Book Description
This
introduction to the role of information structure in grammar discusses
a wide range of phenomena on the syntax-information structure
interface. It examines theories of information structure and considers
their effectiveness in explaining whether and how information structure
maps onto syntax in discourse. Professor Erteschik-Shir begins by
discussing the basic notions and properties of information structure,
such as topic and focus, and considers their properties from different
theoretical perspectives. She covers definitions of topic and focus,
architectures of grammar, information structure, word order, the
interface between lexicon and information structure, and cognitive
aspects of information structure. In her balanced and readable account,
the author critically compares the effectiveness of different
theoretical approaches and assesses the value of insights drawn from
work in processing and on language acquisition, variation, and
universals. This book will appeal to graduate students of syntax and
semantics in departments of linguistics, philosophy, and cognitive
science.
About the Author
Nomi Erteschik-Shir is
Associate Professor of Linguistics in the Department of Foreign
Literatures and Linguistics at Ben-Gurion University, Israel. Her
publications include The Dynamics of Focus Structure (1997) and The
Syntax of Aspect (2005) co-edited with Tova Rapoport. She is currently
working on a book with Tova Rapoport on the lexicon-syntax interface,
The Atoms of Meaning.
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