Problems of Classification of Topic Constructions in Romance Languages: a literature review

This article is devoted to the discussion of the boundaries of applicability of the detailed classification of topic constructions developed in generative grammar to the linguistic facts of the Portuguese and French on various synchronous sections of their history. It is assumed that the results of the study will be relevant for most Romance languages. The article reviews both scientific research in which the principles of classification are directly explored, and works that are limited exclusively to the analysis of language material which use certain nomenclature. The purpose of the review is to identify the optimal approach to classifying Romance topic labeling strategies. The most common classification is based on the opposition of the topicalization and the left dislocation with further division into subtypes: hanging topic left dislocation, clitic left dislocation, English type topicalization, V2 topicalization, “wild” topicalization. Differentiation is carried out according to various criteria, including the presence of a resumptive element, the nature of the resumptive element, the preservation of the case, the position of the marked topic relative to the boundaries of the clause. The experience of researchers in Portuguese and French shows that factors such as the absence of grammatical case, the pro-drop, the free ellipsis of the object of transitive verbs in some cases and the dubious status of certain pronouns can make it difficult to distinguish between these subtypes. Generative criteria also turn out to be untenable, since outwardly similar constructions behave differently in different languages. Based on the facts presented, it is concluded that the detailed classification is untenable in relation to Romance languages, since the vast majority of language examples are technically impossible to classify as a specific subtype. However, the possibility of a basic division into the construction of the left dislocation (with resumption) and topicalization (without resumption) in French and Portuguese is invariably present.