TEXTUAL FUNCTIONText: How speakers organize their message: exploring textual meanings. Chapter 6. In: BUTT et al. Introducing functional grammar: an explorers guide, 2000

Textual function makes it possible to organize experiential and interpersonal meanings into a coherent textSignposts that realize textual meanings:THEME what comes first in a clause Topical participants, processes & circumstances as the starting point Textual word or phrase to connect the message Interpersonal finite (in questions), vocatives, mood and comment adjuncts (probably, sometimes, unfortunately)RHEME what follows the theme (the rest of the clause)COHESIONTextual progression (topic development through theme and rheme arrangement)Conjunctions (connectors to bind sentences and paragraphs)Repetition ( redundancy)Reference (pronouns and phrases that refer back to parts of the text)Ellipsis (omission of elements)Sense relations (synonyms, antonyms, hyponyms, hyperonyms)