Textual coherence

The textual coherence is the quality that has a text to be considered a unitary semantic entity. That is, all the main and secondary ideas that appear throughout the text are logically and effectively linked, which makes the reader understand and identify the global meaning of that text. In this article we will elaborate the Textual coherence.

A book is coherent when all its chapters, parts, sections, sections, etc., are assembled to a central idea or theme. But this “line” can also be seen at the lower levels of structure: between paragraphs and sentences there is an interrelation that makes it possible to provide relevant information for the understanding or total meaning of the text.

For a text to be coherent, it must be based both on the selection of the information and on its organization; Selection refers to what you choose to communicate, what aspect or element of a theme you are going to develop. And the organization refers to how you are going to present the subject, what you are going to say first and what later.

Textual coherence is an essential element when analyzing texts, because it accounts for the author’s ability to present and explain ideas.

Characteristics of textual coherence

Thematic progression

The text should be structured in a progressive sequence of information. That is, to talk about photosynthesis you will first have to explain what it is, then what is the process that plants use to convert light into food, then what it is for, etc.

In other words, new information is introduced progressively, from less to greater depth. This has to do with the logical and hierarchical organization of ideas.

Rule of non-contradiction

A coherent text should not affirm one thing and then, in the following paragraphs, say the opposite. This has to do with thematic unit, the fact that the sentences of the text revolve around a central idea or theme.

• Example : “The Moon is a celestial body, it is the Earth’s satellite. It has no atmosphere and there is no oxygen that enables human life in it. When we live on the Moon we will be able to see our planet from afar ”.

In this paragraph you can see a great central contradiction: if the Moon does not have an atmosphere and human life is not possible in it, how is it that at some point we can live there? Does it mean that the speaker is not human? Or that in the future some type of atmosphere will be generated that will promote the generation of oxygen?

As you can see, this text is not coherent because it does not comply with the rule of non-contradiction.

Use of sentence links and connectors

Sentence links and connectors are those grammatical structures that allow joining one sentence with another, one idea with another, so that the text maintains its meaning. These links are what make possible the thematic progression.

There are 5 types of connectors according to the communicational purpose: of causality, of certainty, of consequence, of opposition and of condition.

• Of causality

They are the connectors or links that establish cause-effect relationships: well, because, because, because of, like, since, among others.

• Of certainty

These connectors underpin the ideas already put forward by the author, and would be: of course, in addition, of course, of course, obviously, obviously, in fact.

• Of consequence

They establish the continuity of ideas in phrases, sentences, and paragraphs. Some of the connectors can be: likewise (or likewise), like this, now well, consequently, therefore, then, accordingly, etc.

• Opposition

These connectors show contrasts between the ideas that are exposed. The links are typical: although, nevertheless, nevertheless, but, except, etc.

• Of condition

This type of connection establishes a condition or requirement so that what is expressed in the sentence is fulfilled. Some are: provided, provided, so.

Differences between textual coherence and textual cohesion

Textual linguistics distinguishes between the concepts “coherence” and “cohesion”. There are linguists who separate them in terms of the internal or external relationships of sentences.

In this sense, coherence is an internal resource for structuring the sentence, sentence and paragraph in a global message that constitutes a macrotextual procedure; coherence refers to semantics, that is, to the meaning of the linguistic expressions that occur in the text.

Cohesion, for its part, refers to syntax, that is, how words are related and combined with each other, and that is why it is said to work at a micro-textual level.

Cohesion takes care of the correct grammatical and lexical relationships in the text, and focuses on avoiding concordance errors and on the proper use of sentence links and links.

Examples of textual coherence

Example 1

Consistent text :

“The city vibrated in the sunlight . They resounded with the horns , cars and motorbikes metal flowing in an endless line along the wide avenues, stopping now and then by traffic lights that forced them to stop. The shouts of the street vendors formed a deafening buzz, impossible to hear, however, for those who took refuge from the scorching sun in the air-conditioned interiors of restaurants and cafes ”.

Inconsistent text :

“There are a lot of cars in the city. It is very hot, the street vendors are yelling too much. It is very convenient to eat in restaurants ”.

Notice that the first text develops an idea (albeit in a more literary way) that describes a bustling city in the middle of summer. The second, although it also has phrases that indicate more or less the same, is incoherent because the message is not properly organized.

Example 2

Consistent text :

“Nahuatl is the language of the ancient Mexica. The Mexica were the founders of Mexico-Tenochtitlán. Nahuatl was considered a lingua franca (the English of the time), and today it is still spoken by more than a million Mexicans ”.

Inconsistent text :

“Nahuatl is an ancient language. The Aztecs were Mexica and yet Mexico is a country with a large indigenous population ”. Textual coherence characteristics examples

The textual incoherence is manifested in the second text in the sentences that have no relation to each other; there is no general meaning, nor is it known exactly what is meant.

Example 3

Consistent text :

“Good health requires a balanced diet and adequate habits of physical activity. Swimming, walking, cycling are highly recommended exercises, as well as a diet rich in vegetables and fruits combined with moderate animal proteins ”.

Inconsistent text :

“Raw vegetables are delicious. Running and swimming are aerobic exercises ”.

Example 4

Consistent text :

“The stars have their own light, and that is why the sun is a star.” Textual coherence characteristics examples

Inconsistent text :

“The sun shines, yet it is far away and burns.”

Example 5

Consistent text :

“Rodrigo and Iván are brothers, they both play the guitar and know many songs”.

Inconsistent text :

“The brothers play the guitar although they are Iván and Rodrigo.”

Textual coherence, as we have seen, needs to organize sentences and ideas to adequately communicate the message. In incoherent texts there is no thematic unit nor is there a logical sense.