Information structure of argument order alternations
This thesis is concerned with NP/DP argument reordering and the question of what licenses it formally and interpretatively. Its primary focus is on the syntax of Russian. It is argued that two types of reordering exist, with each type linked to a distinct interpretative effect and involving a distinct syntactic process. More specifically, neutral reordering is licensed by the encoding of relative interpretative argument prominence, which requires linear precedence of an interpretatively prominent argument with respect to a non-prominent argument. The relative interpretative prominence of arguments is argued to be established on the basis of a variety of cognitive interpretations, with languages varying as to how many of these interpretations are required to license neutral reordering of arguments. In Russian, this type of reordering is claimed to exhibit properties of A-scrambling and to favour an analysis that refers to a variation in the base-component. It is argued that the availability of neutral reordering of arguments cross-linguistically is reliant on the type of prominence, thematic or information-structural, that a language encodes via syntactic structure. When thematic and information-structural
Titov, E.
Information structure of argument order alternations. This thesis is concerned with NP/DP argument reordering and the question of what licenses it formally and interpretatively. Its primary focus is on the syntax of Russian. It is argued that two types of reordering exist, with each type linked to a distinct interpretative effect and involving a distinct syntactic process. More specifically, neutral reordering is licensed by the encoding of relative interpretative argument prominence, which requires linear precedence of an interpretatively prominent argument with respect to a non-prominent argument. The relative interpretative prominence of arguments is argued to be established on the basis of a variety of cognitive interpretations, with languages varying as to how many of these interpretations are required to license neutral reordering of arguments. In Russian, this type of reordering is claimed to exhibit properties of A-scrambling and to favour an analysis that refers to a variation in the base-component. It is argued that the availability of neutral reordering of arguments cross-linguistically is reliant on the type of prominence, thematic or information-structural, that a language encodes via syntactic structure. When thematic and information-structural
information_structure argument order alternation concerned argument reorder question license formally primary_focus syntax russian argue two_type reorder exist type link distinct interpretative effect involve distinct syntactic process specifically neutral reordering license encode relative interpretative argument prominence require linear precedence prominent argument respect non prominent argument relative interpretative prominence argument argue establish_basis variety cognitive interpretation language vary many interpretation require license neutral reorder argument russian type reordering claim exhibit property favour analysis refers variation base component argued availability neutral reorder argument cross_linguistically reliant type prominence thematic information structural language via syntactic_structure thematic information structural