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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Article
Functional Divergences of Left Dislocation Construction in English and Chinese
Author(s)
WANG Ji-nan
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DOI:10.17265/1539-8072/2018.01.003
Affiliation(s)
Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China
ABSTRACT
This paper attempts to explore the functional divergence of LD (Left Dislocation) in English and Chinese. Through detailed analyzing, we find that LD in both languages shares only one function, the function of simplifying, but it is different in other functions and there are eight more functions in Chinese than in English. The interface study of LD in the two languages leads to the implications: The connections between syntactic form and discourse function are language-specific and arbitrary, and LD serves a wide variety of discourse functions and is motivated by a range of discourse circumstances.
KEYWORDS
left dislocation (LD), discourse function, syntactic discouse interface
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References
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Kim, K. H. (1995). Wh-clefts and left-dislocation in English conversation. In P. Downing and M. Noonan (Eds.), Word order in discourse (pp. 247-296). Amsterdam: Benjamins.
Lancelot, C., & Arnauld, A. (1660). Grammaire générale et raisonnée. Paris: P. Le Petit.
LI, C., & Thompson, S. (1976). Subject and topic: A new typology of language. In L. Charles (Ed.), Subject and topic (pp. 457-489). New York: Academic Press.
LIU, Q. (2006). 张爱玲小说中前置主位和左移动主位研究 (Preposed and left-dislocated themes in Ailing ZHANG’s works). Language, 12, 30-32.
Manetta, E. (2007). Unexpected left dislocation: An English corpus study. Journal of Pragmatics, 39, 1029-1035.
Pérez-Guerra, J., & Tizón-Couto, D. (2004). “These hands, they are apt enough to dislocate and tear thy flesh”: On left dislocation in the recent history of the English language. In S. Benjamin, W. Frey, and C. Maienborn (Eds.), Proceedings of the Dislocated Elements Workshop ZAS Berlin, November 2003 (pp. 449-464). German: Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg.
Prince, E. F. (1981). Toward a taxonomy of given-new information. In P. Cole (Ed.), Radical pragmatics (pp. 223-256). New York: Academic Press.
Prince, E. F. (1984). Topicalization and left dislocation: A functional analysis. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 433, 213-225.
Prince, E. F. (1985). Fancy syntax and “shared knowledge”. Journal of Pragmatics, 9, 65-81.
Prince, E. F. (1997). On the functions of left dislocation in English discourse. In A. Kamio (Ed.), Directions in functional linguistics (pp. 117-143). Philadephia: John Benjamins.
Prince, E. F. (1998). On the limits of syntax, with reference to left dislocation and topicalization. In P. Culicover and L. McNally (Eds.), The limits of syntax (pp. 281-302). New York: Academic Press.
Ross, J. R. (1967). Constraints on variables in syntax. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Terkel, S. (1974). Working. New York: Avon.
Tracy, K. (1984). Staying on topic: An explication of conversational relevance. Discourse Processes, 7, 447-464.
Traugott, E. (2007). Old English left dislocations: Their structure and information status. Folia Linguistica, 41(3-4), 405-441.
Vallduví, E. (1992). The informational component. New York: Garland.
Ward, G., & Birner, B. J. (2005). Information status and non-canonical syntax. In R. Laurence and G. Ward (Eds.), The handbook of pragmatics (pp. 162-163). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Ziv, Y. (1994). Left and right dislocations: Discourse functions and anaphor. Journal of Pragmatic, 22, 629-645.
Chomsky, N. (1965). Aspects of the theory of syntax. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Clark, H. H., & Wilkes-Gibbs, D. (1986). Referring as a collaborative process. Cognition, 22(1), 1-39.
GAO, X. X. (2011). 英汉话题结构的句法对比研究 (A comparative study of syntax in English and Chinese topical constructions). Journal of Xi’an International Studies University, 3, 7-10.
Geluykens, R. (1992). From discourse process to grammatical construction: On left dislocation in English. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Gregory, M. L., & Michaelis, L. A. (2001). Topicalization and left dislocation: A functional opposition revisited. Journal of Pragmatics, 33, 1665-1706.
Grice, H. P. (1975). Logic and conversation. In P. Cole and J. L. Morgan (Eds.), Speech acts (pp. 41-75). New York: Academic Press.
Gundel, J. K. (1985). Shared knowledge and topicality. Journal of pragmatics, 9(1), 83-107.
Halliday, M. A. K. (1967). Intonation and grammar in British English. The Hague: Mouton.
Hopper, P. J. (1997). When “grammar” and discourse clash: The problem of source conflicts. In J. Bybee, J. Haiman, and S. A. Thompsons (Eds.), Essays on language function and language type (pp. 231-247). Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Keenan, E. O. (1977). Why look at planned and unplanned discourse. In E. O. Keenan and T. Bennett (Eds.), Discourse across time and space (pp. 1-42). USA: University of Southern California.
Kim, K. H. (1995). Wh-clefts and left-dislocation in English conversation. In P. Downing and M. Noonan (Eds.), Word order in discourse (pp. 247-296). Amsterdam: Benjamins.
Lancelot, C., & Arnauld, A. (1660). Grammaire générale et raisonnée. Paris: P. Le Petit.
LI, C., & Thompson, S. (1976). Subject and topic: A new typology of language. In L. Charles (Ed.), Subject and topic (pp. 457-489). New York: Academic Press.
LIU, Q. (2006). 张爱玲小说中前置主位和左移动主位研究 (Preposed and left-dislocated themes in Ailing ZHANG’s works). Language, 12, 30-32.
Manetta, E. (2007). Unexpected left dislocation: An English corpus study. Journal of Pragmatics, 39, 1029-1035.
Pérez-Guerra, J., & Tizón-Couto, D. (2004). “These hands, they are apt enough to dislocate and tear thy flesh”: On left dislocation in the recent history of the English language. In S. Benjamin, W. Frey, and C. Maienborn (Eds.), Proceedings of the Dislocated Elements Workshop ZAS Berlin, November 2003 (pp. 449-464). German: Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg.
Prince, E. F. (1981). Toward a taxonomy of given-new information. In P. Cole (Ed.), Radical pragmatics (pp. 223-256). New York: Academic Press.
Prince, E. F. (1984). Topicalization and left dislocation: A functional analysis. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 433, 213-225.
Prince, E. F. (1985). Fancy syntax and “shared knowledge”. Journal of Pragmatics, 9, 65-81.
Prince, E. F. (1997). On the functions of left dislocation in English discourse. In A. Kamio (Ed.), Directions in functional linguistics (pp. 117-143). Philadephia: John Benjamins.
Prince, E. F. (1998). On the limits of syntax, with reference to left dislocation and topicalization. In P. Culicover and L. McNally (Eds.), The limits of syntax (pp. 281-302). New York: Academic Press.
Ross, J. R. (1967). Constraints on variables in syntax. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Terkel, S. (1974). Working. New York: Avon.
Tracy, K. (1984). Staying on topic: An explication of conversational relevance. Discourse Processes, 7, 447-464.
Traugott, E. (2007). Old English left dislocations: Their structure and information status. Folia Linguistica, 41(3-4), 405-441.
Vallduví, E. (1992). The informational component. New York: Garland.
Ward, G., & Birner, B. J. (2005). Information status and non-canonical syntax. In R. Laurence and G. Ward (Eds.), The handbook of pragmatics (pp. 162-163). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Ziv, Y. (1994). Left and right dislocations: Discourse functions and anaphor. Journal of Pragmatic, 22, 629-645.