Thematic Progression as a Functional Resource in Analysing Texts

Frantisek Danes' (1974) proposal of three main types of thematic progression constitutes a functional explanation of the ordering of information in discourse. As such, it corresponds to Nichols' (1984) fifth distinction of 'function' as 'function in context', and specifically in textual organization. Danes' consideration of the Theme-Rheme nexus operating over sequences of text is seen to compare favourably with treatments of Theme in isolation. Application of the three TP types to texts of a more everyday nature than those previously explored for this type of organization (Dubois 1987, Nwogu and Bloor 1991) reveals that all three manifestations of TP are to be found, depending on the text type and rhetorical purpose of the writer. The study concludes with suggestions for further exploration of Danes' model within educational settings.