Text Linguistics and the Question of Communicative Equilibrium: A Critique of the Transmission-Reception Dichotomy

Abstract

Linguistics is a core branch of language science. It investigates the structure, functions, and uses of language. Text linguistics, as a modern extension of the field, focuses on analyzing texts as cohesive linguistic units. It moves beyond traditional sentence-level analysis to explore how texts achieve coherence and cohesion. This paper offers a critical examination of two key standards in text linguistics: intentionality and acceptability. It discusses major critiques of these two principles and evaluates the main responses to them. Special attention is given to how reader diversity and cultural background affect textual interpretation.