Contrastive (Predicate) Topic, Intonation, and Scalar Meanings

In this chapter I will consider Contrastive Topic (CT), Contrastive Predicate Topic (CPT) and Focus in information structure and their relations to intonation and meaning, as I have attempted to account for in a series of papers on related topics¹. Particularly, I will try to see the conventional scalar implicature meanings triggered by CPT and CT in connection with its intonation. In dealing with those phenomena, I will use data extensively from Korean, where CT is surprisingly clearly marked morphologically and intonationally, in comparison with data from English.

Information structure, claimed to constitute a separate component from phonological, syntactic and semantic components (Vallduvi 1992), consists basically of Topic – Comment or Background – Focus information. Apart from whether it constitutes a separate component in grammar, no one can deny that it is closely interwoven with morphological structure (particularly in Korean and Japanese), syntactic linear and hierarchical structure, semantic structure, and prosodic phonological structure. That is why we came to organize the present workshop and create a volume on Topic and Focus in connection with their meaning and intonation. Recently the phenomenon of CT in particular has been well characterised. Through this kind of common efforts we believe we can deepen our understanding of underlying principles governing related issues cross-linguistically.

The organization of the chapter is as follows: In 2 Contrastive Topic is distinguished from non-contrastive Topic and from list contrastive topics, which do not leave implicature; CT is examined in a dialogue model and the notion of sum considered; Korean CT is shown on pitch tracks. In 3 scalar meanings are analyzed; type-subtype scalarity and subtype scalarity are distinguished and CT’s inherent tendency of subtype scalarity even in entities is advocated. In 4 scope relations between scope bearers and CT and CT’s narrow-scope nature is discussed, together with non-narrow-scope topicalization effect. In 5 Contrastive Predicate Topic and the scope relation between CT and REASON clause are explored. 6 concludes the chapter.