People have used text as a medium of communication for many years. Whether in digital or written form, this practice allows people to convey messages, share stories, express rhetoric, and connect with one another. Doug Eyman, along with many others, originally defined text as “a fairly limited term that references printed text (and, in particular, literary works).” This definition makes sense for many; however, the term takes on a different meaning when analyzed deeply.
The Seven Criteria of Textuality
Eyman references Robert de Beaugrande and Wolfgang Dressler’s (1981) approach to text and how it meets seven specific criteria: cohesion, coherence, intentionality, acceptability, informativity, situationally, and intertextuality. These elements constitute what they consider “rhetorically successful text.” This criteria takes the concept of text and brings it to a whole new level. Essentially, text is a multidimensional practice that holds many layers.
Rhetoric in Text
Understanding your audience, purpose, and intention in writing is crucial to effective rhetoric. For example, many politicians use specific language to communicate within a particular discourse while also excluding others from fully understanding their intentions. The language that they use in their policy essentially tells their audience, without explicitly stating it, that in order to understand said policies, you must be familiar with a certain lexis or terminology and have a certain level of education. Which in a way constitutes as a discourse.
Intertextuality and its Significance in Text
Additionally, employing intertextuality in your writing requires the reader to be familiar with the referenced text. Without this knowledge, the reader might feel confused, but being familiar with the text strengthens the writer’s intention. Before this class, I had never encountered the term intertextuality, but now that I understand its meaning, I notice it everywhere. Writers frequently use references to other texts, across all mediums, as a powerful mechanism that I used tooverlook. Whenever I read something that included intertextuality before, I would always glaze over it and continue on with the text. However, my ignorance of the topic has robbed me of deeper layers a piece was trying to convey. Understanding these concepts allows me as a reader to look deeper into my future readings and perceive works differently.
Read my latest blog post: Orality vs. Literacy
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