Identifying relations: The semantic functions of wh-clefts in English

Abstract

This study compares the semantic relations represented by the wh-clauses of basic and reversed wh-clefts in the Freiburg corpus of written British English (FLOB). In both types of wh-clefts, there is a skewing of certain types of processes (mental, verbal, and relational) and circumstances (location, matter, and extent circumstances). This is related to the fact that the semantic function of the wh-clauses of wh-clefts is to represent a variable in a value–variable relation. There are also some differences in the distribution of these relations in basic and reversed wh-clefts. These differences can be explained by the different communicative functions of basic and reversed wh-clefts. Basic wh-clefts, where the wh-clauses are thematic, are often used to present newsworthy information from, for example, an evaluative perspective. Reversed wh-clefts, on the other hand, where the wh-clauses are rhematic, are often used to negotiate the validity of information already conveyed in the text or to highlight, for example, modal meanings.