On the Fine Structure of the Left Periphery The Positions of Topic and Focus in Cantonese

This chapter has two major objectives. The first concerns the syntax and semantics of wh-fronting constructions in Cantonese. Investigating the syntactic and semantic properties of these constructions is important because they have counterparts in Mandarin whose status has been a point of contention in the literature. Specifically, while most previous studies analyze wh-fronting constructions in Mandarin as a type of Topic structure (Wu 1999; Pan 2006, 2011), recent studies argue that they should be analyzed as a type of Focus construction (Cheung 2008, 2012, 2014). Hence one goal of this chapter is to provide additional rationale for analyzing wh-fronting constructions as a type of Focus construction. In particular, it will be demonstrated that Cantonese wh-fronting constructions are best analyzed as a type of Identificational Focus (IdentF) construction (in the sense of É. Kiss, 1998) that must be distinguished from Topic structures. Once the syntax and semantics of Cantonese wh-fronting constructions are clarified, a number of questions arise concerning the inventory of Topics and Foci and their hierarchical order relative to IdentF in the left periphery of Cantonese. This brings us to the second, theoretical goal of this chapter: to explore the topography of different types of Topics and Foci in the left periphery of Cantonese and its implications for two prominent lines of research on the OUP UNCORRECTED PROOF – FIRSTPROOFS, Mon Mar 23 2015, NEWGEN

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