Open AccessCapturing word order asymmetries in English Left-Peripheral Constructions: A Domain-Based Approach
Author(s) -
Chan Chung,
JongBok Kim
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
proceedings of the international conference on head-driven phrase structure grammar
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1535-1793
DOI - 10.21248/hpsg.2003.4
Subject(s) - complementizer , word order , phrase , computer science , focus (optics) , domain (mathematical analysis) , linguistics , word (group theory) , element (criminal law) , order (exchange) , natural language processing , artificial intelligence , mathematics , syntax , physics , philosophy , political science , mathematical analysis , finance , law , optics , economics
Left-Peripheral Constructions: A Domain-Based ApproachEven though the word order in English is rather straightforward,the distributional possibilities of left-peripheral elements liketopic phrases, wh-phrases, and negative operators(introducing an SAI) are quite intriguing and complex. Inparticular, there seems to exist no straightforward way ofcapturing the linear order asymmetries of these elements in themain and embedded clauses. The prevailing analyses have resortedto movement processes with multiple functional projections. Thegoal of this paper is to explore an alternative analysis to suchmovement-based analyses. In particular, this paper adopts thenotion of topological fields (DOMAIN) proposed by Kathol (2000,2001) within the framework of HPSG. The paper shows that withinthis DOMAIN system, the distributional possibilities as well asthe asymmetries we find in English left peripheral constructionscan easily follow from the two traditional views: (i) a topicprecedes a focus element, and (ii) in English a wh-phraseand a complementizer competes with each other for the sameposition.