Split Topicalization

Bibliographic Data

ID23744836
AuthorsHanneke Van Hoof (corresponding author)
Year2017
Pages1-57
Publication date2017-11-24
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeOTHER
VenueThe Wiley Blackwell Companion to Syntax, Second Edition (JOURNAL)
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/9781118358733.wbsyncom127
OpenAlexW4242291966
ISBN9781118358733
LanguageEN
References cited34

This chapter provides an overview of the grammatical properties of split topicalization. It also summarizes the different syntactic analyses that have been developed for this construction. The chapter focuses on the two main types of split topicalization in German: split‐NP topicalization (1) and split‐VP topicalization (2). The topicalized part of this construction is referred to as top and the stranded, remnant part as rem : (1) German a. [Gänse] TOP hat er [keine polnischen –] REM gekauft. geese has he no polish bought ‘As for geese, he has not bought polish ones.’ b. [Polnische Gänse] TOP hat er [keine –] REM gekauft. polish geese has he no bought ‘As for polish geese, he has bought none.’ (2) German [Gelesen] TOP hat er [diese Bücher nicht] REM. read has he these books not ‘As for reading, he has not read these books.’ In split topicalization, a single extended projection – that is, NP in (1) or VP in (2) – is scattered over different positions in the clause: the core part of the projection, top , is topicalized and a more peripheral part of the projection, rem , is realized clause‐internally. On the one hand, the dependency relation between top and rem in both split‐NP topicalization and split‐VP topicalization shows connectivity effects and is clearly of the A′‐type, suggesting a movement analysis. On the other hand, the adjectival inflection within the split NPs (see (1a)–(1b)) is spelled out as if top and rem were independent constituents. In some varieties, even examples with an overlap between top and rem , as determiner doubling in (3a), or examples with a rem consisting of a full NP, as in (3b), do occur. These examples seem to suggest that top and rem are base‐generated independently. (3) German a. [Eine Lösung] TOP hat er [eine bessere – als ich] REM. a solution has he a better (one) than I ‘As for a solution, he has a better one than I have.’ b. [Raubvögel] TOP kennt er nur [Bussarde] REM. birds of prey knows he only buzzards ‘As for birds of prey, he knows only buzzards.’ Split‐PP topicalization (4) and mixed‐split topicalization (5) and the ways in which they are accounted for in various phrasal and subphrasal extraction analyses are dealt with in this chapter as well. The mixed‐split cases, in which the categorial features of top and rem appear to be different, raise a particularly serious problem for syntactic analysis. (4) German [Mit Mädchen] TOP hat er [mit vielen –] REM getanzt. with girls has he with many danced ‘As for girls, he danced with many.’ (5) German [Romane geschrieben] TOP hat er schon [viele —] REM . novels written has he already many ‘As for writing novels, he has written already many.’

German · Linguistics · Pidgin · Punctuation · Topicalization · Linguistic research and analysis · Linguistic Variation and Morphology · Philosophy · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation

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