Study Overview

This study provides an illuminating and ground-breaking account of the complex interaction of intonational phenomena, semantics and pragmatics.

Methodology and Focus

Based on examples from German and English, and centred on an analysis of the fall-rise intonation contour, a semantic interpretation for two different pitch accents - Focus and Topic - is developed.

Semantic Effects

The cross-sentence, as well as the sentence internal semantic effects of these accents, follow from the given treatment.

Theoretical Foundations

The account is based on Montogovian possible world semantics and Chomskian generative syntax.