Referential progression strategies in the texts of students of the PARFOR

Abstract

This article discusses referential progression strategies used by students in the PARFOR-Portuguese Undergraduate Course. The issue is approached from a socio-cognitive point of view. Questions about reference that have emerged from the literature (among them the concept of referent) are discussed, followed by a discussion of language system vs. language interaction. We then identify how the students/teachers develop referents throughout their texts. Our research revealed that many strategies adopted by the students are very similar to those used in non-formal texts, i.e. texts that are not part of the academic genre.