The Dynamics of Focus Structure

ISBN-13: 9780521592178 / Angielski / Twarda / 1998 / 296 str.

Nomi Erteschik-Shir; S. R. Anderson; J. Bresnan

Opis

All modes of perception (vision, hearing, etc.) are organized into foreground or focus and background constituents. Natural language sentences are no different. This book explores the role of focusing in natural language sentences and the role of this basic cognitive mechanism in explaining sentence stress, meaning and structure. The result is an innovative view of our linguistic competence.

Spis treści

Introduction; 1. The interpretation of f-structure; 2. Reference and coreference; 3. Negation, questions and contrast; 4. The phonological interpretation of f-structure; 5. Scope and R-dependencies; 6. I-dependencies in focus-structure; Conclusion; References; Indexes.