14. Focus Fronting
-
Silvio Cruschina
Abstract
This chapter presents an overview of the formal and functional aspects of Focus Fronting (FF), namely, the marked constituent order characterized by a clauseinitial focused element. The major syntactic properties of this construction will be initially described with reference to the seminal work by Rizzi (1997). More data from the different patterns found in Romance will then be discussed in detail and in a comparative perspective, paying particular attention to the range of constituents that are amenable to undergo FF and to the distributional restrictions imposed by semantics and discourse. The necessity of distinguishing between different types of focus pointed out in recent proposals will then be assessed: information focus, contrastive (or corrective) focus, and mirative focus are distinct focus types, whose properties and characteristics are essential to understand not only the multifaceted interpretations and functions of FF, but also the significant similarities and differences encountered in different varieties of Romance. Some observations on the syntax and semantics of FF in interrogative and in exclamative clauses will conclude the chapter.
Abstract
This chapter presents an overview of the formal and functional aspects of Focus Fronting (FF), namely, the marked constituent order characterized by a clauseinitial focused element. The major syntactic properties of this construction will be initially described with reference to the seminal work by Rizzi (1997). More data from the different patterns found in Romance will then be discussed in detail and in a comparative perspective, paying particular attention to the range of constituents that are amenable to undergo FF and to the distributional restrictions imposed by semantics and discourse. The necessity of distinguishing between different types of focus pointed out in recent proposals will then be assessed: information focus, contrastive (or corrective) focus, and mirative focus are distinct focus types, whose properties and characteristics are essential to understand not only the multifaceted interpretations and functions of FF, but also the significant similarities and differences encountered in different varieties of Romance. Some observations on the syntax and semantics of FF in interrogative and in exclamative clauses will conclude the chapter.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Manuals of Romance Linguistics V
- Table of Contents VII
- Abbreviations XI
- 1. Introduction 1
-
The verbal domain
- 2. Subjects 27
- 3. Objects 89
- 4. Argument structure and argument structure alternations 154
- 5. Clitic pronouns 183
- 6. Voice and voice alternations 230
- 7. Auxiliaries 272
- 8. Causative and perception verbs 299
- 9. Copular and existential constructions 332
-
The clausal and sentential domains
- 10. Infinitival clauses 369
- 11. Tense, aspect, mood 397
- 12. Negation and polarity 449
- 13. Dislocations and framings 472
- 14. Focus Fronting 502
- 15. Cleft constructions 536
- 16. Interrogatives 569
- 17. Exclamatives, imperatives, optatives 603
- 18. Coordination and correlatives 647
-
The nominal domain
- 19. Gender and number 691
- 20. Determination and quantification 727
- 21. Adjectival and genitival modification 771
- 22. Relative clauses 804
-
Typological aspects
- 23. Syntheticity and Analyticity 839
- 24. Basic constituent orders 887
- List of Contributors 933
- Index 941
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Manuals of Romance Linguistics V
- Table of Contents VII
- Abbreviations XI
- 1. Introduction 1
-
The verbal domain
- 2. Subjects 27
- 3. Objects 89
- 4. Argument structure and argument structure alternations 154
- 5. Clitic pronouns 183
- 6. Voice and voice alternations 230
- 7. Auxiliaries 272
- 8. Causative and perception verbs 299
- 9. Copular and existential constructions 332
-
The clausal and sentential domains
- 10. Infinitival clauses 369
- 11. Tense, aspect, mood 397
- 12. Negation and polarity 449
- 13. Dislocations and framings 472
- 14. Focus Fronting 502
- 15. Cleft constructions 536
- 16. Interrogatives 569
- 17. Exclamatives, imperatives, optatives 603
- 18. Coordination and correlatives 647
-
The nominal domain
- 19. Gender and number 691
- 20. Determination and quantification 727
- 21. Adjectival and genitival modification 771
- 22. Relative clauses 804
-
Typological aspects
- 23. Syntheticity and Analyticity 839
- 24. Basic constituent orders 887
- List of Contributors 933
- Index 941
