Information Structure

Information Structure PDF

Author: Nomi Erteschik-Shir

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2007-01-11

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 0199262586

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This introduction to the role of information structure in grammar discusses a wide range of phenomena on the syntax-information structure interface. It examines theories of information structure and considers their effectiveness in explaining whether and how information structure maps onto syntax in discourse. Professor Erteschik-Shir begins by discussing the basic notions and properties of information structure, such as topic and focus, and considers their properties from differenttheoretical perspectives. She covers definitions of topic and focus, architectures of grammar, information structure, word order, the interface between lexicon and information structure, and cognitive aspects of information structure.In her balanced and readable account, the author critically compares the effectiveness of different theoretical approaches and assesses the value of insights drawn from work in processing and on language acquisition, variation, and universals. This book will appeal to graduate students of syntax and semantics in departments of linguistics, philosophy, and cognitive science.

The Expression of Information Structure

The Expression of Information Structure PDF

Author: Manfred Krifka

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter

Published: 2012-08-31

Total Pages: 476

ISBN-13: 311026160X

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Information structure deals with the linguistic forms and techniques that support the integration of what is said into the current informational and attentional state of the addressee. This shows in categories like topic-comment structuring, focus to highlight expressions, marking of givenness and of presupposed information, and ways to indicate that the information provided is restricted. The book relates infor-mation structure to theoretical models of grammar, to computation and modelling and brings together what is known about the expression of information structure in human language with regard to its empirical investigation, its psycholinguistic aspects and the acquisition of information structure. Since the need to integrate what is said into the informational and attentional state of the addressee is central to all human communication, it is not surprising that all natural languages have developed devices to express information structural cate-gories. To illustrate this, the book also provides concrete and theory independent descriptions of the information structural encoding strategies of individual languages of different types . The book can be used as a textbook appropriate for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses; it also provides information for linguists that are not specialists in the field.

On Information Structure, Meaning and Form

On Information Structure, Meaning and Form PDF

Author: Kerstin Schwabe

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 584

ISBN-13: 9789027233646

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This collection of articles offers a new and compelling perspective on the interface connecting syntax, phonology, semantics and pragmatics. At the core of this volume is the hypothesis that information structure represents the common interface of these grammatical components. Information structure is investigated here from different theoretical viewpoints yielding typologically relevant information and structural generalizations. In the volume's introductory chapter, the editors identify two central approaches to information structure: the formal and the interpretive view. The remainder of the book is organized accordingly. The first part examines information structure and grammar, concentrating on generalizations across languages. The second part investigates information structure and pragmatics, concentrating on clause structure and context. Through concrete analyses of topic, focus, and related phenomena across different languages, the contributors add new and convincing evidence to the research on information structure.

Information Structure and Sentence Form

Information Structure and Sentence Form PDF

Author: Knud Lambrecht

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1996-11-13

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 1316582418

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Why do speakers of all languages use different grammatical structures under different communicative circumstances to express the same idea? Professor Lambrecht explores the relationship between the structure of the sentence and the linguistic and extra-linguistic context in which it is used. His analysis is based on the observation that the structure of a sentence reflects a speaker's assumption about the hearer's state of knowledge and consciousness at the time of the utterance. This relationship between speaker assumptions and formal sentence structure is governed by rules and conventions of grammar, in a component called 'information structure'. Four independent but interrelated categories are analysed: presupposition and assertion, identifiability and activation, topic, and focus.

Information Structure Within Interfaces

Information Structure Within Interfaces PDF

Author: Asli Gürer

Publisher: De Gruyter Mouton

Published: 2022-01-31

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781501526718

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This book is an in-depth study of information structure within semantic, syntactic and prosodic domains. The semantic classification of focus and topic phrases provides implications for compositionality and positional restrictions. Drawing on experi

The Oxford Handbook of Information Structure

The Oxford Handbook of Information Structure PDF

Author: Caroline Féry

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 993

ISBN-13: 0199642672

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"Researchers survey the main theories of information structure in syntax, phonology, and semantics as well as perspectives from psycholinguistics and other relevant fields"--Del editor.

Information structure in Isthmus Zapotec narrative and conversation

Information structure in Isthmus Zapotec narrative and conversation PDF

Author: Juan José Bueno Holle

Publisher: Language Science Press

Published:

Total Pages: 214

ISBN-13: 3961101299

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This book presents an in-depth description of information structure in Isthmus Zapotec, an Otomanguean language spoken by around 50,000 people in southeastern Oaxaca, Mexico, and represents the first book-length treatment of information structure in a Mesoamerican language. Three main observations motivate the study: Strong documentation and a relatively large and active speaker community create a unique opportunity to document information structure in Isthmus Zapotec and to study the language as it is used by speakers in everyday life;As a tonal and verb-initial language, the examination of Isthmus Zapotec represents a chance to explore the possible combinations of tone, intonation, morphology and verb-initial syntax that may occur in the coding of information structure; andThe close analysis of spontaneous speech in an endangered language contributes to our theoretical understanding of information structure and informs our knowledge of language documentation practices and revitalization efforts. Overall, the analysis presented here demonstrates the value and need for information structure studies to document and analyze naturally-occurring data.

Information Structure and Agreement

Information Structure and Agreement PDF

Author: Victoria Camacho-Taboada

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 2013-01-30

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 9027273022

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This collection consists of thirteen contributions focusing on the latest trends of information structure and agreement, couched in the most current developments of Minimalism, Cartography, and Optimality. Some chapters focus on the syntax of information structure in relation with the position occupied by different constituents in the CP domain and their interpretation such as the distinction between contrastive and corrective focus; the inclusion of given information in focus; the interplay of information structure and binding; the relative position of complementisers; and discourse-based constituents in the left periphery. Information structure is also analysed with regards to prominence phenomena at word level. Other chapters deal with the notion of agreement and its role in the syntax of specific constructions such as applicatives, correlatives, or different types of CP like relatives or embedded interrogatives. This selection of papers was originally presented at the 21st Colloquium on Generative Grammar, held at the University of Seville in April 2011.

Semantics - Sentence and Information Structure

Semantics - Sentence and Information Structure PDF

Author: Paul Portner

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2019-02-19

Total Pages: 554

ISBN-13: 3110589869

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Read this book to get a deeper understanding of a wide range of semantics research on complex sentences and meaning in discourse. These in-depth articles from leading names in their fields cover the core concepts of sentential semantics such as tense, modality, conditionality, propositional attitudes, scope, negation, and coordination. The highly cited material, covers questions, imperatives, copular clauses, and existential sentences. It also includes essential research on sentence types, and explains central concepts in the theory of information structure and discourse structure, such as topics, cohesion and coherence, accessibility and discourse particles.

Information Structure and Reference Tracking in Complex Sentences

Information Structure and Reference Tracking in Complex Sentences PDF

Author: Rik van Gijn

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company

Published: 2014-03-15

Total Pages: 417

ISBN-13: 9027270759

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This volume is dedicated to exploring the crossroads where complex sentences and information management – more specifically information structure and reference tracking – come together. Complex sentences are a highly relevant but understudied domain for studying notions of IS and RT. On the one hand, a complex sentence can be studied as a mini-unit of discourse consisting of two or more elements describing events, situations, or processes, with its own internal information-structural and referential organization. On the other hand, complex sentences can be studied as parts of larger discourse structures, such as narratives or conversations, in terms of how their information-structural characteristics relate to this wider context. The book offers new perspectives for the study of the interaction between complex sentences and information management, and moreover adds typological breadth by focusing on lesser studied languages from several parts of the world.