Split Topicalization

AbstractThis chapter provides an overview of the grammatical properties of split topicalization. It also summarizes the different syntactic analyses that have been developed for this construction. The chapter focuses on the two main types of split topicalization in German: split‐NP topicalization (1) and split‐VP topicalization (2). The topicalized part of this construction is referred to astopand the stranded, remnant part asrem:(1)Germana.[Gänse]TOPhat er [keinepolnischen –]REMgekauft.geesehas he nopolishbought‘As for geese, he has not bought polish ones.’b.[PolnischeGänse]TOPhat er [keine –]REMgekauft.polishgeesehas he nobought‘As for polish geese, he has bought none.’(2)German[Gelesen]TOPhat er [dieseBücher nicht]REM.readhas hethesebooks not‘As for reading, he has not read these books.’In split topicalization, a single extended projection – that is, NP in (1) or VP in (2) – is scattered over different positions in the clause: the core part of the projection,top, is topicalized and a more peripheral part of the projection,rem, is realized clause‐internally.On the one hand, the dependency relation betweentopandremin both split‐NP topicalization and split‐VP topicalization shows connectivity effects and is clearly of the A′‐type, suggesting a movement analysis. On the other hand, the adjectival inflection within the split NPs (see (1a)–(1b)) is spelled out as iftopandremwere independent constituents. In some varieties, even examples with an overlap betweentopandrem, as determiner doubling in (3a), or examples with aremconsisting of a full NP, as in (3b), do occur. These examples seem to suggest thattopandremare base‐generated independently.(3)Germana.[EineLösung]TOPhat er [einebessere –alsich]REM.asolutionhas he abetter (one)thanI‘As for a solution, he has a better one than I have.’b.[Raubvögel]TOPkennt ernur[Bussarde]REM.birds of preyknows heonlybuzzards‘As for birds of prey, he knows only buzzards.’Split‐PP topicalization (4) and mixed‐split topicalization (5) and the ways in which they are accounted for in various phrasal and subphrasal extraction analyses are dealt with in this chapter as well. The mixed‐split cases, in which the categorial features oftopandremappear to be different, raise a particularly serious problem for syntactic analysis.(4)German[MitMädchen]TOPhat er [mitvielen –]REMgetanzt.withgirlshas he withmanydanced‘As for girls, he danced with many.’(5)German[Romanegeschrieben]TOPhater schon [viele —]REM .novelswrittenhashe already many‘As for writing novels, he has written already many.’