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Description:
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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.
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