Linguistic Representation And Cognitive Motivation Of Left Peripheral Focus Constructions

A linguistic information structure conventionally comprises two parts,i.e.,background information and focus information,which are distributed in accordance with certain principles.The most frequently applied principle is known as the end-focus principle,following which the information structure is linearly distributed as“background information(Bgd)+focus information(Foc P)”.However,the end-focus principle fails to explain the initial focus distribution in such left peripheral focus constructions as left dislocation constructions,reversed pseudo-cleft constructions and WH-question constructions.Is the sentence-initial focus distribution a mere grammatical incident or a cross-linguistically universal phenomenon?In addition,is it arbitrary,conventional,or motivated?Gundel's(1988)cross-linguistic research finds that there is a kind of focus initially distributed in every language,just as is focus usually placed at the end of a sentence.More and more evidence has witnessed that the principle of initial focus is one of the important modes of information distribution,which reveals how we construe the world around us.If we group these non-canonical word order constructions into a surface based generalization,what would be their cognitive motivations?Based on the above-mentioned inquiries,the present research is to explore the syntactic and function features of the prototypical members(left dislocation Constructions,reversed pseudo-cleft Constructions,and WH-question Constructions)of the left peripheral focus constructions and their cognitive motivations with the theorectical foundations of construal,the theory of usage-based Constructions and the initial-focus principle,together with Primacy Effect.This research will focus on the following three questions:(1)What syntactic features do left peripheral focus constructions have?(2)What semantic features do left peripheral focus constructions have?(3)How are the forms and meanings(functions)of left peripheral focus constructions motivated?The major findings of the research are as follows:First,the left peripheral focus Constructions can schematized as“Foc P+Bgd”.In terms of form,the studied three prototypical members of the left peripheral focus constructions share three common features:(1)Their focus is located at the beginning of the sentence;(2)they are marked by word order,and they can be double marked by“shi”in Chinese;and(3)the focus are initially stressed and with falling tone.However,these three have their unique characteristics:(1)Left dislocation Constructions can be formalized as“NP₁+NP₂+VP+NP₃”,in which NP₁=the proposed element,distributed in the sententence initial position;NP₃takes up the canonical position of NP₁,co-referencing to NP₁;and(2)reversed pseudo-cleft Constructions can be formalized as“XP+be+S”,and can be,based on the features of XP and S,subcategorized into two types,specificational and predicate reversed pseudo-cleft constructions;and(3)WH-question Constructions is a relatively simple structure,with a form of“WH+Yes-no question”.Second,semantically,all the foci in the left peripheral focus Constructions fall into constrastive foci with constrastive stress and emphatic function.In“NP₁+NP₂+VP+NP₃”,NP₁is the focus of the information Constructions with emphatic constrastive stress,and features[+undeletability],[+prominence],[+constrast],[+exhaustivity]and[±exclusiveness].In specificational reversed pseudo-cleft Constructions,XP is the foci with constrastive stress and emphatic function,and features[+undeletability],[+prominence]and[+constrast].In WH-question Constructions,WH element itself is the focus,featuring[+undeletability],[+prominence]and[+constrast].Third,there are two types of cognitive motivation for left peripheral focus Constructions.The first is“Primacy Effect”,which is the primary source of the sentence-initial focus principle,i.e.,“First Things First Principle”.The second is prominence of construal that is another major motivating source.We firstly revisited and recategorized left peripheral focus Constructions according to their category attributes,then explored the formal and functional features of the three typical members,and finally revealed the cognitive motivations.On the one hand,this research can expand the theoretical perspectives of the marked focus structure research,and on the other hand,it would enrich the theories and methods of information structure research.In addition,the results of this research can also provide important references for language teaching,language acquisition and language clinical training and correction.