Focus as a grammatical notion: A case study in autism

Publications: Contribution to bookChapterPeer Reviewed

Abstract

Proper identification of the focus of an utterance is essential for discourse to proceed adequately. But how does the hearer identify the focus intended by the speaker? It is well-known that the focal constituent carries prosodic prominence, usually pitch accent. The question at the heart of this paper is how the hearer associates such accents with the notion focus. Is there a deductive step involved or is this an automated, grammatical process. I investigate the issue from a psycholinguistic perspective. In particular, I carried out a case study with an autistic speaker. I argue that given the general communicative breakdown associated with autism, the fact that this speaker uses focus adequately shows that focus is more than a domaingeneral communicative device. It must be a notion encoded in the grammar. If correct, such psycholinguistic evidence helps solidify the foundations of theoretical linguistic notions such as focus.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Sound Patterns of Syntax
PublisherOxford University Press
ISBN (Electronic)9780191722271
ISBN (Print)9780199556861
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 May 2010

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

  • 602004 General linguistics
  • 602040 Psycholinguistics

Keywords

  • Autism
  • Communicative device
  • Focus
  • Grammar
  • Modularity

Cite this