An Analysis of Thematic Progression in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982)

Abstract

This article examines  thematic progression in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea  (1982) (UNCLOS). Conceptualizing Theme and Rheme as cohesive elements linking clauses within clause complexes and across discourse, the article aims to: (i) provide an overview of thematic progression, (ii) Identify the types  of thematic progression commonly found in UNCLOS, (iii) examine how thematic progression contributes to the coherence and cohesion of clause complexes and discourses, (iv) identify the characteristics of discourse in UNCLOS and propose applications of thematic progression to the analysis and formulating legal texts. The article applies the theory of Theme and Thematic Progression from the perspective of Halliday's Systemic Functional Linguistics to determine the cohesion and coherence in UNCLOS as well as in legal texts in general, thereby