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<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>Dear Leon,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>You may find some examples in Hungarian. The 'topic' (as you describe), may take the infinitive marker or the dative marker, as in</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>(1) Mulat-ni Péter mulatott.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2> enjoy-INF Peter enjoyed</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2> 'Enjoy himself, Peter did.'</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>(2) Vers-nek vers-et írt.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2> poem-DAT poem-ACC wrote</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2> 'A poem, he wrote one.'</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>Reference:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>Casper de Groot (1981) </FONT><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; LETTER-SPACING: -0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT size=2><FONT face=Arial>‘On Theme in Functional Grammar; an application to some constructions in spoken Hungarian’. In: T. Hoekstra et al. eds. <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Perspectives on Functional Grammar</I>, 75‑88. <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Dordrecht</st1:place></st1:City>: Foris.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>A general reference</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>Simon C. Dik (1997) <EM>The Theory of Functional Grammar. Part 2: Complex and Derived Constructions.</EM> 379-407, Chapter 17, 'Extra-clausal constituents' Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. </FONT></DIV>
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<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>Best wishes, Casper<BR></FONT></DIV>
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<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>Van:</B> Discussion List for ALT namens Maria Koptjevskaja Tamm<BR><B>Verzonden:</B> zo 14-10-2007 10:07<BR><B>Aan:</B> LINGTYP@LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG<BR><B>Onderwerp:</B> Cross-linguistic encoding of sentence topics<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
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<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px">Dear colleagues, </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px">I am forwarding a message from Leon Stassen who has had difficulties with posting it on the Lingtyp.</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px">Best,</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px">Maria Koptjevskaja Tamm</DIV>
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<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px">--------------</DIV>
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<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px">Dear colleagues,</DIV>
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<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px">I wonder if I can ask you for some help? It so happens that I am interested in (the cross-linguistic encoding of) sentence topics, that is, the things that are before the comma in English sentences like</DIV>
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<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px">(1) My first girlfriend, her father never liked me</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px">(2) Amsterdam, I really don't see why people would want to go there</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px">(3) Marco van Basten, I don't think I've ever seen such an idiot</DIV>
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<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px">I would be grateful for any data from any language on such constructions, if they have them. More specifically, I am looking for arguments that indicate that such sentence topics have clausal status. Prosodic data (such as the fact that there is a definite pause between them and the rest of the sentence) seem to suggest that they have, but I am very curious to hear if there are morphosyntactic arguments as well. Are there languages in which such elements are really (parts of) a clause? Are there diachronic data that suggest that sentential topic markers are in fact clausal items (conjunctions, remnants of existential verbs, or whatever)? Moreover, I would be very happy to get pointers as to relevant literature on these things. I have tried hard to do my homework first before asking this, but as far as I can see now, the structural relation between sentence topics and the rest of the sentence (the sentence nucleus) does not seem to be a problem that is widely discussed.</DIV>
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<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px">In order not to flood this forum, can I ask you to send your replies directly to me, at <A href="mailto:l.stassen@let.ru.nl">l.stassen@let.ru.nl</A> ?</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px">I will (try to) post a summary, if the received information warrants it.</DIV>
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<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px">I thank you in advance,</DIV>
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<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px">All the best,</DIV>
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<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px">Leon Stassen.</DIV><BR>
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