ABSTRACT

This chapter focuses on the idea that texts are the product of interactive processes involving psychological, social and linguistic factors, interwoven in complex ways. Texts are typically the site of contestation between conflicting perspectives, and linguistic processes constitute the mechanism for the resolution of these conflicts. There are several features of the text that derive from the institutional context. The text can be seen as resulting at least in part from the interaction of the discourse of authority with the genre of official memorandum. The multi-dimensional character of social space is such that any text enters into a highly complex pattern of discursive and generic interactions originating in a wide variety of social and institutional structures. In the discussion of Jane Austen's novel- Emma, the relationship between language and perspective is complicated by the fact that two opposing perspectives are at work.