| Description |
This thesis discusses the positional variation of contrastive focus in English and Italian. In these languages (and certainly many others) a contrastively focused element can appear in a lower position (i.e. its base-generated thematic position) or in the left periphery. This thesis proposes that this positional variation can be accounted for in the syntax of these languages through the expansion of feature strength alternation, something often only used to explain cross-linguistic differences (e.g. how English and Chinese wh-movement behaves differently, wh-elements in English involving left-peripheral movement and those in Chinese remaining in their base-generated positions). In English and Italian, we see intra-linguistic variation for focus movement. Our proposal of intra-linguistic feature strength alternation allows for a unified analysis of contrastive focus that can appear in the left periphery, thus it is capable of explaining all three of the logical possibilities for the positions where this type of focus can appear: left-peripheral, base-generated, and, naturally, when it is not present. |
