Another important rhetorical function of nominalization is its implication in the information structure and thematic configuration of the clause in academic discourse. Action nominalizations are employed in the theme or rheme of a clause. Nominalization expands the choices with regard to the distribution and redistribution of information in the clause, widening the meaning potential of clauses. As Harvey (1993, p.36) argues nominalization" allows a lot of information to be packed into the Theme/Subject position which otherwise needs a whole clause to express". Action nominalization helps the thematic progression in a way that the "Theme will typically pick up something that has gone before (Halliday, 2004, p.125). In this regard the Theme "typically becomes a résumé of the argument that has gone before; and the only way to package a piece of argument so that it becomes a natural Theme of a clause is to turn it into a nominal group" (Halliday, 2004). Thorough the employment of nominalization in the theme-rheme configuration of clauses, academic discourse also maintains a cohesive flow of ideas, allocating a greater rhetorical emphasis to what follows the nominalized action ( Pérez-Llantada, 2012).
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In the following excerpt, the action nominalization (e.g., This vectorization of the adjoints) not only enhances the cohesion of the text through linking the theme of a sentence to preceding sentences, but also it is implicated in the thematic development of the
In the following excerpt, the action nominalization (e.g., This vectorization of the adjoints) not only enhances the cohesion of the text through linking the theme of a sentence to preceding sentences, but also it is implicated in the thematic development of the