Formal properties of event-reporting sentences in Old High German and Old French

Abstract

This article investigates the interplay between syntax and information structure by comparing the discourse conditions under which a special class of root clauses in two Old High German (OHG) and Old French (OF) texts occur. The focus is on sentences with post-verbal subjects and either the inflected verb or an adverbial phrase in sentence initial position. The empirical investigation shows that this pattern is preferred over the canonical SV orders in contexts which disfavour a topic–comment division in the clause.