SEMANTIC AND SYNTACTIC ASPECTS OF FOCUS SHIFTS IN INDIRECT NAMES

SEMANTIC AND SYNTACTIC ASPECTS OF FOCUS SHIFTS IN INDIRECT NAMES

Author:  М.I. Кiose

Affiliation:  The Institute of Linguistics Russian Academy of Sciences

Abstract: 
The work deals with semantic and syntactic aspects of the cognitive mechanism of focus shifting in indirect names. The author views indirect expressions as units that can acquire the function of direct naming in the text (i.e. become conventionalized). The functional changes are determined by the shifts of two types of lexical foci – identifying or characterizing. Syntactic aspects of focus shifts, such as actantial derivation and syntactic position, are also analyzed.

Keywords:  indirect naming, focus, focus shift, identifying and characterizing foci, conventionalization, actantial derivation, syntactic position