Quoting and reporting are not simply formal variants; they differ in meaning. The difference between them derives from the general semantic distinction between parataxis and hypotaxis, as it applies in the particular context of projecting. In quoting, the projected element has indipendent status; it is thus more immediate and lifelike, and this effect is enhanced by the orientation of deixis, which is that of drama not that of narrative. Quoting is particularly associated with certain narrative registers fictional and personal; it is used not only for sayings but also for thoughts, including third person thoughts projected by an omniscent narrator, as in “And that’s the jury-box”, thought Alice.
- Halliday (1985), a pag.233