LINGUIST List 12.553

Tue Feb 27 2001

Books: Syntax/Semantics

Editor for this issue: Naomi Ogasawara <naomilinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Uri N Strauss, Syntax/Semantics: Topic, Focus and Bare Nominals in Spanish
2. Uri N Strauss, Syntax/Semantics: Topics in Ellipsis by B. Schwarz

(Dissertation, syntax/semantics)

Eugenia Casielles-Suarez (University of Massachusetts). 
Topic, Focus and Bare Nominals in Spanish (1997). 
Velobound Book, $16. To order, visit our Web page: 
http://www.umass.edu/linguist/GLSA/

This study investigates the correlations between information structure
and syntactic structure with particular reference to Spanish. It
examines in detail notions like "topic" and "focus", and several
topicalizing and focusing mechanisms such as Clitic left-dislocation,
Pronominal left-dislocation, Topicalization, Right-dislocation and
Focus Preposing. It distinguishes two different "topical" elements
-Sentence Topic (STopic) and Background - and suggests that in Spanish
STopics occupy a preverbal specifier position while Background
elements occupy dislocated positions.

(Dissertation, syntax/semantics)

Bernhard Schwarz (University of Massachusetts). 
Topics in Ellipsis (2000).
Velobound Book, $16. To order, visit our Web page:
http://www.umass.edu/linguist/GLSA/

Bernhard Schwarz
Topics in Ellipsis


This dissertation is concerned with "ellipsis" constructions, that is,
cases in which the redundant structure appears to be missing or
unpronounced. After an introductory first chapter, chapter 2 discusses
the semantics of German conditionals with elliptical
consequents. Chapters 3 and 4 argue that certain asymmetric
coordinations in English and German owe their asymmetry to the
application of ellipsis. Chapter 5 presents evidence that some cases
of "elided" verb phrases in English have the semantics of bound
variables.