Contextually Determined Coherence as a Backbone to Discourse Typology

The diversity of discourse types encountered in linguistics presents a significant challenge to establishing a universally applicable classification system. This difficulty underscores the need to refine existing approaches to discourse typologization. The article addresses this gap by developing a comprehensive typology of discourses grounded in the concept of contextually determined coherence. The typology is built upon the coherent connections discernible in discourses, with a specific focus on such formative contexts as thematic topic, authorial agency, communicative intention, mode of formal realization, and scale of dissemination. The empirical material encompasses Russian-language discourses, emphasizing professional spheres: scientific, medical, economic, and media communication. The research employs qualitative methods: systematic observation of discursive practices, in-depth interpretation of coherence, systematization of discourse types, and classification by novel criteria. A key underpinning is the distinction between discourse and text coherence. Discourse coherence is conceptualized as a dynamic, context-dependent system of semantic, communicative, and structural interlinkages exceeding static textual units. The study rigorously defines and conceptually justifies three distinct types of discourse coherence: cognitive-semantic, driven by thematic unity; cognitive-pragmatic, shaped by author and intention; and cognitive-structural, determined by form and scale. Contextually determined coherence is established as a foundational category, emphasizing the essential interconnectedness between the constituents of a discursive system (textual components and the encompassing context) providing a basis for the presented typology. The principal outcome of this research is a novel, hierarchically structured classification of discourses, visually represented as a diagram. This diagram represents the interdependencies between contextual factors and their corresponding discourse types, highlighting major relationships and oppositions. The proposed typology offers considerable practical utility for the analysis and classification of a broad spectrum of real-world discourses, notably in professional communication. It contributes to the theoretical advancement of discourse analysis methodologies and the enhancement of pedagogical approaches in discourse theory in linguistic education.