@article{Fiedler2011, author = {Fiedler, Ines}, title = {QUIS data from Yom, Aja, Anii and Foodo}, series = {Interdisciplinary studies on information structure : ISIS ; working papers of the SFB 632}, journal = {Interdisciplinary studies on information structure : ISIS ; working papers of the SFB 632}, number = {16}, issn = {1614-4708}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-51420}, pages = {49 -- 96}, year = {2011}, abstract = {This is the second part of the presentation of data elicited by means of QUIS within the project on information structure in Gur and Kwa languages. Whereas the first part (Anne Schwarz) introduces the project and the rationals behind the development of the focus translation task, this part provides some comparative remarks gained from the data presented in both parts.}, language = {en} } @article{GenzelKuegler2011, author = {Genzel, Susanne and K{\"u}gler, Frank}, title = {How to elicit semi-spontaneous focus realizations with specific tonal patterns}, series = {Interdisciplinary studies on information structure : ISIS ; working papers of the SFB 632}, journal = {Interdisciplinary studies on information structure : ISIS ; working papers of the SFB 632}, number = {13}, issn = {1614-4708}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-49749}, pages = {77 -- 102}, year = {2011}, abstract = {This article presents a situation description production experiment investigating the interaction between syntax and information structure in Akan, a tone language that belongs to the Kwa branch of the Niger- Congo family spoken in Ghana. Information structure was elicited via context questions that put the object in narrow informational focus or narrow corrective focus while controlling for the tonal structure of the target word. Contrary to the prediction that corrective focus is marked by fronting and morphological marking of the focused constituent the data suggest that the in-situ strategy is the preferred one.}, language = {en} } @article{Grubic2011, author = {Grubic, Mira}, title = {Ngizim fieldnotes}, series = {Interdisciplinary studies on information structure : ISIS ; working papers of the SFB 632}, journal = {Interdisciplinary studies on information structure : ISIS ; working papers of the SFB 632}, number = {13}, issn = {1614-4708}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-49738}, pages = {1 -- 76}, year = {2011}, abstract = {This chapter presents field notes of the West Chadic language Ngizim, spoken in North-East Nigeria. In Ngizim, subject focus is indicated by subject inversion, whereas the word order of sentences with focused non-subjects can remain unchanged. The goal of the field work was to find out more about focus marking in Ngizim.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{Karvovskaya2013, author = {Karvovskaya, Lena}, title = {'Also' in Ishkashimi : additive particle and sentence connector}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-66097}, year = {2013}, abstract = {The paper discusses the distribution and meaning of the additive particle -m@s in Ishkashimi. -m@s receives different semantic associations while staying in the same syntactic position. Thus, structurally combined with an object, it can semantically associate with the focused object or with the whole focused VP; similarly, combined with the subject it can semantically associate with the focused subject and with the whole focused sentence.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{Kimmelmann2013, author = {Kimmelmann, Vadim}, title = {Doubling in RSL and NGT : a pragmatic account0F*}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-66102}, year = {2013}, abstract = {In this paper, doubling in Russian Sign Language and Sign Language of the Netherlands is discussed. In both sign languages different constituents (including verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and whole clauses) can be doubled. It is shown that doubling in both languages has common functions and exhibits a similar structure, despite some differences. On this basis, a unified pragmatic explanation for many doubling phenomena on both the discourse and the clause-internal levels is provided, namely that the main function of doubling both in RSL and NGT is foregrounding of the doubled information.}, language = {en} } @article{Krifka2007, author = {Krifka, Manfred}, title = {Basic notions of information structure}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, isbn = {978-3-939469-88-9}, issn = {1614-4708}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-19603}, pages = {13 -- 55}, year = {2007}, abstract = {This article takes stock of the basic notions of Information Structure (IS). It first provides a general characterization of IS — following Chafe (1976) — within a communicative model of Common Ground(CG), which distinguishes between CG content and CG management. IS is concerned with those features of language that concern the local CG. Second, this paper defines and discusses the notions of Focus (as indicating alternatives) and its various uses, Givenness (as indicating that a denotation is already present in the CG), and Topic (as specifying what a statement is about). It also proposes a new notion, Delimitation, which comprises contrastive topics and frame setters, and indicates that the current conversational move does not entirely satisfy the local communicative needs. It also points out that rhetorical structuring partly belongs to IS.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{Putten2013, author = {Putten, Saskia van}, title = {The meaning of the avatime additive particle tsyɛ}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-66081}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Avatime, a Kwa language of Ghana, has an additive particle tsyɛ that at first sight looks similar to additive particles such as too and also in English. However, on closer inspection, the Avatime particle behaves differently. Contrary to what is usually claimed about additive particles, tsyɛ does not only associate with focused elements. Moreover, unlike its English equivalents, tsyɛ does not come with a requirement of identity between the expressed proposition and an alternative. Instead, it indicates that the proposition it occurs in is similar to or compatible with a presupposed alternative proposition.}, language = {en} } @book{RenansZimmermannGreif2011, author = {Renans, Agata and Zimmermann, Malte and Greif, Markus}, title = {Questionnaire on focus semantics. - 2nd edition}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-50359}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {This is the 15th issue of the working paper series Interdisciplinary Studies on Information Structure (ISIS) of the Sonderforschungsbereich (SFB) 632. This online version contains the Questionnaire on Focus Semantics contributed by Agata Renans, Malte Zimmermann and Markus Greif, members of Project D2 investigating information structural phenomena from a typological perspective. The present issue provides a tool for collecting and analyzing natural data with respect to relevant linguistic questions concerning focus types, focus sensitive particles, and the effects of quantificational adverbs and presupposition on focus semantics. This volume is a supplementation to the Reference manual of the Questionnaire on Information Structure, issued by Project D2 in ISIS 4 (2006).}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{Roehr2013, author = {R{\"o}hr, Christine Tanja}, title = {Information status and prosody : production and perception in German0F*}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-66116}, year = {2013}, abstract = {In a production experiment and two follow-up perception experiments on read German we investigated the (de-)coding of discourse-new, inferentially and textually accessible and given discourse referents by prosodic means. Results reveal that a decrease in the referent's level of givenness is reflected by an increase in its prosodic prominence (expressed by differences in the status and type of accent used) providing evidence for the relevance of different intermediate types of information status between the poles given and new. Furthermore, perception data indicate that the degree of prosodic prominence can serve as the decisive cue for decoding a referent's level of givenness.}, language = {en} } @article{Schwarz2011, author = {Schwarz, Anne}, title = {QUIS data from Buli, Kɔnni and Baatɔnum with notes on the comparative approach}, series = {Interdisciplinary studies on information structure : ISIS ; working papers of the SFB 632}, journal = {Interdisciplinary studies on information structure : ISIS ; working papers of the SFB 632}, number = {16}, issn = {1614-4708}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-51415}, pages = {1 -- 48}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Selection of QUIS Data for Comparative Goals 2.1 Fairy Tale (Topic and Focus in Coherent Discourse) 2.2 Focus Translation Extract 3. On the Presentation and Comparison of the Data 4. Buli 4.1 Tomatoes Fairy Tale in Buli 4.2 Focus Translation Extract in Buli 5. Kɔnni 5.1 Tomatoes Fairy Tale in Kɔnni 5.2 Focus Translation Extract 6. Baatɔnum 6.1 Tomatoes Fairy Tale in Baatɔnum 6.2 Focus Translation Extract in Baatɔnum}, language = {en} } @book{SchwarzFiedler2011, author = {Schwarz, Anne and Fiedler, Ines}, title = {Linguistic Fieldnotes III: Information Structure in Gur and Kwa Languages}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-51094}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {This is the 16th issue of the working paper series Interdisciplinary Studies on Information Structure (ISIS) of the Sonderforschungsbereich (SFB) 632. The present issue continues the series on Linguistic Fieldnotes providing data elicited and documented by different members of the Sonderforschungsbereich 632. Here, the focus is placed on primary linguistic data from Gur and Kwa languages, collected and prepared by Anne Schwarz, former investigator in Project B1 and D2, and Ines Fiedler, former investigator in Project B1 and D2 and current member of Project B7 at Humboldt-Universit{\"a}t zu Berlin.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{Stavropoulou2013, author = {Stavropoulou, Pepi}, title = {On the status of contrast : evidence from the prosodic domain}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-66066}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Recent models of Information Structure (IS) identify a low level contrast feature that functions within the topic and focus of the utterance. This study investigates the exact nature of this feature based on empirical evidence from a controlled read speech experiment on the prosodic realization of different levels of contrast in Modern Greek. Results indicate that only correction is truly contrastive, and that it is similarly realized in both topic and focus, suggesting that contrast is an independent IS dimension. Non default focus position is further identified as a parameter that triggers a prosodically marked rendition, similar to correction.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{Titov2013, author = {Titov, Elena}, title = {Scrambling and interfaces}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-66073}, year = {2013}, abstract = {This paper proposes a novel analysis of the Russian OVS construction and argues that the parametric variation in the availability of OVS cross-linguistically depends on the type of relative interpretative argument prominence that a language encodes via syntactic structure. When thematic and information-structural prominence relations do not coincide, only one of them can be structurally/linearly represented. The relation that is not structurally/linearly encoded must be made visible at the PF interface either via prosody or morphology.}, language = {en} }