The Dynamics of Focus Structure
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.
- Develops a new theory of focus structure
- Explores the role of focusing in explaining sentence stress, meaning and structure
- Offers an innovative view of our linguistic competence
Product details
January 1998Hardback
9780521592178
296 pages
236 × 158 × 27 mm
0.6kg
Available
Table of Contents
- 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.