Coherence in Spoken and

Written Discourse

Deborah Tannen, Editor

Georgetown University

VOLUME XII in the Series

ADVANCES IN DISCOURSE PROCESSES

Roy O. Freedle, editor

ABLEX Publishing Corporation

Norwood, New Jersey 07648

Prefc:lce to the Series

Ackrlowledgements
Introduction
II

PART I.

"

II

It

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ix
xi
xiii

SPOKEN AND WRITTEN DISCOURSE

1. Cohesion in Spoken and Written Discourse: Ethnic

Style and the Transition to Literacy

John J. Gumperz Hannah Kaltman, and Mary Catherine

O'Connor
o. . . .
1

Deborah Tannen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

21

The

E~stablishment

of Cohesion in Discourse 4

Prosody and Cobesion in Spoken Discourse .5

Cohesion in Written [)iscourse 7

Establishnlent of (_~()hesjon in Spoken vs. Written Mode

Analysis of Spoken and Written Discourse I()

Nontransferable Spoken Style /5

SU01ITlary /6

References 17

2. SpokE~n and Written Narrative in English and Greek

13ackground 2 J

Spoken and Written f)ear Stories

23

J~1rames

in Spoken Narratives
in Written Narratives
()ral Storytelling Fran1c 28
Film Franle 3.1
Interpretation 33
SunlDlary 39
r~1ranles

24
25

References .39
Appendix 41

PART II.

ALTERNATIVE VIEWS OF ORALITY AND LITERACY

3m Coordination and Subordination Revisited: Syntactic

Complexity in Spoken and Written Narrative Discourse
Karen Beaman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Background 46
The Study 52
The Sentence 54
1~he Analysis of Syntactic Structure
Coordinat.ion 60
Subordination 61

Summary
C:onclusion
I~eferences

45

56

78
78
80

4. Rhetoric, Anecdote, and Rhapsody: Coherence

Strategies in a Conversation Among Black American
Adolescents
Frederick Erickson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

81

Introduction: Speech Style and Social AsseSSlllent (\? I

Verbal Art as Personal Display: SOlne Afro-Alnerican
Ends and Means of Perforn1ance 85
rrhe '-rranscript 99
Analysis of the Transcript J26
Conclusion 15 J
References J52

5. Pragmatic Coherence in an Oral Formulaic Tradition:

I Can Read Your Letters/ Sure Can't Read Your Mind
Dennis Jarrett. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

l'\extuaJ Coherence in an Oral Tradition

Sequence and Cultural Reference
as Aspects of Coherence /57

J55

155

CONTENTS

vii

Coherence in an Oral Fornlulaic Tradition J59

The Integrity of an Oral Song Text /61
The Integrity of a Written Song Text 168
Conclusion 170

References

J 71

6. \Cooking It Up and Boiling It Down: Abstracts in

Athabaskan Children's Story Retellings
Ron Scollon and Suzanne B. K. Scallon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
'The Northern Athabaskan Oral Tradition

J73

rreaching the Abstraction of Themes /79

j\thabaskan Children in a Modernizing Environment, the School
<:onclusion 194
F~eferences J95

PARl III.

173

184

CHILDREN IN AND OUT OF SCHOOL

7. A Sense of Story: Influences on Children's

Storytelling Ability
JE~nny Cook..Gumperz and Judith L. Green. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

201

A Narrative Tradition in Childhood 201

Experimental Studies of Narrative Ability in Children 203
Sources of Influences on Children's Storytelling Ability 205
Analysis of Concept of Story: An Alternative Approach
Conclusion 217
References 217

21 1

8. Oratl Discourse Styles: Classroom Interaction and the

ACCluisition of Literacy
Sarah Michaels and James Collins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Introduction 219
Sharing Time: A Key Situation 220
Interactive Consequences of Sharing Style 22.5
A Naturalistic Experiment 230
Findings: Oral Narratives 232
A COlnparison of Oral a:nd Written Narratives 238
Conclusion 24 J
References 243

219

9. Reading Tests as Texts

Robert Aronowitz . . ~
$

Introduction 245

Interpretation Maxims 246

Other Nonreading Sources on Test Complexity

Textual Analysis of Test. Items 252

Pilot Study Interviews 255

Conclusion 264

References 264

245

252

10. Bibliography of Spoken and Written Language

Jean Luetkemeyer, Caroline Van Antwerp, and Gloria Kindell . . . .

265

Author Index '" '"

SUbject Index ..

283
287

II

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