Topic and Focus in Old French V1 and V2 structures

Topic and Focus in Old French V1 and V2 structures

Marie Labelle (UQAM) &Paul Hirschbühler (U. d’Ottawa)

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Problem

• Traditional analysis: Old French = V2 of the Germanic type : – V2 in CP : [CP XP V [TP ….]] (e.g. Adams, Vance…)

(or V2 in TP : [TP XP V [VP ….]] (e.g. Lemieux))

• Rinke & Meisel (2009) : Old French as Topic initial : – V under T; SpecTP = Topic : [TP XPTop V [VP …...]Foc ]

– R&M: “[Subject] inversion in Old French is contingent on the topicalisation of a non-subject constituent” (like contemp. It., Sp., Port.)

– R&M: “An incompatibility of the post-verbal subject with an interpretation as information focus or as part of a thetic sentence would cause the subject to move to the pre-verbal position.” (p.17)

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Rinke & Meisel

German• Preverbal constituent

– topic– informational focus– contrastive focus– adverb that is neither topic

nor focus

• Postverbal subject – topic – (part of the) focus

Old French• Preverbal constituent

– topic– adverb that links with the

previous discourse (+/- topic)

• Postverbal subject – (part of the) focus

(based on Villehardouin & Les 7 sages de Rome, beginning 13th c.)

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Old High German(Hinterhölzl & Petrova)

• Hinterhölzl & Petrova (2005, 2010) :• « ... the position of the finite verb serves to distinguish the

information-structural domains of Topic and Focus in sentences of the Old High German period. » (2005:2)

– verb-second = topic initial : [XPgiv/acc]TOP [Vfin ...…]COMMENT/FOCUS

– verb-initial = all focus : [Vfin…XPnew…]FOCUS

• (Modern German = grammaticalization of V2)

Hinterhölzl & Petrova. 2005. Rhetorical Relations and Verb Placement in Early Germanic Languages : Evidence from the Old High German Tatian Translation (9th century)

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Aims of the study

• Evaluate the hypothesis that, in Old French, the preverbal position hosts topics & that constituents belonging to the focus remain in postverbal position.

• Identify and date eventual grammatical changes in the discursive functions of preverbal elements and postverbal subjects.

• Evaluate the possibility that a Topic-first stage intervened in the transition from V2 to SVO:

V2 > Topic first > Subject first

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Definitions Topic

• “The topic constituent identifies the entity or set of entities under which the information expressed in the comment constituent should be stored in the [Common Ground] content.”(Krifka 2007 Basic notions of information structure)

• Typically a definite constituent, referring to an entity given in the discourse or accessible.

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Information focus

• Pragmatic principle of progression (e.g. Charolles 1978):If a sentence is to be informative, it must contain material that is new in relation to previously known information.

• The part of the sentence containing new information that should be stored in the common ground.

• Gundel & Fretheim (2004) : Topic/Information Focus = Theme/Rheme, Topic/Comment... : relationally given/new information respectively. (In Handbook of Pragmatic Theory.)

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DefinitionsInformation focus

• Some sentences may be all-focus (Thetic)– e.g. presentative sentences: There are two cats in the garden.

• Büring (2005:5): not all the information in a comment is new:A: When did [Aristotle Onassis]Topic marry Jacqueline Kennedy?

B: [He]Topic [married her [in 1968]Focus]]Comment (Krifka 2007: ex. 41)

« a focused expression would be an informative part of the sentence, a backgrounded one an uninformative one. »

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DefinitionsContrastive Focus

• Contrastive Focus : “material which the speaker calls to the addressee’s attention, thereby often evoking a contrast with other entities that might fill the same position.” (Gundel & Fretheim 2004)(Krifka 2007: Focus indicates the presence of alternatives that are relevant for the interpretation of linguistic expressions.)

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• May be marked by expressions like: even, only, also

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• May be marked by expressions like: even, only, also

• A contrastive focus may be part of a topic.–A: What do your siblings do?–B: [My [SIster]Focus]Topic [studies MEDicine]Focus, and

[my [BROther]Focus]Topic is [working on a FREIGHT ship]Focus.

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The corpus

• 19 parsed Old French texts dated between 980 and 1309 (7 in verse, 12 in prose – from MCVF & Penn supplement)

• All positive declarative matrix IP’s with a full DP subject

• V1 and V2 clauses only

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V1 clauses

Are post-verbal subjects in V1 clauses always (part of) the focus of the clause?

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V1 clauses other than thosewhere V introduces direct discourse*

• Taking into account the context, coding of subjects as being – T = Topics; F = (part of) Information Focus; Unclear

(Only strict V1 clauses considered, i.e. not introduced by a coordinator)*These will be discussed independently.

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V1 clauses other than thosewhere V introduces direct discourse*

• Taking into account the context,we coded subjects as being – T = Topics; F = (part of) Information Focus; Unclear

• “It does not seem that the postverbal position in V1 sentences is pragmatically specialized.” (Rouveret 2004: 196)

(Only strict V1 clauses considered, i.e. not introduced by a coordinator)*These will be discussed independently.

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Focus Topic Unclear51 35 17 103

49.5% 34% 16.5%

Examples Topic subjects

• Curecerent s' en les princes des Philistiensget-angry-PST refl-gen the princes of the Philistians

‘Got angry at this the princes of the Philistians’(1170-QLR1-2,.1332)

• Cunuit Brandans a l' air pluius‘knew Brendan from the wet wind Que li tens ert mult annüus.‘that the weather was very worrysome’

(1120-BRENDAN,56.675)

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• Alternation between Topic & Focus before 1200• V1 declaratives disappear around 1200.• When they re-emerge at the end of the 13th c., the subjects seem to be foci; but few examples.

Orange underline: prose texts

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V1 with verbs introducing direct discourse

• VS = V1 – Dit Roland: « ... »

• SVX = V2 with preverbal subject– Roland dit: « ... »

• XVS = V2 with a postverbal subject– Ço dit Roland: « ... » = preverbal object– Donc dit Roland: « ... » = preverbal adverb

• Same informational function of the subject:signal a new speaker or a change of speaker

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• Excluded (subject always postverbal):

o Parentheticals:"Deus", dist li quens, "or ne sai jo que face." (1100-ROLAND,148.2000)

o Clauses following the direct discourse:"Si fus," (ce) dist li empereres. (1267-CASSIDORUS,659.4349)

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Subjects of verbs introducing direct discourse are almost always definite

definite indefinite TotalV1 232 3 235SVX 175 2 177XVS 166 2 168

99% 0,1% 580

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VS sentences were replaced, not by XVS sentences, but by SVX sentences.

V2 clauses

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Rinke & Meisel

German• Preverbal constituent

– topic– contrastive focus– informational focus– adverb that is neither topic

nor focus

• Postverbal subject – topic – (part of the) focus

Old French• Preverbal constituent

– topic– adverb that links with the

previous discourse (+/- topic)

• Postverbal subject – (part of the) focus

(based on Villehardouin & Les 7 sages de Rome, beginning 13th c.)

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Can a contrastive focus be preverbal?

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YES.

Contrastive focus - subjects• Meïsmes la pucele y fu,

‘even the girl was there’ (1267-CASSIDORUS,149.1211)

• Sul David é Jonathas le sourent. ‘only David and Jonathan knew it’ (1170 QLR1-2,.757)

• nes li oisel s' an istront fors;‘even the birds will leave’ (1170-YVAIN,13.394)

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Contrastive focus – non-subjects

• Meïsmes a l' empereour sont les lermes venues aus yex, ‘even to the emperor have the tears come to the eyes’

(1267-CASSIDORUS,664.4447)

• Et li jorz meïsmes fu emprise la queste dou saint Graal ...‘and that very day was started the quest for the holy Grail’

(1225-QUESTE,104.2769)

Example with a null subject :• del tranchant, non mie del plat, le fiert ...

‘with the cutting edge, not with the flat side, (he) hits him’(1170-YVAIN,128.4433)

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Subjects

• Given that:– Definite subjects tend to be topics;– Indefinite subjects make bad topics & are often found in

thetic sentences;

• Is there a tendency to find definite subjects preverbally and indefinite subjects postverbally?

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Strictly V2 clauses:

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• Whether preverbally or postverbally, definite subjects strongly dominate.

• A large number of the post-verbal definite subjects should be topics. (Not quantified)

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Indefinite subjects appear more often in postverbal position:

Increase in tendency of indef. sbj. to appear in postverbal position:

Total number of indefinites: 192.

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Can preverbal subjects be part of the information focus?

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YES.

Examples Preverbal indefinite subjects = focus

• Uns seinz hermites i maneit‘A saint hermit lived there’(1180-MARIE-DE-FRANCE,182.3715)

• Une musteile vint curant, ‘A weasel came running’(1180-MARIE-DE-FRANCE,187.3815)

• Doi gentil homme du paÿs, qui pas ne l' amoient, saillirent hors a un trespas, ‘Two gentlemen of the country, who didn’t like him, jumped out at a passage’ (1267-CASSIDORUS,643.4056)

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Preverbal constituents that can’t be topics & are part of

information focus

Adj, Q, Pred, Non-finite V

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Preverbal Q, non finite V

• QP: Mut est LanvalTop en grant esfreie!

‘much is Lanval in great fright’ (1180-Marie de France, 78.1592)

• nfV: Trenchet li ad li quensTop le destre poign,

cut him has the count the right hand

‘The count cut his right hand’ (1100 Roland,142.1926)

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Preverbal adj, pred.

• adj: Malade ot geü longuemant la pucele, ‘sick has laid a-long-time the girl’

(1177-YVAIN,177.6235)

• prd: Male chose est murmure, ‘bad thing is whisper’ (1279-SOMME-ROYAL,1,64.1758)

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Objects

• Is a preverbal object an informational topic or focus?

• There was a change.

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Work of Marchello-Nizia (1995)

• Roland (1100) [verse]OV(S) extremely frequent, all types of O’s

– O more often rhematic than thematic (M-N. p. 99-100)

• Queste (1225) [prose]OV(S) more limited; serves to– thematize the O – place the rheme in first position (marked)

• in expressions of type donner conseil (give advice)• when O is modified by an intensifier like grant (great), maint

(many)

(Same found by Zaring (2010) for OV with non-finite verbs)

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253 preverbal objects

Preverbal objects tend to be focus before 1220 and topics afterwards.

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Preverbal indefinite focus object

• .XX. escheles ad li reis anumbrees.‘twenty columns has the king counted’

(1100-ROLAND,112.1459)

• et divers chanz chantoit chascuns; ‘and various songs sang each one’ (1170-YVAIN,15.453)

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Preverbal definite focus object

• La main destre leva adonques la dame, ‘The hand right raised then the lady’

(1177 Yvain,202.7065)

• La maniere comment il pristrent la cité de Baudas et le calife nous conterent les marcheans;‘The manner how they took the city of Baudas and the calife told us the merchants’

(1309 Joinville,289.3370)

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Preverbal adverbials and PP’s

• Are they topics?• Preverbal adverbs & PP are rarely the topic. • They may (or not) link with the previous discourse.• Postverbal definite subjects tend to be topics (still to

quantify)

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Preverbal focus PP

• En grant effrei erent amdui. ‘In great fright were both (of them)’

(1180-MARIE-DE-FRANCE,20.359)

• Here the PP is clearly the informational focus• The post-verbal subject is the topic.

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Preverbal PP linking with discourse

• Por ce panse mes sire Yvains qu' il l' ocirra premieremant; ‘For this thinks my lord Yvains that he will kill him first’

(1177-YVAIN,102.3563)

• Del colp chancelad li gluz‘At the blow faltered the giant’ (1170 QLR1-2,.470)

• The postverbal subjects are the topics;• The preverbal PP may link with the previous discourse without

being the topic.

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Preverbal adv + topic subject

• Si demora laienz Perceval avec s' antain. ‘thus stayed there Perceval with his aunt’

(1225-QUESTE,107.2806)

• donc pres Lethgiers a predier, ‘ thus starts Leger to pray’ (0980-SAINT-LEGER,XXXI.206)

• Puis vait li emfes l' emperethur servir. ‘then goes the child the emperor to serve’

(1090-SAINT-ALEXIS,7.80)

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Is there an evolution?

• What is the distribution of preverbal constituents in V2 sentences with a full DP subject? (6336 clauses)

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Other = acc, dat, adj, pred, non-fin V.

Means XP V : Verse: sbj = 55%; avp+pp = 31%; other = 14% Prose: sbj = 57%; avp+pp = 39%; other = 5%)

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Only V2 clauses not introduced by a coordinator

Coord = et, ou, mais, car (/que)

Sentences of type : coord XP V

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Stronger tendency of coordinated sentences to be SVX.Coord. = et, ou, mais, car (/que)

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All V2 sentences: strictly V2 + coord. V2

Coord.: et, ou, mais, car (/que)

Means XP V : Verse: sbj = 58%; avp+pp = 29%; other = 17% Prose: sbj = 64%; avp+pp = 33%; other = 5%)

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XP V and coord XP V:

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Constituents in the prefield in German & Swedish

(Bohnacker & Rosen 2007 :34 & 36) Subjects Objects Adverbials Others

German newspapers

54% 6.6% 36.8% 2.5%

German informal 50% 7% 42% 1%

Swedish newsp. 64% 2.3% 30.8% 3%

Swedish informal 73% 3% 23% 2%51

Subjects Objects Adv. & PP’s Others

OF Verse 58% 7% 29% 10%

OF Prose 64% 3% 33% 2%

Old French (XP V & coord XP V)

(XP V only: sbj = 55%, 57%; avp+pp = 31%, 39%; other = 14%, 5%.)

Bohnacker & Rosen (2007)

• Both Swedish and German tend to:– start declaratives with a subject– let the subject coincide with the theme and topic– place the theme before the rheme

• But Swedish has a stronger tendency to:– place the rheme after the verb; – start with an element of low informational value and with

a phonologically light element (e.g. expletive, det, så)– use few fronted objects; typically fronts objects that are

themes

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• Different uses of the prefield in different V2 languages

• Distribution of constituents in the prefield similar in OF and in Germanic languages.

• Evolution from V2German to V2Swedish?(Conflation of 2 variables: time & genre)

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Conclusions (1)

• Is there evidence that OF was Topic initial?• No :

– In OF, a preverbal element may be :– topic– informational focus– contrastive focus– adverbial that is neither topic nor focus

– Distribution of types of preverbal constituents not markedly different between OF and German/Swedish

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Conclusions (2)

• Is there a constraint that forces a subject to move to the preverbal position if it is a topic?

• No:– In OF, a postverbal subject may be a topic or a part of the

focus

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Conclusion (3)

• Is there a tendency for the language to become more topic initial?

• Potential indicators of a change in progress:– V1 sentences : No topic subjects after 1170 (few examples)– V2 sentences:

• Fewer preverbal object focus after 1220.• Increase in the tendency to find indefinite subjects postverbally• Differences between prose and verse in the variety of preverbal

constituents. • But no evidence of a clear grammatical change before 1309

(in sentences with a full DP subject).

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Conclusion (4)

• From an information structure viewpoint, OF is V2 of the germanic type until the end of the 13th c.

• But there might have been a change from V2German to V2Swedish

• To do:– Quantify the IS nature of DP subjects in all the V2 clauses;– Study V2 clauses with pronominal and null subjects.– Study V3 declaratives

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Thank you!

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• \0980: (*LEGER* inID) • \1090: (*ALEXIS* inID) • \1120: (*BRENDAN* inID) • \1100: (*ROLAND* inID) • \1150: (*WILLELME* inID) • \1170: (*QLR* inID) • \1177: (*YVAIN* inID) • \1180: (*MARIE* inID) • \1194: (*CHIEVRES* inID) • \1200: (*AUCASSIN* inID) • \1205: (*CLARI* inID) • \1220: (*PSEUDOTURPIN* inID) • \1225: (*QUESTE* inID) • \1226: (*AGNES* inID) • \1250: (*SERMON* inID) • \1267: (*CASSIDORUS* inID) • \1279: (*SOMME* inID) • \1283: (*Roisin* inID) • \1309: (*JOINVILLE* inID)

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Documents

Topic and Focus in Old French V1 and V2 structures