Functions of contractions with thematic speech in texts

Thematic speech (ТS) represents a way to transfer someone else's speech when the author states the content ofsomeone else's speech in general; it is quite often limited only to the message of a theme or a list of questions mentioned by this or thatperson, without explaining what the person said on the given questions. The purpose of the article is to characterize the functioning of constructionswith TS (CTS) in the text and to define their basic functions. The main distinctive feature of ТS is generalization. The substantiveform "about + prepositional case" represents the compact proposition. This distinctive feature of CTS is close to the similar characteristicsof pronouns; therefore the complex of functions of CTS in the text can be considered in comparison with the similar functions of pronouns.When we characterize the functions of CTS in the text we must consider not only the closest context that helps realising them, but also thepeculiarities of reference, the radius of their action and the positional criterion. The whole complex of the above mentioned features allowscharacterizing the compositional function of CTS, which is realised in case when the initial and reproduced information is in the same text(an article, a note, etc.) or in different texts on the same topic (headings in a newspaper or different issues of newspapers). Depending on theplace in the text CTS can perform the following functions: the function of introduction (in preposition); the function of conclusion (in postposition)stating the main idea. The basic function is introduction. Depending on the position of CTS in the text: in the title, subtitle or beginningof a complex syntactic construction, they possess different "action radius". The introduction function combined with the function ofprospection establishes the connection with the subsequent text. In the text CTS can carry out the function of conclusion, not typical for ТS.It is realized in the sentences which are in postposition to the text (the function of retrospection) and sum up previous statements or the text.The "action radius" in this case is the whole article. Thus, having considered CTS from the point of view of their position in the text and thefunctions they carry out, we have learnt that besides reproduction of information TS is characterised by a special function - connectingbased on conclusion, generalization. This function is realized in different positions in the text, combined with the functions of prospectionand retrospection. It also depends on the "action radius" of the whole text or its part.

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