Chapter 11
Information Structuring and Speech Acts
Exercise 11.2Information Structuring in Sentences
For each of the following sets of sentences, (a) give the unmarked (more “normal” or frequent) synonymous sentence; (b) name the syntactic structures or transformations that have produced the marked sentences; and (c) discuss the differences in information structuring among the forms.
| Example : | Suicide bombers are easy to spot. | |
| It is easy to spot suicide bombers. | ||
| Answer : | (a) | To spot suicide bombers is easy. |
| (b) | tough -movement | |
| it extraposition | ||
| (c) | tough movement: suicide bombers is given and topic | |
| it extraposition: to spot suicide bombers is end-focused | ||
| unmarked: to spot suicide bombers is topic; easy is new and comment | ||
I had my car stolen yesterday.
My car was stolen yesterday.
He resigned today, the president.
The president, he resigned today.
Today the president resigned.
It is Harold who is upsetting our plans.
What Harold is doing is upsetting our plans.
Harold is the one who is upsetting our plans.
A rumor is circulating that class is canceled next week.
There is a rumor circulating that class is canceled next week.
A good man is hard to find.
It is hard to find a good man.
What's hard to find is a good man.
The tree died of Dutch elm disease.
Dutch elm disease killed the tree.
The tree was killed by Dutch elm disease.
Your cat is certain to return home sooner or later.
It is certain that your cat will return home sooner or later.
Sooner or later your cat is certain to return home.
I was bored by his incessant talking.
It was his incessant talking that bored me.
I find it very tedious visiting relatives.
Visiting relatives I find very tedious.
I bought from my friend a tent, two sleeping bags, and a camp stove.
My friend sold me a tent, two sleeping bags, and a camp stove.
Someone stole my car yesterday.
passive of experience
agentless passive
passive of experience: I is topic
agentless passive: my car is topic; agent is unknown
unmarked: someone is topic
The president resigned today.
right-dislocation
left-dislocation
adverb fronting
right-dislocation: president is end-focused
left-dislocation: president is topic
adverb fronting: today is topic
unmarked: the president is topic
Harold is upsetting our plans.
cleft sentence
pseudo-cleft sentence
one cleft
cleft sentence: Harold is new, possibly contrastive; upsetting our plans is given
pseudo-cleft sentence: what Harold is doing is given; upsetting our plans is new
one cleft: Harold is new and topic; upsetting our plans is comment
unmarked: Harold is old and topic; upsetting our plans is new and comment
A rumor that class is canceled next week is circulating.
extraposition from NP
there insertion
extraposition from NP: that class is canceled is end-focused
there insertion: the entire proposition is end-focused and new
unmarked: a rumor that class is canceled is topic and possibly given; is circulating is comment
To find a good man is hard.
tough movement
it extraposition
pseudo-cleft sentence
tough movement: a good man is topic and given
it extraposition: to find a good man is focused; hard is new
pseudo-cleft sentence: what's hard to find is given and topic; a good man is new and comment, also end-focused
unmarked: to find a good man is topic and given; is hard is comment and new
One of the first two sentences given is unmarked, though it is difficult to say which, perhaps the second.
The first two sentences differ is subject selection.
agented passive
first sentence: the tree is topic and given; died from Dutch elm disease is new and comment
second sentence: Dutch elm disease is topic and given; killed the tree is new and comment
agented passive: the tree is topic and given; was killed by Dutch elm disease is new and comment (this sentence differs from the first in that “Dutch elm disease” is presented as an agent here)
That your cat will return home sooner or later is certain.
subject-to-subject raising
it extraposition
adverb fronting (and subject-to-subject raising)
subject-to-subject raising: your cat is topic and given; is certain to return home sooner or later is comment and new
it extraposition: certain is new; that clause is end-focused
adverb fronting (and subject-to-subject raising): sooner or later is topic and new; the remainder of the sentence is comment and given
unmarked: that clause is topic and given; certain is new and comment
His incessant talking bored me.
be + past participle
cleft sentence
be + past participle: I is topic and given; was bored by his incessant talking is comment and new
cleft sentence: his incessant talking is new and possibly contrastive; that bored me is old and topic
unmarked: his incessant talking is topic and given; bored me is comment and new
I find visiting relatives very tedious.
it extraposition (from object)
fronting
it extraposition (from object): I is topic and given; the remainder of the sentence is comment and new; visiting relatives is end-focused
fronting: visiting relatives is topic and given; I find very tedious is comment and new
unmarked: I is topic and given; find visiting relatives very tedious is comment and new
I bought a tent, two sleeping bags, and a camp stove from my friend. (Either this sentence or the second sentence is unmarked.)
heavy NP shift
subject selection
heavy NP shift: I is topic and given; a tent, two sleeping bags, and a camp stove is end-focused
subject selection: my friend is topic and given
unmarked: I is topic and given