21.1891, Diss: Pragmatics/Typology: Smit : 'FYI: Theory and typology in info...'

[linguist at LINGUISTLIST.ORG]

LINGUIST List: Vol-21-1891. Tue Apr 20 2010. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 21.1891, Diss: Pragmatics/Typology: Smit : 'FYI: Theory and typology in info...'

Moderators: Anthony Aristar, Eastern Michigan U <aristar at linguistlist.org>
            Helen Aristar-Dry, Eastern Michigan U <hdry at linguistlist.org>
 
Reviews: Monica Macaulay, U of Wisconsin-Madison  
Eric Raimy, U of Wisconsin-Madison  
Joseph Salmons, U of Wisconsin-Madison  
Anja Wanner, U of Wisconsin-Madison  
       <reviews at linguistlist.org> 

Homepage: http://linguistlist.org/

The LINGUIST List is funded by Eastern Michigan University, 
and donations from subscribers and publishers.

Editor for this issue: Mfon Udoinyang <mfon at linguistlist.org>
================================================================  

To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at
http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.cfm.

===========================Directory==============================  

1)
Date: 18-Apr-2010
From: Niels Smit < nlssmt at gmail.com >
Subject: Dissertation Abstract
 

	
-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 08:16:01
From: Niels Smit [nlssmt at gmail.com]
Subject: Dissertation Abstract

E-mail this message to a friend:
http://linguistlist.org/issues/emailmessage/verification.cfm?iss=21-1891.html&submissionid=2627494&topicid=14&msgnumber=1
  


Institution: Universiteit van Amsterdam 
Program: Institute of General Linguistics 
Dissertation Status: Completed 
Degree Date: 2010 

Author: Niels Smit

Dissertation Title: FYI: Theory and typology of information packaging 

Dissertation URL:  http://books.google.com/books?id=Ib-WmFpBG9IC

Linguistic Field(s): Pragmatics
                     Typology


Dissertation Director(s):
Enoch Oladé Aboh
Kees Hengeveld

Dissertation Abstract:

Linguistic expressions are shaped by what they mean and the context 
in which they are used. Part of this context concerns the assumptions that
language users entertain about their interlocutors' state of knowledge. 
The project explores to what extent these assumptions - operationalised as
'informational articulations' - impact surface structure, and whether their
cross-linguistic distribution can shed some light on the mutual orientation
of these articulations in conceptual space. To this end, a typological
analysis is conducted on fifteen genetically unrelated languages.
Articulations are identified on the basis of context, and the corresponding
expression strategies are rated for their informational multifunctionality
or lack thereof. On the basis of these data, the form-function interactions
are classified in terms of 'informational alignment' and are compared
cross-linguistically. It appears that the clustering of articulations in
surface structure reveals the relevance of three cross-linguistically valid
organisational dimensions in the domain  of information structuring. 




-----------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-21-1891