Categorical-textual Analysis of a Speech Work: Rationale and Application of the Method

This article describes a method of text analysis by means of linguistic characterisation of text categories. Primarily, the author discusses the problem of the object of study and the correlation between the concepts of ‘text’, ‘functional style’, ‘genre’. As a result, genre as a type of text and a carrier of generic characteristics of its functional style is regarded as the object. Text categories are considered as speech sets (compositions of linguistic means) present in the text and functioning as its components. Each of the categories is distinguished based on the common semantic function of the linguistic means that form it. The text category as a functional-semantic unit is an organised linguistic set whose full characteristics are three-aspect in nature, i. e. it includes a paradigmatic (system-linguistic), a syntagmatic (speech) and a compositional (textual) description. Text categories are interpreted as linguistic compositions with typical features of selection, combinatorics and arrangement of components. This approach implies a broadening of the units of text analysis, moving from atomic units to complex structural formations involved in modelling the whole text. The method is demonstrated on complete texts of various functional styles of the Russian literary language (journalistic, scientific, official, artistic) and genres (memorandum, summary of a report, article of law, lyrical miniature). For the purpose of demonstration, the author selects the categories of theme, chronotope and tonality and demonstrates their functional, stylistic and genre variations. The categorical-text method is suitable for making intertextual comparisons, including determining textual differences between groups of speech works. The technology of textual analysis under consideration is based on linguistic and speech taxonomy and remains fundamentally linguistic.