On topic and focus in Standard Arabic
Adopting the Cartography research program (Rizzi, 1997, 2001, 2004), the present work investigates the CP layer in Standard Arabic (SA); specifically, the nature and position of topicalized and object focused phrases in the left periphery. The paper also seeks to establish that in fact subjects, lik...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2019-08-01
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| Series: | Heliyon |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844019358505 |
| _version_ | 1811223775665979392 |
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| author | Abdulkhaliq Alazzawie |
| author_facet | Abdulkhaliq Alazzawie |
| author_sort | Abdulkhaliq Alazzawie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Adopting the Cartography research program (Rizzi, 1997, 2001, 2004), the present work investigates the CP layer in Standard Arabic (SA); specifically, the nature and position of topicalized and object focused phrases in the left periphery. The paper also seeks to establish that in fact subjects, like objects and obliques, can also topicalize, the difference being that the pronoun is optionally lexically expressed in subject-topicalization. The ‘Subject’ initial-DP will be treated as a topic located high up in the clausal structure - in the specifier position of the Top node above Foc. Elements in this position fill a special pragmatic sense and discourse role of being presumed, given and identifiable topics rather than an argument or a thematic function.Building on Rizzi's (2004) and Ouhalla's (1997) proposals that generate moved objects and wh-phrases in [Spec, Foc], two focus positions will be posited for SA – one is located immediately above vP and the second is right below TopP. It will be proposed that object movement over the subject is triggered by the [F] feature on Foc and derives the VOS order. Triggered by the higher [F] feature, the raised object and the raised wh-word can raise again to the higher [Spec, Foc]. It is concluded that the position occupied by topicalized DP's differs from that of focused DP's. In particular, SA topics occupy a higher position in the left periphery, namely [Spec, TopP]. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T08:38:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-41be278450e842b78d039ba3e9447829 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2405-8440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T08:38:25Z |
| publishDate | 2019-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heliyon |
| spelling | doaj.art-41be278450e842b78d039ba3e94478292022-12-22T03:39:57ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402019-08-0158e02190On topic and focus in Standard ArabicAbdulkhaliq Alazzawie0Corresponding author.; Department of Foreign Languages, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Nizwa, Nizwa, OmanAdopting the Cartography research program (Rizzi, 1997, 2001, 2004), the present work investigates the CP layer in Standard Arabic (SA); specifically, the nature and position of topicalized and object focused phrases in the left periphery. The paper also seeks to establish that in fact subjects, like objects and obliques, can also topicalize, the difference being that the pronoun is optionally lexically expressed in subject-topicalization. The ‘Subject’ initial-DP will be treated as a topic located high up in the clausal structure - in the specifier position of the Top node above Foc. Elements in this position fill a special pragmatic sense and discourse role of being presumed, given and identifiable topics rather than an argument or a thematic function.Building on Rizzi's (2004) and Ouhalla's (1997) proposals that generate moved objects and wh-phrases in [Spec, Foc], two focus positions will be posited for SA – one is located immediately above vP and the second is right below TopP. It will be proposed that object movement over the subject is triggered by the [F] feature on Foc and derives the VOS order. Triggered by the higher [F] feature, the raised object and the raised wh-word can raise again to the higher [Spec, Foc]. It is concluded that the position occupied by topicalized DP's differs from that of focused DP's. In particular, SA topics occupy a higher position in the left periphery, namely [Spec, TopP].http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844019358505LinguisticsLeft peripherySystemTopicFocusLeft dislocation |
| spellingShingle | Abdulkhaliq Alazzawie On topic and focus in Standard Arabic Heliyon Linguistics Left periphery System Topic Focus Left dislocation |
| title | On topic and focus in Standard Arabic |
| title_full | On topic and focus in Standard Arabic |
| title_fullStr | On topic and focus in Standard Arabic |
| title_full_unstemmed | On topic and focus in Standard Arabic |
| title_short | On topic and focus in Standard Arabic |
| title_sort | on topic and focus in standard arabic |
| topic | Linguistics Left periphery System Topic Focus Left dislocation |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844019358505 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT abdulkhaliqalazzawie ontopicandfocusinstandardarabic |