Text Cohesion
Text Cohesion
What separates advanced Dutch writing from merely correct Dutch writing is the reference chain: deze, die, dat, dit laatste, genoemde and dergelijke, used to point back through a text without repeating a single noun.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
deze and die distinguish nearer from further reference
Er zijn twee opties. Deze is goedkoper, die is sneller.
There are two options. The former is cheaper, the latter is faster.
In careful written Dutch, deze points to the nearer or more recently mentioned item and die to the more distant one — a distinction English handles with 'the latter' and 'the former', in the opposite order. dit laatste ('the latter') and het eerstgenoemde ('the former') are the explicit alternatives when the deze/die contrast would be ambiguous.
Reference words that avoid repetition
het genoemde probleem, dergelijke gevallen, dit laatste punt
the problem mentioned, such cases, this last point
genoemd ('mentioned'), voornoemd, betreffend ('relevant, in question') and dergelijk ('such') let you refer back with an adjective instead of restating the noun. Dutch style penalizes repetition more sharply than English does, so building these chains is not optional polish — it is what makes a text read as professionally written.
Signalling direction within the text
zoals hierboven vermeld, zie hieronder, zoals gezegd
as noted above, see below, as mentioned
Spatial reference inside a document uses hierboven ('above') and hieronder ('below'), both built from the hier- plus preposition pattern you know from the er-family. zoals gezegd ('as said') refers to something already established, and in het voorgaande ('in the foregoing') is its formal counterpart. Together these devices let a long text point at itself without ambiguity.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
- English
- the latter
- English
- the former
- English
- mentioned
- English
- relevant / in question
- English
- such
- English
- above
- English
- below
- English
- as mentioned
- English
- in the foregoing
- English
- the coherence
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