On the psychological plausibility of 'topic' as a construct

Abstract

A study investigated the importance of sentence topic in written discourse. Training second language writers to identify sentence topics in drafts of their written work has been proposed as a central means of helping writers achieve greater coherence. The study explored the notion that "topic" is a psychological rather than linguistic concept, and that its use in various forms of pedagogical intervention is therefore likely to be problematic. In the study, 24 native English speakers and 40 learners of English as a Second Language were asked to identify sentence topics in a scientific report. Results indicate that the notion of topic was difficult for both groups. In some instances, divergence in responses suggested that a reader-based factor such as background knowledge affects choice of sentence topic. In other instances, different responses can be attributed to the structure of the sentence, in which two noun phrases compete. It is concluded that to pursue the issue of topic as a linguistic or psychological construct would not be productive because the situation appears more complex, and the interaction of lingui-tic and psychological elements is of greater concern. (MSE) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** On the psychological plausibility of 'topic' as a construct U S. DEPARTMENT Of EDUCATION Once of Educe bona( Research and improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC/ This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization Originating d C Minor Changes have been made to Improve reproduction quality Points of view or opinions Stated in this docu ment do not necessarily reproSent official OE RI position or policy in research on writing David Nunan, The English Centre, The University of Hong Kong Abstract "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BYPERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY