Studies on Focus Constructions in Discourse: Relevance-theoretic, Cognitive, and Functional Approach

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25370546
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: English linguistics
• Research Institution: Joetsu University of Education
• Principal Investigator: Masahiro Kato 上越教育大学, 学校教育研究科(研究院), 教授 (00136623)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 焦点化構文 / 談話 / 取り消し可能性 / 関連性理論 / 袋小路文 / 話題指示 / 保留指示 / 機能文法

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this research, I have aimed to elucidate functional and pragmatic principles governing focus constructions in discourse in the framework of Relevance Theory, Cognitive Grammar, and Functional Grammar. Specific results of the researches are as follows:
1. After discussing inadequacies of previous literature on English cleft constructions, I have demonstrated that some of syntactic phenomena are basically controlled by nonsyntactic factors. In fact, I have exemplified that some examples of relativization and extraposition from subject are crucially governed by such a pragmatic factor as cancellability. 2. I have illustrated that those interpretations coded in syntax and semantically stipulated cannot be cancelled and thus categorized in grammar, and that those interpretaions derived by pragmatic inferences can be cancelled, and thus categorized in pragmatics. 3. I have constructed a database of cleft constructions, relativization, extraposition from subject, and topic reference.

Free Research Field

英語学