Focus (linguistics)
In linguistics , the focus is that linguistic unit that is asserted in a declarative utterance or queried in an interrogative utterance. The focus represents one of the two primary states that are possible in the information structure of linguistic utterances. The counterpart to this is the topic . Both are objects of investigation in discourse pragmatics .
The concept of focus overlaps with the concept of rhema, which was coined by the Prague school as part of the topic-rhema structure .
Focus types
In principle, the following focus types can be distinguished:
- Constituent focus: The stress marks a certain part of the sentence as constitutive for the message content of the statement alternative (stress = “emphatic sentence accent” on the relevant constituent).
- Question: "Is it true that your motorcycle broke down?"
- Alternative answer A: "No, my car broke down."
- Alternative answer B: "No, Monika's motorcycle broke."
- Alternative answer C: "No, Peter's car broke down."
- Predicate focus: The emphasis marks the predicate as an essential communication of a statement (emphasis = “emphatic sentence accent” on the predicate).
- Question: "What happened to your car?"
- Answer: "My car broke down ."
- Sentence focus: The entire sentence content is marked as a new message by emphasizing (emphasis = “neutral sentence accent” on the constituent immediately before the predicate).
- Question: "What happened?"
- Answer: "My car broke down."
- Verum focus: emphatic emphasis on the finite verb marks a contrast between the possibilities of whether a given sentence content is asserted or disputed.
- Context: "I wish you were on my team."
- Answer: "But I 'm on your team!"
Linguistic coding procedures
In the languages of the world there are various - often alternatively applicable - methods for coding the individual focus functions, e.g. B. for the constituent focus (all example sentences answer the question: What happened? / What broke?):
- Prosody - intonation or accentuation :
- " My car broke down."
- Morphology - focus markers , e.g. B. the postposition ga in Japanese :
- " Kuruma ga koshō shita." "(The) car broke down / has a defect (now)."
- Syntax :
- " My car broke down ." ( Word sequence )
- "It's my car that broke down." ( Split sentence )
literature
- Daniel Büring: Intonation and information structure. In: Hardarik Blühdorn, Eva Breindl & Ulrich H. Waßner (Ed.): Text - Understanding. Grammar and beyond (= Institute for German Language. Yearbook 2005). de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2006, ISBN 978-3-11-018871-4
- Simon C. Dik : The theory of Functional Grammar. Part 1: The structure of the clause. 2nd edition Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1997, ISBN 3-11-015539-7 , pp. 309–338.
- Jeanette K. Gundel & Thorstein Fretheim: Topic and Focus. In: Laurence R. Horn & Gregory Ward (Eds.): The Handbook of Pragmatics. Blackwell, Malden (MA) / Oxford 2006, ISBN 063122548X , Chapter 8, pp. 175-196
- Robert D. Van Valin, Jr .: A synopsis of Role and Reference Grammar. In: Robert D. Van Valin, Jr .: Advances in Role and Reference Grammar. Benjamin, Amsterdam / Philadelphia 1993, pp. 23-33 (especially on this topic).
Web links
Footnotes
- ↑ Example from Büring 2006