Re: Fronting & Constituent Order

From: Lindsay J. Whaley (Lindsay.J.Whaley@Dartmouth.EDU)
Date: Thu Apr 27 2000 - 08:35:42 EDT


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--- "Wayne Leman" wrote:
the Cheyenne data that a
concept of "newsworthy" first explained what Cheyenne speakers put first
(that is, fronted) in their sentences.
--- end of quote ---

The concept of newsworthiness is also useful in describing the order of adjective and noun in Koine Greek, or so I once argued this in a paper. One potential problem with using the concept 'newsworthy,' however, is that it is often left undefined. Rather linguists (including Marianne Mithun, who first introduced the term) apply it in an intuitive sense for whatever language they happen to be working on; Wayne, I wonder if you might venture a working definition of the "newsworthy" as your wife applied it to Cheyenne.

--- You wrote:
 One needs to approach 90% or higher
percentages for constituent order patterns before we can start to suggest
that there is some kind of default constituent order.
--- end of quote ---

Wayne, where are you getting the number 90%?

Lindsay Whaley
Dartmouth College

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