Chapter 5. Discourse structure
The discourse level goes beyond the sentence level and it is formed by utterances linked to a specific pragmatic context.
Discourse structure requires coherence, which means that the different parts of the text have to be coherently connected with each other, keeping logic continuity within the discourse. An example of coherence is represented by the correct use of temporal and causal relationships between different sentences. Another textual property is represented by cohesion. Sentences are linked to each other through linguistic strategies that keep track of reference.
Both coherence and cohesion strategies may be overtly or covertly realised. In the first case, the discourse markers have a manual or non-manual realisation. In the second case, covert relationships are established between utterances, by taking advantage of the world knowledge and the implicatures (PRAGMATICS 7).
