To be or not to be focus adverbials?
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Anna-Maria De Cesare
Abstract
The goal of this study is to cast new light on one of the main defining properties of focus adverbials, namely their interaction with the focus structure of the sentence. Following the framework known as Language into Act Theory, we describe the interaction between It. anche and focal information, considered in relation to the accomplishment of a speech act. The results of a corpus-driven study of spontaneous spoken Italian allow proposing a more detailed definition of focus adverbials, which takes into account two layers of information structure: the semantico-presuppositional layer and the pragmatic-illocutionary layer. We claim that association with focus is a stable feature of focus adverbials only in relation to the first layer of information structure.
Abstract
The goal of this study is to cast new light on one of the main defining properties of focus adverbials, namely their interaction with the focus structure of the sentence. Following the framework known as Language into Act Theory, we describe the interaction between It. anche and focal information, considered in relation to the accomplishment of a speech act. The results of a corpus-driven study of spontaneous spoken Italian allow proposing a more detailed definition of focus adverbials, which takes into account two layers of information structure: the semantico-presuppositional layer and the pragmatic-illocutionary layer. We claim that association with focus is a stable feature of focus adverbials only in relation to the first layer of information structure.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction. When data challenges theory 1
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Part I. Theoretical studies
- Distinguishing psychological Given/New from linguistic Topic/Focus makes things clearer 39
- Remarks on information structure marking asymmetries 57
- Alternatives to information structure 91
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Part II. Case studies
- How alternatives are created 115
- Is focus a root phenomenon? 147
- The curious case of the rare focus movement in French 183
- To be or not to be focus adverbials? 203
- Unmarked use of marked syntactic structures 239
- Translation as a source of pragmatic interference? 271
- Index 305
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction. When data challenges theory 1
-
Part I. Theoretical studies
- Distinguishing psychological Given/New from linguistic Topic/Focus makes things clearer 39
- Remarks on information structure marking asymmetries 57
- Alternatives to information structure 91
-
Part II. Case studies
- How alternatives are created 115
- Is focus a root phenomenon? 147
- The curious case of the rare focus movement in French 183
- To be or not to be focus adverbials? 203
- Unmarked use of marked syntactic structures 239
- Translation as a source of pragmatic interference? 271
- Index 305
