A discourse analysis of left-dislocation in Old English
This paper examines the correlation between the position of resumptive demonstratives and personal
pronouns in left-dislocation and their functions in the discourse. It shows that these structures typically introduce new
topics, hence two thirds show no antecedent and topic continuity. When antecedents are present, they are fairly common in
percentage terms in Ælfric’s Catholic Homilies I. They are non-nominative and linked with object
demonstratives occurring high. By contrast, personal pronouns show a more general tendency to persist as topics both in
Ælfric’s Catholic Homilies I and in Cura Pastoralis. Moreover, their function does not
seem to be directly linked with low position.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Methodological points
- 3.Diachronic analysis
- 3.1Previous studies
- 3.2Data and discussion
- 4.Conclusions and caveats
- Author queries
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Acknowledgments
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Notes
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Abbreviations
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References
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