4.2. Topic
Topic provides information concerning what the sentence is about. A distinction is made regarding the discourse status of topics. Some topics are continued or shifted topics. While topic shift indicates a change from a previously built context by starting a new one, topics with continued discourse status maintain former referents in the discourse.
Similar to presentational utterances that bring new referents into a new context, topic shifts, containing mediated information, are mostly marked non-manually with a squint, and more optionally with a brow raise or a change in head position. cat below is a shifted topic.
re
sq
cat sit
‘The cat (from the previous context) is sitting’
(Gökgöz in progress)
mouse below is a shifted topic.
hn
sq
ix3a mouse
‘There is the mouse (from the previous context)’
(Gökgöz in progress)
Continued topics that maintain previously built referents do not seem to be marked prosodically although an eyeblink during or at the end of the sign may optionally occur. cat below is a continued topic below.
cat legsCL(W):‘walk’ carpet flat_objectCL(3):‘pull’
‘The cat is pulling the carpet.’
(adapted from Gökgöz in progress)
ix3a cat is a continued topic below.
eb
ix3a cat black anımalCL(2):‘run’
‘Then the black cat runs (storming) back.’
(adapted from Gökgöz in progress)
Constructed action or role shift in which the signer takes on the role of a character in the narrative spreads across most notably in continued topics which may block further prosodic marking. cat is a continued topic below.
rs
cat get_angry small_anımalCL(>,6):‘catch’
‘The cat gets angry and catches the mouse’
(adapted from Gökgöz in progress)
Scene-setting topics, whether they are new to the discourse or present old information, are fronted adverbial or prepositional clauses that provide spatial or temporal information. They occur sentence-initially, preceding an optional aboutness topic. Scene-setting topics in TİD are often marked with a non-neutral head position and optionally with a brow raise.
Scene setting topic
hp-d
doorCL(B):‘extending’
‘There is a door which extends like this.’
Following sentence
cat mouthCL(-):‘open’
‘The cat opens his mouth.’
(adapted from Gökgöz in progress)
Base-generated topics, which often represent a class or a set of items precede information-focused constructions.
What does Ali like the most among fruits?
fruit, apple (ali) (very_much) (like)
‘As for fruits, Ali likes apples the most.’
(Makaroğlu 2012: 69)
In cases where topics which represent a class or set of entities co-occur with focus, the topic and focused constituents can be animate or inanimate entities.
Inanimate entities:
Which city do you like the most?
city[Topic] istanbul[I-Focus] ix1 most like
‘As for cities, I like İstanbul the most.’
(Makaroğlu 2012: 78)
Animate entities:
Which singer do you like the most?
singer[Topic] zülfü livaneli[I-Focus] ix1 most like
‘As for singer, I like Zülfü Livaneli the most.’
(Makaroğlu 2012: 78)
Animacy has an effect on the interpretation of a constituent as the topic of a sentence. The following sentence includes an inanimate object, book, which can be interpreted as a topic.
book child buy
‘The book, the child bought.’
(Açan 2007: 206)
However, child cannot be interpreted as a topicalized direct object in the sentence below. Rather it is the subject.
child mother love
‘The child loves his/her mother.’
(Adapted from Açan 2007: 206)
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant Agreement No 693349.