Contrastive topics and distributed foci as instances of sub-informativity
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Volker Gast
Abstract
This programmatic study offers a comparison of the lexical, syntactic and prosodic devices used in English and German to encode the information structural category of ‘sub-informativity’, which subsumes occurrences of contrastive topics and of distributed (multiple) foci. Sentences are called ‘sub-informative’ if they answer the current ‘question under discussion’ only partially. Two major types of sub-informativity are distinguished, (i) focus-related sub-informativity (distributed foci) and (ii) topic-related sub-informativity. Topic-related sub-informativity is further sub-categorized according to the parameter ‘context-changing’ vs. ‘context-preserving’. While no major differences between English and German can be identified in the lexical or syntactic marking of sub-informativity, there seems to be a relatively clear contrast in the domain of prosodic marking: While German has a contour specialized for ‘context-changing (topic-related) sub-informativity’ (the ‘root contour’), English has no such specialized tune and uses the functionally very general fall-rise contour in most of the contexts under discussion. In addition to providing a comparative survey of the domain under investigation, the chapter is intended as a case study dealing with central challenges of contrastive information structure analysis, e.g. the question of how comparability can be established and what type of generalization should be aimed at.
Abstract
This programmatic study offers a comparison of the lexical, syntactic and prosodic devices used in English and German to encode the information structural category of ‘sub-informativity’, which subsumes occurrences of contrastive topics and of distributed (multiple) foci. Sentences are called ‘sub-informative’ if they answer the current ‘question under discussion’ only partially. Two major types of sub-informativity are distinguished, (i) focus-related sub-informativity (distributed foci) and (ii) topic-related sub-informativity. Topic-related sub-informativity is further sub-categorized according to the parameter ‘context-changing’ vs. ‘context-preserving’. While no major differences between English and German can be identified in the lexical or syntactic marking of sub-informativity, there seems to be a relatively clear contrast in the domain of prosodic marking: While German has a contour specialized for ‘context-changing (topic-related) sub-informativity’ (the ‘root contour’), English has no such specialized tune and uses the functionally very general fall-rise contour in most of the contexts under discussion. In addition to providing a comparative survey of the domain under investigation, the chapter is intended as a case study dealing with central challenges of contrastive information structure analysis, e.g. the question of how comparability can be established and what type of generalization should be aimed at.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface VII
- List of contributors IX
- List of abbreviations XI
- Introduction 1
- Contrastive topics and distributed foci as instances of sub-informativity 15
- Givenness and discourse anaphors 51
- Constraints on subject-focus mapping in French and English 77
- Wh -questions in French and English 101
- A comparative perspective on intensive reflexives 139
- Focus types and argument asymmetries 169
- Topicality in L1-acquisition 199
- Formal and functional constraints on constituent order and their universality 231
- On the foundations of the contrastive study of information structure 277
- Subject index 305
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface VII
- List of contributors IX
- List of abbreviations XI
- Introduction 1
- Contrastive topics and distributed foci as instances of sub-informativity 15
- Givenness and discourse anaphors 51
- Constraints on subject-focus mapping in French and English 77
- Wh -questions in French and English 101
- A comparative perspective on intensive reflexives 139
- Focus types and argument asymmetries 169
- Topicality in L1-acquisition 199
- Formal and functional constraints on constituent order and their universality 231
- On the foundations of the contrastive study of information structure 277
- Subject index 305
