Identification: Meaning Beyond The Clause

Ngo, Hood, Martin, Painter, Smith & Zappavigna (2022: 16-7):

In terms of meaning beyond the clause IDENTIFICATION allows us to identify and track indefinitely long phases of discourse; the demonstrative that is used in this way in (54) to reference the ‘national night out’ activities that were soon to get underway

(54)

It is two twenty and I just got out of the shower and I just put some makeup on because it is national night out – and I put a fancy shirt on. I like never wear this. I think I have worn this one time since I got it. I’m usually in like a tank top with sports bra with these like yoga pants. So. But it is National Night Out like I said and our neighbourhood gathers together and we have like a potluck and the police come and the fire truck come and there are neighbours that I see like once a year and I wanted to look – I wanted to look presentable. Different than they normally probably see me every single day walking with the kids. I wanted to look nice.

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So that’s kind of exciting.

Blogger Comments:

To be clear, meaning 'beyond the clause' is realised by lexicogrammatical cohesion. In this case, the demonstrative that makes anaphoric reference to the preceding text. This is what Halliday & Hasan (1976: 66) term 'extended reference':