfaction of watching Spitz receive the worst whipping as yel administered to any of the learn,
All that stirring of old instincts which at stated periods drives men ont from the sounding cities ta farcst and plain to kill things by chemically propelled leaden pellets, the blood lust, the joy to kill — all this was Buck’s (Chapter 3)
In the first two examples, words like “one,” “some,” and “any” refer to the previously mentioned dogs, providing clear examples of non-specific quantifiers in English The final sentence, which includes the non-singular term “4H,” indicates a reference to “all the things,” emphasizing the broad scope of the subject Understanding the use of these quantifiers is essential for mastering English grammar and effective communication.
Major findings and Implications for the Teaching and Learning Writing 8kill,
Major Findings of Grammatical Cohesion 37 42 Impticalions for the Toaching and Learning Grammatical Cohesive Dovieo im
Through extensive study of the novel "The Call of the Wild," we have gained a deep understanding of how cohesion, particularly grammatical cohesion, plays a crucial role in creating coherent and engaging narratives Grammatical cohesion is a key factor that contributes significantly to the success of a well-structured story This thesis focuses specifically on grammatical cohesion, allowing us to identify important findings about its influence on the text’s overall coherence and readability.
"’The Call of the Wild’ effectively demonstrates various forms of grammatical cohesion as outlined by Halliday and Hasan (1976) The author predominantly employs operator ellipsis, showcasing a preference for this device to maintain cohesion throughout the text Conversely, lexical ellipsis is less frequently used, indicating a strategic choice in the writer’s cohesion techniques to enhance clarity and coherence."
Below are the detailed findings of such grammatical cohesive devices
- Personal reference: “He, she, it, they” appcar in shhuosl every chapter of the baok, OF these, singular masculine “he, fins, iris” are most frequently used with a total of 1606 times
The singular feminine pronouns "she," along with its possessive and deictic forms ("her," "hers"), have the lowest frequency in the text Notably, some chapters such as Chapters 1, 4, and 7 entirely omit these pronouns In contrast, the third-person singular and plural pronouns—"it," "its," "they," "them," and "their"—are used extensively, with "it" and "its" appearing 351 times, and "they," "them," and "their" used 579 times throughout the document.
The book is written entirely without the use of first or second-person pronouns such as "I," "we," or "you," indicating that the narrative is delivered solely through a third-person narrator This style creates an objective perspective, allowing readers to engage with the story from an external viewpoint The absence of personal pronouns enhances the storytelling by maintaining a consistent, impersonal tone throughout the book.
- Demonstrative Reference: This kind of referones frequcnlly oeour in the book, among which the number of non-specific (i, the) is the biggest with 2407 occurences; next comes
38 to near demonstrative (this, these, here) with 108 cases, ‘The last group of “that, those” and
Compared to other types of references, comparative referential items are less frequently used, with a total of 143 occurrences for general comparatives and 137 for specific ones This indicates that while comparative references are present in the dataset, they are not as prevalent as other reference types, highlighting their relatively lower usage in the context analyzed.
Although substitution is infrequent in "The Call of the Wild," with only 17 nominal, 13 verbal, and 2 clausal instances across the seven chapters, it plays a crucial role in enhancing grammatical cohesion Despite its limited usage, substitution proves to be an effective linguistic device that contributes significantly to the coherence and flow of the narrative.
The use of ellipsis within nominal groups is more prevalent with specific deixis than with non-specific deixis Demonstrative-determinatives are the most common, accounting for 174 occurrences, while possessive and interrogative ellipses appear less frequently, with 7 and 20 instances respectively In contrast, non-specific deixis shows no occurrences for total singular and local deixis However, for non-singular and unmarked deixis, there are 17 and 13 ellipses observed, highlighting distinctive patterns in the use of nominal ellipsis based on deixis type.
Numerative can be counted for 28 times of occurrence for quantitative definite and indefinite, and £8 times far ordinative
Verbud Ellipsis, also known as Verb Ellipsis, appears in every chapter of the book, highlighting its significance throughout the text Notably, operator ellipsis occurs more frequently than lexical ellipsis, with 96 instances compared to only 6 This prevalence indicates that operator ellipsis plays a dominant role in the structure and coherence of the material Understanding the distribution of ellipsis types is essential for analyzing the linguistic patterns within the book.
Clausal ellipsis is relatively rare in "The Call of the Wild," with only eight instances identified across all chapters These examples primarily appear in both direct and indirect responses involving Wh-ellipsis and Yes/No ellipsis, making clausal ellipsis a less frequent stylistic feature in the text.
‘This kind of grammatical cohesion is used in “The Call of the Wild” in great numbers Of all, the additive conjunction “and” appears the most with 1346 times Adversative proper
"Buf" ranks second with 1,289 fitness mentions, highlighting its significance in the context Additive and adversative connectors are also frequently used, indicating their importance in the text, while causal and temporal conjunctions are less common, each appearing roughly 35 to 57 times These patterns reveal key focus areas in language usage, emphasizing the prominence of certain keywords and linking devices for effective content analysis.
4.2, Implications for the teaching and learning grammatical cohesive devices in writing
This study aims to be a useful resource for teachers and students in enhancing writing skills Writing is a complex skill that requires significant practice and understanding For Vietnamese students, mastering effective English writing is particularly challenging due to language barriers Our research seeks to address these difficulties and support improved writing proficiency.
‘because of the difference not only in language but also in perceptions due to different cultures ‘therefore, teaching and leaning writing skill has become a challenging task for
Cohesive devices, especially grammatical ones, play a crucial role in developing writing skills across all educational levels They help maintain coherence and clarity in students' written work, making their ideas flow logically Despite having a strong vocabulary and understanding of grammar, many students struggle to connect their sentences effectively Therefore, teaching and incorporating cohesive devices is essential for improving students' overall writing proficiency and ensuring their essays are well-structured and easy to understand.
Many students struggle to produce coherent and cohesive compositions, which can hinder their academic success To improve their writing skills, students should familiarize themselves with essential writing techniques and focus on creating meaningful, interpretable, and well-structured texts Ultimately, the goal is to craft writing that is not only clear and logical but also engaging and easy to understand, thereby maximizing their study results.
Understanding coherence and cohesion is essential for effective discourse construction Language teachers should equip students with various textual cohesive devices, which are crucial tools for creating clear, well-structured, and cohesive written and spoken texts, thereby enhancing overall communication skills.
A teacher should emphasize the importance of cohesive devices in writing to enhance students' awareness of their role in creating coherent texts While proficient English writers typically utilize a wide range of cohesive devices, it is also beneficial for teachers to introduce students to commonly-used cohesive tools, along with synonyms and antonyms This approach enriches students' vocabulary, prevents boredom, and reduces fatigue caused by repetitive language patterns, thereby improving overall writing quality.
Added to this, owning to the fact that the knowledge of grammatical cohesion is so