Uygurcada Bilgi Yapısı

Abstract

This study investigates the linguistic encoding and syntactic representation of information structure in Uyghur, a language belonging to the Eastern branch of the Turkic language family. The key issues explored are the grammatical devices employed in encoding information structure in Uyghur, the interrelations among these devices, and the role of information structure within syntax. In parallel with these main questions, the study examines the relationship between information structure and word order, the existence of dedicated focus and topic positions, and the prosodic features of information-structural components. To address syntax-related questions, the study evaluates the effects of information-structural components on syntax and whether these components occupy specific syntactic positions. The first major section of the study addresses fundamental issues concerning information structure in Uyghur. Previous research has proposed that either word order or prosody alone serves as the primary determinant in encoding information structure. Scholars advocating for word order as the exclusive mechanism claim that focus elements are obligatorily immediately preverbal and that sentence structure is adjusted accordingly. However, we demonstrate that only informational foci are constrained to a immediately preverbal position, whereas contrastive foci and those conveying additional features such as surprise can deviate from this pattern. Additionally, the study discusses the placement of topic types and tail in word order, rightward displacement, the information-structural functions of certain morphological markers, and the prosody of focus elements. The findings collectively reveal that word order and prosody operate in a coordinated manner in the encoding of information structure in Uyghur. In the syntax section, the study explores the syntax-information structure interface, showing that information structure actively influences syntactic organization. Our findings indicate that contrastive foci are expressed in a dedicated syntactic head within the core clause, while topics are encoded in the specifier of TP to satisfy the EPP feature. The adjacency of informational foci to the verb, we argue, arises as a secondary consequence of the movement of other information-structural components. Furthermore, the study shows that tails cannot be accounted for through a fixed syntactic position, as their movement patterns differ significantly from those of other information-structural elements.