4min chapter

Conlangery Podcast cover image

Conlangery #53: Topicalization

Conlangery Podcast

CHAPTER

Is There a Special Marking for a Topic?

The topic is the default co-referent in gapping. So we assume that the subject is the same from clause to clause. In topic prominent languages, anything you leave out in subsequent clauses is going to refer to the topic not to the subject. It may make no sense at all to think about the topic as participating in some sort of hairy tree structure that generatives love so much. But movement is easy to talk about when you want to indicate that something will always be first in an utterance.

00:00

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
App store bannerPlay store banner

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode