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Chapter 3. Left- and Right-Dislocation and the speaker’s perspective

Abstract

In Italian, topics appear in left- or right-dislocated position and are doubled by clause-internal clitic pronouns. In this paper, the syntax and the contribution to discourse of left- and right-dislocated topics are discussed. We focus on Familiar Topics, the only topic which can appear in either position. It is shown that Familiar Topics do not only involve the retrieval of given information, as is currently assumed, but also contribute to the conversational dynamics by adding the speaker’s perspective on shared information. It is also shown that left and right-dislocated topics have different properties, confirming that Left Dislocation is not the mirror image of Right Dislocation. The discussion includes the comparison between Italian Left and Right Dislocation and German modal particles.

Abstract

In Italian, topics appear in left- or right-dislocated position and are doubled by clause-internal clitic pronouns. In this paper, the syntax and the contribution to discourse of left- and right-dislocated topics are discussed. We focus on Familiar Topics, the only topic which can appear in either position. It is shown that Familiar Topics do not only involve the retrieval of given information, as is currently assumed, but also contribute to the conversational dynamics by adding the speaker’s perspective on shared information. It is also shown that left and right-dislocated topics have different properties, confirming that Left Dislocation is not the mirror image of Right Dislocation. The discussion includes the comparison between Italian Left and Right Dislocation and German modal particles.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Preface vii
  4. Brazilian Portuguese, syntax and semantics 1
  5. Informal formal conversation on Syntax-Semantics 7
  6. From discourse to the DP
  7. Chapter 1. Mood alternations in the history of German 33
  8. Chapter 2. Use-conditional expressions and nonlocal interpretation 67
  9. Chapter 3. Left- and Right-Dislocation and the speaker’s perspective 87
  10. Chapter 4. Brazilian double subjects and sentence structure 107
  11. Chapter 5. Wh -questions in Brazilian Portuguese and Quebec French 135
  12. Chapter 6. Some low ellipses in Portuguese 151
  13. Chapter 7. Diagnosing verb raising 167
  14. Chapter 8. Brazilian bare nouns in quantity judgments 191
  15. Afterword 213
  16. Index 215
Brazilian Portuguese, Syntax and Semantics
This chapter is in the book Brazilian Portuguese, Syntax and Semantics
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.260.03car

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Preface vii
  4. Brazilian Portuguese, syntax and semantics 1
  5. Informal formal conversation on Syntax-Semantics 7
  6. From discourse to the DP
  7. Chapter 1. Mood alternations in the history of German 33
  8. Chapter 2. Use-conditional expressions and nonlocal interpretation 67
  9. Chapter 3. Left- and Right-Dislocation and the speaker’s perspective 87
  10. Chapter 4. Brazilian double subjects and sentence structure 107
  11. Chapter 5. Wh -questions in Brazilian Portuguese and Quebec French 135
  12. Chapter 6. Some low ellipses in Portuguese 151
  13. Chapter 7. Diagnosing verb raising 167
  14. Chapter 8. Brazilian bare nouns in quantity judgments 191
  15. Afterword 213
  16. Index 215
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