The Syntax of Contrastive Topic-Focus Association in the Middle Field of Brazilian Portuguese
Renato Lacerda
June 2018 

This paper investigates the interface between syntax and information structure in sentences involving middle-field topicalization in Brazilian Portuguese. In particular, it aims at determining the syntactic conditions governing the proper relative positioning of contrastive topics and their associated foci, a relation I call Contrastive Topic-Focus Association (CTFA). Dispensing with topic- and focus-dedicated cartographic projections in the middle field of BP, I argue that the constraints on CTFA (in particular, the requirement that a middle-field topic and its associated focus be in the same Spell-Out Domain) are better accounted for by a configurational approach to the mapping from syntax to information structure (as in Neeleman and van de Koot 2008, 2010 and unlike e.g. Rizzi 1997, Belletti 2004).

Format:	[ pdf ]
Reference:	lingbuzz/004062 (please use that when you cite this article)
Published in:	to appear in the WCCFL 36 Proceedings
keywords:	information structure, topicalization, focalization, spell-out, phases, brazilian portuguese, syntax
Downloaded:	379 times

 

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