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Focus on head-final relatives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 June 2016

Karsten A. Koch
Karsten A. Koch*
Affiliation:
University of Calgary
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Abstract

Head-final relatives in Nɬe?kepmcxín (Thompson River Salish) have previously been described as rare. This article presents new data illustrating a range of possible head-final relatives and the discourse context in which they occur. The difference between head-initial and head-final relative structures is accounted for by information structure, namely the position of focus. When focus falls on the entire NP containing the relative clause, a head-initial relative is generated. However, when focus falls on the relative clause itself, excluding the head noun, a head-final relative is used. The effect inside complex nominals is to linearize focus before background, matching the FOCUS ≫ BACKGROUND generalization observed in matrix clause focus marking. The study is the first examination of focus marking inside the Salishan nominal domain.

Résumé

Résumé

Auparavant, on soulignait la rareté des relatives à tête finale en Nłe?kepmcxín (salish de la rivière Thompson). Cet article présente de nouvelles données qui illustrent une variété de relatives à tête finale et le contexte discursif dans lequel elles surviennent. L’analyse rend compte de la différence entre les structures relatives à tête initiale et à tête finale en termes de structure de l’information, à savoir la position de focus. Quand le focus tombe sur tout le SN qui contient la proposition relative, une relative à tête initiale est générée. Cependant, quand le focus tombe sur la proposition relative elle-même, à l’exclusion du nom déterminé, une relative à tête finale est employée. L’effet à l’intérieur des constituants nominaux est de linéariser le focus devant l’arrière-plan, reproduisant la généralisation FOCUS ≫ ARRIÈRE-PLAN observée dans le marquage de focus des propositions matrices. L’étude est donc la première à examiner le marquage de focus au sein du domaine nominal du salish.

Keywords

restrictive relative clausesfocusbackgroundSalishanhead-final relative clausespropositions relatives restrictivesfocusarrière-plansalishpropositions relatives à tête finale
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal of Linguistics/Revue canadienne de linguistique , Volume 58 , Issue 2: The syntax of relative clauses La syntaxe des propositions relatives , July 2013 , pp. 191 - 215
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Linguistic Association 2013

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