TEXT-FORMING FUNCTIONS OF ADVERBIAL CLAUSES OF TIME IN ENGLISH

Abstract

This article examines the text-forming functions of adverbial clauses of time in English from the perspective of discourse and text linguistics. The study determines the role of adverbial clauses of time in establishing chronological sequence, ensuring coherence and consistency of the text, forming thematic transitions, and structuring information. A comparative analysis of the functional properties of temporal connectors (when, before, after, while, as soon as, until, since, etc.) in various types of discourse is provided. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the systematic analysis of adverbial clauses of time not only as syntactic constructions but also as text-forming and discourse-forming mechanisms, as well as in the generalization of the functional differences between their prepositional and postpositional positions in various types of discourse. The study was conducted based on a generalization of the results obtained in modern linguistics, using corpus, pragmatic, and discursive approaches. It has been established that adverbial clauses of time are not only syntactic units but also an important discursive mechanism, ensuring the temporal integrity, communicative consistency, and semantic coherence of the text. The article is based on contemporary literature. It has been established that the position of adverbial clauses of time directly influences their discursive function. It has been determined that presuppositional adverbial clauses of time primarily create a temporal framework for events, provide transitions between parts of the text, and direct the development of the narrative. Postpositive adverbial clauses of time, on the other hand, complement the semantic interpretation of the main predication, clarifying its temporality. The study also demonstrates that the function of temporal connectors is not limited to expressing only temporal relations. It has been proven that in various discursive settings, they also perform additional functions, such as cause-and-effect relationships, background narration, discursive transitions, and the hierarchical organization of information. This indicates that the text-forming potential of adverbial clauses of time is broader than their formal syntactic properties.