Abstract
In this paper we analyze NPs in Topic which can be either the subject of the verb in Comment, or autonomous items usually called anacolutha. It explores how these different NPs are mapped according to spontaneous speech data. Departing from Langacker's proposal (2001), in which the Topic and the subject act as trajectors of different scopes, it is argued that such a concept is adequate to the empirical data, since it allows the possibility of co-occurrence and intertwining of both categories in speech. In addition, we also investigated the difference in the cognitive processing of subject and anacoluthon NPs in Topic building upon the concepts of baseline and elaboration (LANGACKER, 2016). As the concepts of subject and Topic in the approach of Cognitive Grammar derive, in part, from the Gestalt psychology notions of Figure and Ground, the anacoluthon in Topic can be referred to as the Figure and the illocutionary force of the Comment would be the Ground. The only difference in relation to the visual elements is that, since they displaces through the space axis, the Figure and the Ground can be inverted depending on where the focus of attention is turned. However, as the speech is unfolded along the time axis, reversion is not possible, in such a way that an Anacoluthon in Topic will always be the Figure and the Comment will always be the Ground.
Highlights
This paper is part of a larger research project in speech syntax
In this paper we focus on the NPs in Topic which can concomitantly be subjects of the following verb in the informational unit and the ones that can be standalone items, that is, what is usually termed as anacolutha (LI; THOMPSON, 1976)
Building upon Langacker (2001) and Kumashiro & Langacker (2003) proposals, in which the Topic and the subject act as trajectors of distinct scopes, we argue that such a concept is suitable to empirical data, since it brings about the possibility of the co-occurrence and the intertwinement of both categories in speech
Summary
This paper is part of a larger research project in speech syntax (cf. SILVA, 2012; 2020a, 2020b; MELLO; SILVA, 2015; SILVA; MELLO, 2016a, 2016b; 2017). It is important to mention that the spontaneous speech is parsed in tonal units determined by specific prosodic patterns (cf t’ HART et al 1990). Such units of the prosodic level correspond to informational units in the pragmatic one. Besides that, based on the concepts of baseline and elaboration (LANGACKER, 2016), we will show the difference in cognitive processing of subject and anacoluthon NPs when they figure in the information unit of Topic. This paper is set up as follows; firstly, which we approach the notions of subject and anacoluthon NPs in Topic according to Cognitive Grammar is divided in two subsections; after that, we briefly discuss some relevant notions from Cognitive Grammar framework. In the subsection we leave you with our final remarks
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