Question
What are form, content and intertextuality, and how do they contribute differently in the construction and consideration of a text’s meaning?
Answer
Form, content, and intertextuality are key elements in understanding and constructing the meaning of a text. Each plays a distinct role in how a text is perceived and interpreted.
Form
Definition: Form refers to the structure and style of a text, including its genre, layout, and linguistic features. It shapes how the content is delivered and perceived by the reader.
Contribution to Meaning: The form of a text can influence its readability and the emotional response it evokes. It provides a framework within which the content is organised and presented, affecting how the message is received and understood (Pruvost, Sedykh and Buzinova, 2018).
Content
Definition: Content is the actual information, ideas, or themes presented in a text. It encompasses the subject matter and the message the author intends to convey.
Contribution to Meaning: Content is the core of a text’s meaning, providing the substance that the form delivers. It is the primary vehicle for the author’s intended message and the basis for the reader’s interpretation (Pruvost, Sedykh and Buzinova, 2018).
Intertextuality
Definition: Intertextuality is the relationship between texts, where a text references or is influenced by other texts. It suggests that no text exists in isolation but is part of a larger network of texts (Mavengano and Hove, 2019; Porter, 1986; Allen, 2019).
Contribution to Meaning: Intertextuality enriches a text by adding layers of meaning through references to other texts. It allows readers to draw connections and derive meaning based on their knowledge of other works, thus expanding the interpretive possibilities (Mavengano and Hove, 2019; Filat’eva, 2024; Gadban and Ghanim, 2024). It challenges the notion of a text as a self-contained entity and emphasizes the role of the reader in constructing meaning through these connections (Porter, 1986; Allen, 2019).
Conclusion
Form, content, and intertextuality each contribute uniquely to a text’s meaning. Form shapes the delivery, content provides the substance, and intertextuality expands interpretive possibilities by connecting the text to a broader discourse. Together, they create a complex web of meaning that is both constructed by the author and interpreted by the reader.
References
Pruvost, J., Sedykh, A., & Buzinova, L., 2018. TEXT, CONTEXT, INTERTEXT: SYNTHESIS OF SENSE GENERATION. Research result. Theoretical and Applied Linguistics. https://doi.org/10.18413/2313-8912-2018-4-3-0-3
Mavengano, E., & Hove, M., 2019. Kaka country: An intertextual reading of national dysfunction in Bulawayo’s We Need New Names and Jinga’s One Foreigner’s Ordeal. Literator. https://doi.org/10.4102/LIT.V40I1.1595
Porter, J., 1986. Intertextuality and the discourse community. Rhetoric Review, 5, pp. 34-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/07350198609359131
Filat’eva, T., 2024. MEANING FORMATION IN CULTURAL TEXTS THROUGH INTERTEXTUALITY. Scientific Notes of V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University. Philosophy. Political science. Culturology. https://doi.org/10.29039/2413-1695-2024-10-2-81-87
Gadban, A., & Ghanim, O., 2024. Intertextuality in Poetic Texts. JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE STUDIES. https://doi.org/10.25130/lang.8.1.12
Allen, G., 2019. Intertextuality. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature. https://doi.org/10.1163/2214-8647_bnp_e525570
