This study is an attempt to construct a theoretical and descriptive
framework for the analysis of lexicogrammatical, semantic and semiotic
cohesion, called the Extended Systemic Cohesive Model. This model is an
extension of the Halliday-Hasan model (1976) whose descriptive range is
limited to lexicogrammatical cohesion. The classical hypothesis that
cohesion is realized through the lexicogrammatical system is proved to be
inadequate. An alternative thesis is proposed and justified: that cohesion
is captured at lexicogrammatical, semantic and semiotic levels. As a
result, a linguistic framework is constructed which explicitly accounts for
the properties that make a text hang together at these three particular
levels, and its applicability is tested against given empirical data. The
discussion is focused on how and why the above three types of cohesion
contribute to the unity of a text plus a critical review of previous
relevant work.
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