The English it-cleft: a constructional account and a diachronic investigation

Amanda Patten

Research output: Book/ReportBookpeer-review

Abstract

The English it-cleft is noted for its non-standard structure and for its unusual pragmatic and discourse-functional properties. This book presents a constructional account of the English it-cleft which is based on evidence from three main areas: (a) the concept of specificational meaning, (b) the existence of predicational (and proverbial) it-clefts, and (c) the early, historical it-cleft data. Featuring a sizeable diachronic component, the book contributes to the limited (and largely unchallenged) literature on the history of the English it-cleft.
Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationBerlin
PublisherDe Gruyter
Number of pages269
Volume79
ISBN (Print)9783110277807
Publication statusPublished - 28 Dec 2012

Publication series

NameTopics in English Linguistics [TiEL]
PublisherDe Gruyter

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