15.2981, Diss: Semantics/Pragmatics: Pavey: 'The...'

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LINGUIST List: Vol-15-2981. Wed Oct 20 2004. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 15.2981, Diss: Semantics/Pragmatics: Pavey: 'The...'

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1)
Date: 20-Oct-2004
From: Emma Pavey < elpavey2 at hotmail.com >
Subject: The English It-cleft Construction: a Role and Reference Grammar Analysis


	
-------------------------Message 1 ----------------------------------
Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 16:02:07
From: Emma Pavey < elpavey2 at hotmail.com >
Subject: The English It-cleft Construction: a Role and Reference Grammar Analysis  	

Institution: University of Sussex
Program: Department of English Language and Linguistics
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2004

Author: Emma Pavey

Dissertation Title: The English It-cleft Construction: a Role and Reference
Grammar Analysis

Linguistic Field(s): Pragmatics; Semantics; Syntax

Subject Language(s):
English (Code: ENG)

Dissertation Director(s):
Melanie Green

Dissertation Abstract:

This dissertation gives a detailed examination of the it-cleft construction
in English and proposes an analysis within a Role and Reference Grammar
framework that links the syntactic, semantic and pragmatic characteristics
of the construction. I argue that the specificational it-cleft
construction, a bi-clausal syntactic structure with a largely unambiguous
focus structure, can only be understood through examining the interaction
of syntax, semantics and information structure that it entails. The
non-derivational, integrated approach offered through Role and Reference
Grammar provides a way of explaining and describing familial similarities
between it-cleft constructions and other constructions without complex
derivational processes. The analysis therefore enables a close and
revealing comparison between the it-cleft and other cleft constructions
(such as there-clefts and pseudoclefts), other copular sentences, and
relative clause constructions.

The first four chapters of the dissertation constitute the foundational
basis for the analytical chapters that follow. Chapter 2 provides a
detailed description of key features of the it-cleft construction as a type
of cleft construction and as a type of specificational copular
construction. Chapter 3 critically examines current literature and previous
studies concerning the it-cleft construction from a variety of theoretical
perspectives and highlights key issues that arise. Chapter 4 gives an
overview of all aspects of Role and Reference Grammar theory. Chapter 5
discusses the nature and function of the constituents of the it-cleft
construction and the interaction between them in detail. This is done from
a theory-neutral perspective, offering new insights into the
characterization of these features, particularly in terms of the issues
that arise from the literature review. The it-cleft is analysed alongside
other specificational constructions and relative clause constructions.
These insights are then framed in Role and Reference Grammar terms in
chapter 6, the analysis providing a clear and explanatory account of the
construction. I also return to issues such as reflexivisation and the
interaction of negation and information structure. Finally, chapter 7
contains a brief discussion on approaches to cross-linguistic comparison of
the it-cleft construction.



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