Detachment
Revision as of 11:34, 28 November 2008 by Haspelmath (talk | contribs) (New page: In syntax, a '''detachment''' construction is a construction in which a referential constituent occurs in a special peripheral position, generally separated by an intonation break ...)
In syntax, a detachment construction is a construction in which a referential constituent occurs in a special peripheral position, generally separated by an intonation break and by commas in writing. A widely discussed subtype of detachment is dislocation.
Example
English: As for novels, Mary only likes those by Tolstoy.
Comment
In dislocation, there has to be a resumptive pronoun referring to the dislocated constituent, but this is not necessary in other detachment constructions, such as the English "as for" construction.
Subtypes
Related terms
Other languages
French détachement
