Universal #382

Legacy number: 382

 Number  381
 Original  All languages have constructions whose function is to place topic, both old and new, before comment.
 Standardized  All languages have constructions whose function is to place topic, both old and new, before comment.
 Keywords  topic, comment, order, focus
 Domain  syntax, pragmatics
 Type  unconditional
 Status  achronic
 Quality  absolute
 Basis  a sample of 30 languages, see Gundel 1988: 210;
a sample of 1063 languages, see Tomlin 1986: 155-259
 Source  Gundel 1988: 231, Tomlin 1986: 48

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Discussion
Counterexamples
Nilotic lgs tend to move old information to the end of the clause (Payne 1990: 11)
Notes
1. Tomlin: In clauses information that is relatively more thematic precedes information that is less so. 2. Cf. ##1416, 1417, 1418.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
1. Tomlin: In clauses information that is relatively more thematic precedes information that is less so.

2. Cf. <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1416"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">, <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1417"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">, <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1418"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">