주제와 화제- 기존 화제개념에 대한 재고 -

Abstract

Since the development of Functional Sentence Perspective various challenging theories have been proposed for the concept of topic. Generally speaking, topic has been viewed either on the basis of aboutness or on the basis of givenness. The weakness of both approaches lies not simply in the confusing uses of the terminology. The more serious problem lies in the fact that they cannot show effectively the dìfference between As for our daughters, we are proud of them," and As for our daughters, them we are proud of." 1 presume that much of the problem can be solved if we accept the fact that a speaker and a hearer can have different aboutnesses and/or gìvennesses and that topìc ìs not only a matter of connectìng one utterance wìth the other utterance(s) ìn a dìscourse but also a matter wìthìn one utterance. Resortìng to these assumptìons 1 suggest to splìt the establìshed concept of topìc ìnto two subconcepts workìng on dìfferent levels, ì.e., theme" and topic". Theme" ìs temporarìly defìned as a proposìtion(or propositions) that semantìcally connects the utterances to preserve the coherence of the discourse. Thus, it is primarìly a matter of ìnterpretatìon or reconstruction from the hearers viewpoìnt. Topic" ìs temporarily defined as an object-fìle that a speaker intends to actìvate in hìs consciousness as the psychologìcal and lìnear starting poìnt of hìs future utterance. As a proof of my theory 1 expound in chapter 4 on left dislocatìon, partìcularly wìth the Russìan oral data. Typology and dìscourse functìon of left dislocation are studied in detail. The analysìs is supported by the comparìson wìth right dislocation on the one hand and wìth topicalìzation" on the other. In the course of the discussion are also revìewed briefly such polemìcal problems as presuppositìon and focus ìn question, the spatiotemporal expressions in exìstentìal utterances, and the functìon of nin" and ka" in Korean.