Defocalization in Cantonese Right Dislocation

Abstract

In this paper, I argue that a subtype of right dislocation (RD) in Cantonese introduces defocus in a sentence. It involves a process of defocalization, the core semantic function of which is to reduce possible focus sets within a sentence. RD shows syntactic properties such as locality condition and long distance dependency. It is argued that the RD at issue is instance of A’-movement to the left periphery. I propose that RD can be derived through a combination of two independent operations. First, the defocalized element undergoes a leftward movement (defocalization) to the specifier of DefocusP (a projection lower than sentence particles). The remnant TP then moves to the specifier of another projection above sentence particles, which is independently motivated. The current proposal complements the Dislocation Focus Construction (Cheung 2005) and hence contributes to a complete theory in deriving right dislocation in Cantonese. Finally, I argue that the right dislocation of verb is an instance of syntactic (long-distance) head-spec movement.*