Diagnosing focus
Accepted version
Peer-reviewed
Repository URI
Repository DOI
Change log
Authors
van der Wal, Jenneke
Abstract
jats:pMany tests have been used in eliciting focus constructions and determining what type of focus a certain linguistic strategy expresses. This paper provides an overview of the various diagnostics for focus, indicating how they show the size of the focused constituent and what semantic-pragmatic type of focus is expressed. These types range from simple pragmatic focus to semantically more complex focus, signalling exclusivity or exhaustivity either as an inherent semantic part of the focus, or merely an implicature. The discussion of these diagnostics brings to light how some diagnostics are flawed, and whether the linguistic strategy tested is actually a dedicated strategy for focus at all.</jats:p>
Description
Keywords
focus, exhaustivity, elicitation, semantics/pragmatics interface
Journal Title
Studies in Language
Conference Name
Journal ISSN
0378-4177
1569-9978
1569-9978
Volume Title
40
Publisher
John Benjamins Publishing Company
Publisher DOI
Sponsorship
European Research Council (269752)
This paper is part of the research project ‘Rethinking Comparative Syntax’, funded by the European Research Council Advanced Grant No. 269752.