Unique Focus
Languages without multiple wh-questions
Author
This monograph focuses on an interesting typological property shared by four languages: the ungrammaticality of multiple wh-questions in Irish, Berber, Italian and Somali. It contains a broad discussion of data related to the grammar of wh-questions, a comparative analysis of wh-constructions in the four languages, and a theoretical account for the observed phenomenon. The analysis is based on the minimalist syntax theory as developed by Chomsky since 1995. It takes up the standard assumption that wh-phrases are typical representatives of elements bearing new information, in theoretical terms referred to as information focus. Most importantly, in the languages without multiple wh-questions the information focus is licensed in a unique syntactic position. The basic claim is that languages with unique focus are languages without multiple wh-questions. The analysis makes possible the classification of the languages without multiple wh-questions into the crosslinguistic typology of wh-constructions. Furthermore, this book is a contribution to the better understanding of information structure in natural languages, especially of focusing phenomena.
[Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today, 123] 2008. xi, 184 pp.
Publishing status: Available
© John Benjamins Publishing Company
Table of Contents
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Acknowledgements | p. ix
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Abbreviations | p. xi
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Chapter 1. Introduction | pp. 1–13
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Chapter 2. Previous analyses of the ungrammaticality of multiple wh-questions | pp. 15–32
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Chapter 3. The overview: What is possible in which language? | pp. 33–139
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Chapter 4. Analysis | pp. 141–161
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Chapter 5. Conclusion | pp. 163–168
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Index | pp. 179–184
Cited by (12)
Cited by 12 other publications
Brown, Colin
Sato, Yosuke
Menore, Dereje Adane & Shimelis Mazengia Beyene
Neagu, Anda
Arkadiev, Peter M.
McDaniel, Dana
Dayal, Veneeta
Gračanin‐Yuksek, Martina
You, Eunjung
Johnson, Meredith & Monica Macaulay
de Kind, Jasper & Koen Bostoen
[no author supplied]
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Subjects
Main BIC Subject
CFK: Grammar, syntax
Main BISAC Subject
LAN009000: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / General