It-clefts as pragmatically-motivated extraposed constructions?
This paper investigates the discursive and pragmatic functions of it-clefts in contemporary English. The qualitative corpus-based study is based on the hypothesis that an it-cleft originates from the extraposition of a complex noun phrase in an underlying initial pseudo- or TH-cleft structure. From...
Gorde:
| Argitaratua izan da: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/discours, |
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| Egile nagusia: | |
| Formatua: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Hizkuntza: | Anglais |
| Argitaratua: |
Discours
2026
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| Sarrera elektronikoa: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Gaia: | This paper investigates the discursive and pragmatic functions of it-clefts in contemporary English. The qualitative corpus-based study is based on the hypothesis that an it-cleft originates from the extraposition of a complex noun phrase in an underlying initial pseudo- or TH-cleft structure. From this perspective, it is shown that it-clefting pragmatically displays both specific properties and features shared with a related non-canonical construction, namely extraposition. The analysis demonstrates that it-clefts are not mere syntactic or stylistic devices, but that their use is motivated by pragmatic considerations and the discourse situation. Although it-cleft formation deviates from a canonical pattern and is therefore marked, it-clefts themselves can be either marked or unmarked. This study proposes a unified account of their discourse functions, arguing that their primary communicative function is to identify or specify an argument or circumstance, and that their uses parallel those of extraposed subject-subordinate clauses. It further provides evidence for a gradient ranging from the most prototypical to the least typical it-clefts, which supports the view that they form a unified discursive category, with differences residing only in co(n)textual factors and pragmatic effects. |
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