Kamel, Salwa.A. (1982) Topicalisation of the noun phrase in colloquial Cairene Arabic. PhD thesis, University of Leeds.
Abstract
This study aims at characterising a phenomenon
which is here called the "topicalisation" of the Noun
Phrase in Colloquial Cairene Arabic (CCA). The Approach
is outlined by the Extended Standard Theory TG model,
but relevant Functionalist views have been considered to
account for Topic-comment alignment in the dialect.
Part I, therefore, lays the necessary background for such
a discussion in connection with traditional Arabic grammars,
and grammars of the Standard variety and CCA. Then follows
an exposition of Topic-comment discussions in universal
theory, presented under the labels of the various schools
of linguistics: this is seen to place the issue in a wider
perspective and provide a basis for the definition of
terms to be adopted in the present study in Chapter 3.
Part II is devoted to the relevant movement rules
that apply to the NP, with particular reference to initial
position in the sentence. Surface Structure word order is
seen as a Topic-comment alignment. A number of rules are
suggested to cover this area of CCA syntax, based on an
argument that a Verb-initial Basic Structure is required
to account for the facts of topicalisation. Essentially,
this study views Surface Structure as effected by a number
of intrinsically ordered reordering rules which apply to
shift NP's to the left and to the right of the Predicating
element. The unbounded Raising rules apply to NPIs, the bounded rule applies to Adverbials, and backing rules such
as Extraposition and Right Dislocation apply to Complement
Sentences and raised NP's respectively to yield Sentence-initial Predicates. Obligatory/optional rules apply
systematically to two different types of clause constituents
which are S and SI. Relativisation and Clefting are also
treated as rules relevant to Topic-comment Structure.
Movement rules trigger focus assignment, resulting
in a correlation between the choice of Topic for the
sentence and the distribution of focal emphasis. The
difference in source structures for Surface Structures of
different Topic-focus alignment is discussed. And to
account for the fact that in CCA adjacency principles are
never violated, a tightly operated system of pronominalisation is described. It allows elements to be shifted out of their DS positions only when this position can be traced by a "resumptive" pronoun which replaces the transported element and copies its features. DS is, therefore, always recoverable at SS level.
Metadata
Supervisors: | Barber, D. |
---|---|
Awarding institution: | University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Languages Cultures and Societies (Leeds) > Linguistics & Phonetics (Leeds) |
Identification Number/EthosID: | uk.bl.ethos.259104 |
Depositing User: | Ethos Import |
Date Deposited: | 06 Oct 2010 10:29 |
Last Modified: | 07 Mar 2014 10:20 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:etheses.whiterose.ac.uk:1052 |
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