Examining Argumentative Coherence in Crosscultural Context

This study was conducted in an attempt to provide insights toward deepening understanding of associations between culture and writing by building, assessing, and refining a conceptual model of second language writing. The Concepts of culture and coherence and the relationship between them were examined through a mixed methods research design in the research context of Contrastive Rhetoric, comparing the coherence quality in argumentative essays written by undergraduates in mainland China and their U.S. peers. In order to analyze the complex concept of argumentative coherence, five linguistic theories of coherence were synthesized: Halliday’s (1976) cohesion theory, Carroll’s theory of coherence (1999/2007), Enkvist’s theory of coherence (1990), Topical Structure Analysis (Lautamatti, 1978) and Toulmin’s Model (1956/2003). This book is aimed at providing implications for conceptualizing argumentative coherence and contrastive rhetorical research.