The Theme–Topic Interface

Evidence from English

María de los Ángeles Gómez González | University of Santiago de Compostella

Hardbound – Available

ISBN 9789027250865 (Eur) | EUR 130.00

ISBN 9781556199493 (USA) | USD 195.00

e-Book –

ISBN 9789027299000 | EUR 130.00 | USD 195.00

The Theme-Topic Interface (TTI) gives a useful catalogue of approaches to the concept Theme in the analysis of Natural Language. The book is written with both theoretical and descriptive goals and aims to synthesize and
revise current approaches to pragmatic functions. In addition, TTI explains that different thematic constructions in natural language reveal different discourse strategies related to point of view and speaker subjectivity, which shows the mutually supportive role of form and discourse function vis-á-vis each other. The book’s value is enhanced by the use of natural language corpora, the Lancaster IBM Spoken English Corpus (LIBMSEC), and by running multivariate statistical tests, taking into account both segmental and suprasegmental features. The bibliography lists more than 600 publications providing ample material for further research into an integrated theory of language and its use. The indexes provide easy access to most authors mentioned and to the major concepts covered.

[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 71] 2001. xxiv, 438 pp.

Publishing status: Available

https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.71

Table of Contents

List of Tables | p. xiii

List of Figures | p. xv

Abbreviations and Conventions | p. xvii

Acknowledgements | p. xxi

Foreword | p. xxiii

Part I. The Theme — Topic Interface

1. Introduction | p. 3

2. An Evaluation of Three Interpretations of Communicative Categories | p. 15

Part II. Previous Studies: A Sympathetic Critique

3. The Prague School | p. 61

4. Systemic Functional Grammar | p. 89

5. Functional Grammar | p. 139

Part III. A Corpus-Based Analysis of Syntactic Theme in PresE

6. Theory and Methods | p. 173

7. Results and Discussion | p. 211

8. Summary, Conclusions and Further Research | p. 347

Appendix | p. 359

Notes | p. 363

Name Index | p. 425

Subject Index | p. 429

Cited by (36)

Cited by 36 other publications

Order by:

Klumm, Matthias

2024. Peripheries and their internal structure: an empirical analysis of left- and right-peripheral sequences across written English discourse. Linguistics

Hasselgård, Hilde

2023. Chapter 2. Impersonal passives in English and Norwegian. In Reconnecting Form and Meaning [Studies in Language Companion Series, 230], ► pp. 45 ff.

Wang, Zhong, Weiwei Fan & Alex Chengyu Fang

2022. Lexical Input in the Grammatical Expression of Stance: A Collexeme Analysis of the INTRODUCTORY IT PATTERN. Frontiers in Psychology 12

Ruiz, Ramón González & Dámaso Izquierdo Alegría

2020. Encapsulación y estructura informativa: análisis cuantitativo y cualitativo de las variables influyentes en la selección de patrones temático-remáticos en el editorial periodístico. Zeitschrift für romanische Philologie 136:3 ► pp. 749 ff.

Sun, Kun

2019. Teaching English-Chinese textual translation strategies. Babel. Revue internationale de la traduction / International Journal of Translation 65:2 ► pp. 286 ff.

Wiliński, Jarosław

2018. Adjectives in extraposed constructions with that-clauses: a quantitative corpus-driven analysis. Brno studies in English :1 ► pp. [83] ff.

Davies, Eirian C.

2017. The significance of theme. English Text Construction 10:2 ► pp. 298 ff.

Fernandez-Vest, M.M.Jocelyne & Helle Metslang

2017. Perspectives on questions, answers, and information structuring: An introduction. STUF - Language Typology and Universals 70:3 ► pp. 385 ff.

O’Grady, Gerard

2017. Theme and prosody. English Text Construction 10:2 ► pp. 274 ff.

Zhang, Daqun

2017. Towards multiple hyperTheme: Theme beyond the clause. Text & Talk 37:6 ► pp. 663 ff.

Yao, Xinyue

2016. Cleft constructions in Hong Kong English. English World-Wide. A Journal of Varieties of English 37:2 ► pp. 197 ff.

Tizón-Couto, David

2015. A corpus-based account of left-detached items in the recent history of English. English Text Construction 8:1 ► pp. 21 ff.

Tizón-Couto, David

2016. Left-dislocated strings in Modern English epistolary prose. In Outside the Clause [Studies in Language Companion Series, 178], ► pp. 203 ff.

Forcadell, Montserrat & Jaume Llopis

2014. Structural change in Catalan discourse. Studies in Language 38:2 ► pp. 237 ff.

Gómez González, María de los Ángeles & Ana Patricia García Varela

2014. Discourse-organizational patterns in English and Spanish. Revista Española de Lingüística Aplicada/Spanish Journal of Applied Linguistics 27:1 ► pp. 87 ff.

Gómez González, María de los Ángeles, Francisco José Ruiz de Mendoza Ibáñez, Francisco Gonzálvez-García & Angela Downing

2014. Introduction. Plotting functional-cognitive space. In Theory and Practice in Functional-Cognitive Space [Studies in Functional and Structural Linguistics, 68], ► pp. 1 ff.

Kaltenböck, Gunther

2014. Processibility. In Corpus Pragmatics, ► pp. 117 ff.

Ruiz de Mendoza Ibáñez, Francisco José & María de los Ángeles Gómez González

2014. Constructing discourse and discourse constructions. In Theory and Practice in Functional-Cognitive Space [Studies in Functional and Structural Linguistics, 68], ► pp. 295 ff.

Speyer, Augustin & Anita Fetzer

2014. The coding of discourse relations in English and German argumentative discourse. In The Pragmatics of Discourse Coherence [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 254], ► pp. 87 ff.

Speyer, Augustin & Anita Fetzer

2018. “Well would you believe it, I have failed the exam again”. Pragmatics and Society 9:1 ► pp. 26 ff.

Fu, Xiaoli

2012. The use of interactional metadiscourse in job postings. Discourse Studies 14:4 ► pp. 399 ff.

Hannay, Mike & María De los Ángeles Gómez-González

2012. Thematic Parentheticals in Dutch and English. Linguistics and the Human Sciences 6:1-3 ► pp. 99 ff.

Cornillie, Bert & Marlén Izquierdo

2011. Review of Gómez González, Mackenzie & González Álvarez (2008): Languages and cultures in contrast and comparison. Functions of Language 18:2 ► pp. 249 ff.

Butler, Christopher S.

2005. Focusing on focus: A comparison of Functional Grammar, Role and Reference Grammar and Systemic Functional Grammar. Language Sciences 27:6 ► pp. 585 ff.

Gómez González, María de los Ángeles

2005. Review of Downing (2003): Tematización en el español hablado. Spanish in Context 2:2 ► pp. 260 ff.

Gómez González, María de los Ángeles

2009. Review of Erteschik-Shir (2007): Information structure: The syntax-discourse interface. Functions of Language 16:1 ► pp. 123 ff.

Gómez González, María de los Ángeles

2010. Evaluating lexical cohesion in telephone conversations. Discourse Studies 12:5 ► pp. 599 ff.

Herriman, Jennifer

2005. Negotiating a position within heteroglossic diversity:wh-clefts andit-clefts in written discourse. <i>WORD</i> 56:2 ► pp. 223 ff.

Herriman, Jennifer

2024. The thematic organization of consumer safety instructions in English. English Text Construction 17:1 ► pp. 1 ff.

Combettes, Bernard

2003. Le topique comme constituant périphérique : aspects diachroniques. Travaux de linguistique 47:2 ► pp. 137 ff.

Combettes, Bernard & Sophie Prevost

2001. Évolution des marqueurs de topicalisation. Cahiers de praxématique :37 ► pp. 103 ff.

Rose, David

2001. Review article:Some variations in Theme across languages. Functions of Language 8:1 ► pp. 109 ff.

[no author supplied]

2014. Exploring Functional-Cognitive Space [Studies in Language Companion Series, 157],

[no author supplied]

2016. Discourse Topics [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 269],

[no author supplied]

2021. Conjunctive Markers of Contrast in English and French [Studies in Corpus Linguistics, 99],

[no author supplied]

2023. Theme in English and German [Studies in Corpus Linguistics, 112],

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 27 october 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Subjects